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V I E AV
OF Tiix ^r.l^'CIPAr.
DEISTICAL WPvlTERS.
VOL. II,
A
VIEW
OF THE rKINClPAL
^Avi^lJ^k^Ui^
DEISTICAL WRITERS
MAT HAVi: A??EAPvED IN ENGLAND IN THE LAST AND PRESENT
CENTURY.
WITH
OBSERVATIONS X^PON THEM,
SOME ACCOUNT OF THE ANSV/ERS
THAT HAVE BEEN TUBLISHED AGAINST THEM.
IN SEVERAL LETtERS TO A FRIEND.
THE FIFTH EDITION.
By JOHN LELAND, D. D,
TO WHICH IS ADDED,
AN APPENDIX,
CONTAINING
A VIEW OF THE PRESENT f IPvIES,
\7:i H REGARD TO RELIGION AND MORALSj AND OTHER IMPORTANT
SUBJECTS,
By W. L. BROWN, D. D.
rrvINCIPAL OE MAniSCIIAL COLLEGE, PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY, AND
MINISTER OF GREYFRIARS CHURCH, ABERDEEN.
IN TV/0 VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR T. CADELL JUN. & W. DAVIES — U'. CREECH, AND
BELL & BRADFUTE, EDINBURGH — AND A. E2.0\Vi:, ABERBELN,
MECCXCVII?,
a^i
CONTENTS
OF THE
SECOND VOL U Jvl E*
LETTER XXV.— P. i.
ORD Bolinghrokes Sentiments concerning the Immoriality
of the Soul and a fixture State, examined,
.LETTER XXVL—F. 27.
Ohfervaticns vn Lord BoHngbroke's Account of the Law oJN^.*
iure,
LETTER XXVIL— P. 46.
An Examinaiion of what Lord Bolingbrcke has offered ccncrni^
ing Rcvclatzcn in general.
LETTER XXVIII.— P. 'j^,
L&rd Bolingbroke s grunge Reprefmiaiion ofthejewijli Rcvth^
iion, excLinined,
LETTER XXrX.— P; 1 17,
Lcrd Eelinghroke s Objedions againft the divine Original and An^
ihority of the Scriptures of the Old Tef anient confdered,
L E T T E R XXX.— P. 136.
Farther Objeflicns of Lord Bolinghroke againfl the Mofaic Writ" -
iugs, and the Scriptures of the Old Tefiament, confidered*
LETTER XXXI.—P. 174.
Refcflions upon the favourable Reprefentation viade by Lord
Bolingbroke, of the excellent Nature and Defgn of the original
Chrfuan Revelation. Thofe Faff ages which feemed defgned tc
cxpoft the DoHrines, and invaUdaie the Proofs and Evidtnces
ef Ckrifliaiiity, confidered.
L E T^
vi CONTENTS.
LETTER XXXII.— P. 212.
Lord Bolingbroke' s Oojedions againji the Laws and Doclrlnes of
Chrijlianity.
LETTER XXXIIL— P. 237.
The Chrijlian Do^lrine of future Retributions vindicated* Con-
ch fion of the Obfervations on Lord Bolivgbrok&s p of humous
Works.
' LETTER XXXIV.— P. 261.
Defgned t'o introduce the ReFicftions on the late Lord Boling-
broke's Letters on the Siudy and Ufe of Hiftory, which ar&
fubjoincd at large,
L E T T E R XXXV.— P. 376.
^The Account of the Deifical Writers clofcd^ with general Rflic*
tions on thpfe Writers,
LETTER XXXVI.— P. 394.
A Summary of the Evidences of Chrifianity,
The C O N C L U S I O N.— P. 428,
In an Addrefs to Deifts and profelTed Chriftians.
APP END I X.— P.451.
RefeElions on the prefent State of Things in theft Nations,
N. B. For a fuller account of the Contents, fee the lic?A
preceding each Letter. And for the fubjeft-matter of the
RefleBions on Lord Bolingbrokes Letters on the Study and UJ^,
(f Hifory, fee the Contents preSxed to that Piece, Vol. II. p.
A
VI E W
DEISTICAL WRITERS, &g.
IN SEVERAL LETTERS TO A FRIEND,
LETTER XXV.
Favourable Declarations of Lord Bolinghroke concerning the
Immortality of the, Soul, and a future State — He reprejents it
as having been believed from the earlief Antiquity, and ar~
knowledges the great Ufefulnefs of that Doclrine — Yet it ap-
pears from many Pajfages in his JFor/is, that he himfelf zuas
not for admitting it — He treats it as an Egyptian Invention,
taken up vAthout Reafon, a vulgar Error, which was rejecled
when Men began to examine— He will not allow that the Soul
is -o.fpiritual Suhftance difiinB from the Body, and pretends
that all the Fhcznomena. lead ms to think -that the Soul dies
with the Body—Refietlions upon this— The Immateriality -oj
the Soul argued from its effential Properties, which are entirely
different from the Properties of Matter, and inco??ipattble with
them — The Author s Ohjedions anfwefed — Concerning the mo-
ral Argument for -a future State drawn from the unequal Bif
tnhutions of this prcfnt State — Lord Bolinghroke s Charge
againfi this Way of arguing, as hlcfphemous and injurious to
divine Providence, coufidcred — His great Inconfflency inft-
tuig up as an Advocate for. the Gcodnefs and Jhfdce cf Provi-
dence— That Maxim, Whatever is, is beft, examined — If rightly
underftood, it is not inconjifent with the BdieJ of a future
State,
SIR,
^1^ AVING confidered the attempt made by Lord Bolingbroke
X L againft God's moral attributes, and againft the doctrine ol:
, VOL. .11. B " V^--^
€ A VIEW OF THE DElSTlCAL WRITERS. Ld. XXV.
providence, as excrclfing a care and infpe£lion over the indivi-
duals of the human race, I nov/ come to another part of his
fcheme, and which feems to be defigncd to fet afide the in:mor-
tality of the foul, and a future flate of retributions. I join thefe
together, becaufe there is a clofe connexion between them, and
his Lordmip iVequently leprefents the one of thefe as the con-
fcqucnce of the other.
That I may make a fair reprefentation of his fentiments, I
fliali firil: produce thofe palTages, in which he fecms to exprefs
himfelf very favourably with rerpe6l to the doftrine of a future
Hate, and then Hiall compare them v/ith other paffages which
have a contrary arpe6i, that we may be the better able to form a
iuft notion oi his real deficrn.
He cbferves, that " the doclrine of the im.mortality of the foul,
*' and a future ftate of rewards and punifhments, began to be
*• taught long before we have any light into antiquity ; and when
•' we begin to have any, we find it eflablifhed * : That it was
*' ftrongly inculcated from time immemorial, and as early as the
*' moft ancient and learned nations appear to us," And he ex-
prefsly acknowledges the ufefulnefs of that doHrine to mankind,
as v/ell as its great antiquity. Ke declares, that " the do61rine
•• of future rewards and punifhments, which fuppofes the im-
*' mortality of the f>jn], is no doubt a great reftraint to meni."
That ** it was invented by the ancient theifts, philofophers, and
*' legiflators, to give an additional llrength to the fanftions of the
" law of nature; and that this motive every man vrho believes it
*' may and muft apply to himfelf, and hope the reward, and fear
'* the punlfhment, for his fccret as well as public aFtion-s, nay,
•' for his thouff'nts as well as his a6Honsi:" That *' the greater
'* part of the heathen philofophers did their utmoft to encourage
** the belief of future revv^ards and puniHiments, that they might
*• allure men to virtue, and deter tliem from vice the msre effec-
*' tuaily§." Ke obfcrvcs, that " the hypothefis of a life after
" tiiis ferved two puvpofes: The one was, that it furniihed an
*' anfwcr to the objections of the athcifls with refpecl to the pre-
'* fcnt unequal dilliibution of good and evil." This feems un-
* Bolingbrcke's Works, vol. v. p. 337. t Ibid. vol. iii. p. 559.
?'". § Ibid. p. 3 20.
Let. XXV. lOPvD BOLINGBROKE. 3
necefTary to lilm, becaufe he looks upon the accufation to be
void of any loundation. But the other purpofe, he fays, '* was
** no doubt very necelTary, fmce the belief of future rewards and
*' punifhmeiits could not fail to have fome efFeft on the manners
*' of men, to encourage virtue, and to reftrain vice." Accord-
ingly he calls it " a doctrine ufeful to all religions, and incorpo-
*' rated into all the fyflems of paganifm*." And he fays, ** the
" heathen legiHators might have reafon to add the terrors of ano-
*' ther life 10 that of the judgments of God, and the laws oi
"menf."
And as he ov/ns, that this do6lrine is very ufeful to mankind, •
ib he does not pretend pofitively to deny the truth of it. He
introduces a plain man of common found fenfe declaring his fen-
timents upon this fubjeft, and that though he could not affirm,
he v/ould not deny the immortality of the foul ; and that there
was nothing to tempt him to deny it; fmce whatever other v/orlds
there may be, the fame God ftill governs ; and that he has no
more to fear from him in one world than in another: That, like
the auditor in Tully's firft Tufculan difputation, he is pleafed
with the profpecl of immortality J. Again, he obferves, that
*' reafon will neither affirm nor deny that there is a future ftate:
*' and that the doftrine of rewards and punifiiments in it has fo'
*' great a tZTLC,ZT.zy to enforce the civil laws, and to refrrain the
*' vices of men, that reafon, which cannot decide for it on prin-
" ciples ^of natural theology, will not decide againft it on prin-
*' ciples of good policy. Let this do61rine reil on the authority
" of revelation. A theiftj who does, not believe the revelation,
*' can have no averfion to the do6trine§." After having men-
tioned the fcheine of a fuLure ftate prcpofed in the Analogy of
Reafon' and Ilevelation, part 1. cap. i.he fays, '* This hypothe-
" (is may be received; and that it does not fo much as imply
*' anv thinf< repug-nant to the periefiions of the divine nature."
He adds, " I receive v/iih joy the expeftations it raifes in my
*' mind. — And the ancient and modern Epicureans provoke my
** indignation, when they boafi as a mighty acquifition their pre-
*' tended certainty that the body and the foul die together. If they
* Bollngbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 338. f Ihid. p. 488.
% Ibid. vol. iii. p. 558? 559. § Ibid. vol. y. 3^2. 489-
B 2 '' had
'4 A VIEW OF THE BEISTICAL WRITERS. LeL XX\\
*' had this certainty, could this difcovery be fo very comfort-
*' able ? — I fhould have no difficulty which to chufe, if the option
*' was propofed to me, to exift after death, or to die whole ^'/'
If we were to judge of the author's real fentiments by fuch
pafTages'as thefe, we might be apt to think, that though he was
not certain of the immortality of the foul, and a future itate,
yet he was much inclined to favour that do6lrine, as not only
iifeful, but probable too. But there are other padages by v/hich
it appears, that, notwithftandingthcfe fair profefiions, he did not
really iicknovjledge or believe that doQrine himfeif, ^nd, as far as
his reafoning or authority could go, has endeavoured to weaken,
if not deftroy, the belief of it in the minds of others too.
He reprefents this doftrine as at bell no more than a ufeful
invention. Ke exprefsly fays, that " the ancient theifts, poly-
*' theifts, philofophers, and legiOators, invented the doftrine of
** future rewards and punifhments, to give an additional ilrength
•' to the fanftions of the law of nature t:" and particularly, that
the invention of it was owing to Egypt, the 77iother of good po-
licy, as well as fuperftiticw^. The general prevalency of this
opinion he attributes to the predominant pride of the hurnan
heart; and that " every one v/as flattered by a fyllem that raifed
** him in imagination above corporeal nature, and made him hope
•' to pafs in immortality in the fcilcv/ihip of the gods^. And
after having faid, that it cannot be demonllratcd by reafon, he-
adds, that " it was originally an hypothefis, and may therefore be
" a vulgar error: it was taken upon truft by the people, till it
*' came to be difputed and denied by fuch as did examine ||."
So that he fuppofes, that thofe wlio believed it took it upoit
truft without reafon or examination, and that they who examined
rejefted it. He pronounces, that the reafonings employed by
divines in proof of a future ilate are " problem.atical and futile;"
and that " the imm.ortality of the foul refts on moral proofs, and
*' thofe proof are precarious, to (l^.y no worfe of them**." After
fceniing to fpeak very favourably, in a palTage cited above, of
the hypothelis of a future ilate advanced in Butler's Analogy^
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 491, 492. — See alfo ibid. p. 506, 507.
f Ibid. p. a88. % Ibid. p. 352.489. ^ Ibid. p. 237.
11 Ibid. p.35*» *'■ I^id. p. 323. 501.
lie
td. XXV. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 5
lie fays, *' it has no foundation in reafon, and is purely imagi-
*' nary." He frequently fiippofes a connexion between the
immortality of the foul and a future (late; that the latter is in
confequence of the former: and lie has endeavoured to fubveit
the foundation of that immortality, by denying that the foul is a
diftincl fubftance from the body. , This is what he hath fet him-
felf pretty largely to fbew in feveral parts of his EJfay concerning
the Nature, Extent, and Reality of Human Knowledge, which
takes up near one half of the third volume of his works; efpe-
cially in tlie iirft, eighth, and ninth fe61ions of that Effay. He
exprefsly aff^rts, " that there is not any thing, philofophically
*' fpeaking, which obliges us to conclude, that we are com-
•' pounded of material and immaterial. fubftance*:" That " im-
*' material rpirits, confidered as diilin6l: fubftances, are in truth
*' the creatures of metaphyfics and theology t:" That " human
" pride was indulged by heathen philofophcrs and Platonic Chrif-
" tians ; and fuice they could not make man participant of the
*' divine nature by his body, they thought fit to add a difHnft
*' fplritual to his corporeal fubftance, and to ?lTume him to be a
*' compound of bothi:" And that " the notions that prevail
*' about foul, fpiritual fubftance, and fpiritual operations and
" thing.i, took their rife in fchools, where fuch doftrines were
*' tau?-ht ^s men would be fent to Bedlam for teaching at this
*' day§." He has a long marginal note, vol. iii. p. ,514, etfeq.
which is pzirticularly defigned to anfvv^er Mr. V/oUafton's argu-
ments for the immortality 01 the foul. He there affirms, that
*' it neither has been, nor can be proved, that the foul is a dif-
*' tincl fubftance united to the body :" That " to fuppofe the foul
*' may preferve a faculty of thinking when the body is deftroy,
*' ed, is aiTumed without any evidence from the phaenomena;
*' nay, againft a ftrong prefumption derived from them:" That
*' whilft we are alive, we preferve the capacity, or rather faculty,
*' of thinking, as we do of moving, and other faculties plainly
" corporeal. When we are dead, all thefe faculties are dead
" with us :" and, as he thinks, " it m.ight as reafonably be faid,
** v/e ftiall walk eternally, as think eternally." He fays, '' th^
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iii. p. 363, 364. t ^''■^i^- P" ■^^7-
% Ibid. p. 480. § Ibid. p. 534? 5.1j.
B 3 " word
6 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXV.
«* word foul, in philorophical confidcration, taken for a diftin^i
*' fubllancc united to the body," may be paralleled with " the
** primum'inohile, and element of fire,, which were names invent-
** ed to fignify things which have no exiHence;" and adds, that
*' this figmxent of a foul, if it be a figment, received ftrength from
*' the fiiperlritious theology of the heathens'^." Ke reorefents
the hypothehs of two diftincl fubftances in man as more ** incoxi-
*' ceivahlc and abfurd, than that of thofe who fay there is .no fuch
*' thing as material fubdance, or a material world t:'' and yet
he fays, " that there is miaterial fubRance no man can doubt —
** and that thofe who doubted it have either done it to exercife
" their wit, or have been tranfported by overheated imaginations
*' into a philofophical delij-iumi." He pronounces, that for phi-
lofophcrs to maintain that the foul is Tiw immaterial being, is as
if they fliould agree '* that twice two makes five§." And though,
in a paiTige cited before, he introduces a plain man faying. That
as he could not affirm, fo he v/ould not deny a future Hate, yet
he makes him declare, that, " revelation apart, all thephaenomen^
*' from our birth to our death feem rcp^4gnant to the immateriality
*' and immortality of the foul; fo that he is forced to conclude
with Lucretius,
Gigni pariter cum corpore, et una
Crefcerc jzntimus, panterque Jenejccre r.icrde^n'''
That " God had given him reason to diflinguifh and j"^dgc, and
*' external and internal fenfe, by which to perceive and reflect;
" but that this very reafon fhewed him the abfurdity of embrac-
** ing an opinion, concerning bod)^ and mind, which neither of
*' thefe fenfes fupports||."
I believe you will be of opinion, upon confidering what has
been now produced, that Lord Bolingbroke has left us little room
to doubt of his real fentiments in this matter. I fhall now exa-
mine whether he has offered any thing that is of force fufficient
to invalidate a doftrine, the belief of which he himfelf acknow-
ledges to be of great ufe to mankind.
As to that which lies at the foundation of his fchemc, m2. his
* Bollngbroke's Works, vol. iii. p. 510, 517. 518. f Ibid. p. 52?,.
X Ibid. p. 379, ^ Ibid, p. 536. II Ibid. p. 557.
denying
Lei. XXV. LORD BOLINGBROKS. 7
denying that the foul is a fpiritual or inimaterial mbilance dii1:ui6t
from the body, I do not find that he has produced any thing
which can be called a proof that fuch a fuppoiition is nnrcafon-
able. He indeed inveighs againil metaphyHcians and divines for
talking about fpiritiial and nnmater'al eflences and fubftances:
he charges them S'^iih fa ntajlical ideas, and di pneuniatical mad^
vej's. BTit fuch inve61ives, v/hich he repeats on all occaHon?,
will hardly pafs for arguments.
He doth not pretend to fay, as foine have done, that fpiritcal
or immaterial fubftance implies a contradiftion. He blarnes Spi-
Tiofa for maintaining that there is but one fabftance, that of mat-
ter; and ailerts, " though v/e do not know the manner of God's
** being, yet we acknowledge him to be immaterial, becaufe a
*' thoufand abfurdities, and fuch as im.ply the rcrongeft contra-
*' diftion, refuit from the fuppofition, that the Supreme Being
" is a fyilem of matter*." He fays indeed, that " of any other
*' fpirit we neither have nor can have any knov/iedge:" and
that " all fpirits are hypothetical, but the Infinite Spirit, the
" Father of Spirits t." But if there are other beings, whofe ef-
fential properties are inconfiftcnt with the known properties of
matter, and particularly if our own fouls arc fo, and if abfurd
confequences would follow from the fuppofing them to be ma-
terial beings, may it not be reafonably argued, that they are
fubftances of a different kind from what we call matter or body?
The only way we have, by his own acknowledgment, of know-
ing different fubftances, is by their different qualities or proper-
ties. He obferves, that " fcnfitive knowledge is not fumcientta
*' know the invs^ard conftitution of fubftances, and their real
" effence, but is fufficlent to prove to \xz their exiftence, and to
*' diiiinguiili then> by their effefts'j::" And that '•' the complex
*' idea v;re have of every fubftance is nothing more than a cora-
" bination of feveral fenhble ideas, which determine the apparent
" nature of it to us." He declares, that ** he cannot conceive a
*' fubftance otherwife than relatively to its, modes, as fomething
" in which thofe modes fubfift§:" and blames th'e philofophers
fox " talking of matter and f^^irit as ii they had a perfetl idea of
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol, iii. p. ^-jt. joj. f Ibid. p. 3^1. 4^7.
+ Ibid. p. 371. § Ibid. p. 59,4.
B 4 ^' both,
3 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL' WRITERS. Let, XXV.
*' both, wlien in truth they knev/ nothing of either, but a few
•' phseiiomena infiifficient to frame any hypothcfis*." Yet he
himfelf fpeaks of material fubilance, as a thing" we perfectly
*' know and are afTured of, whilft we only afTume or guefs at
*' fpiritual or immaterial fubltance+. But we have as much rea-
fon to be affured of the latter as of the former, nnce in neither
cafe the fubftance or elTence itfeif is the objeft of our fenfe, but
we certainly infer it from the properties, which we know in the
one cafe as well as in the other. He does not pretend to deny
that the exiftence of fj^iritual fubilance is pofTibleij:. Why then
jfliould not he allow their aftual exigence, fince there are pro-
perties or qualities, from which it may reafonably be inferred,
that they aftualiy do exift?
He finds great fault with Mr. Locke for endeavouring to fhew,
that the notion of fpirit involves no more ditticulty or obfcurity
in it than that of body, and that Vv^e kno^'7 no more of the folid
than we do of the thinking. fubftance, nor how we are extended
than how we think. In oppofition to' this he afTerts, that we have
clear ideas of the primary properties belonging to body, which
are fblidity and extenfion, but that we have not a pcdtive idea
of any one primary property of fpirit : and the only proof he
brings for this is, that aftual thought is not the efTence of fpirit.
But if, inftead of aftual thought being the elTence of the foul, the
faculty of thinldng be fuppofed to be one of its primary effential
qualities or properties, this is what we have as clear an idea of
as we have of folidity and extenfion §. He himfelf elfevv^here
obferves, that " our ideas of refleftion are as clear and difiinft as
** thofe of fenfation, and convey knowledge that may be faid to
*' be more real |l:" And that " the ideas we have of thought by
" reflection, andoffome few modes of thinking, areas clear as
** thofe we have of extenfion, and the modes of extenfion by fen-
** fation"'^"^." Why, then may we not from thofe ideas, infer a
thinking, as well as-frcm the other a folid extended fubflance?
and that thefe fubllances are abfolutely di]lin6t, and of different
natures, fmce their properties manifeflly are fo? He hath him-
felf ackrlov/ledged enough to fhew the reafonablcncfs of this
* Bolin^broke's Works, vol. iii. p. 509, 510. 512. •)■ Ibid. p. 509.
:[: Iaid.p.5C9. ^ Ibid. p.510, 511,513. || Ibid.p. :'>5. ** Ibid.p.427.
conclufion.
Let. XXV. LORD EOLINGBROK«. 9
conclLifion. " That we live, and move, and think," faith be,
"and that there inuft be fomething in the conOitution of our
** jfyftem of being, beyond the known properties of matter, to
*** produce fuch phasnomena as thefe, are undeniable truths."
He adds indeed, " what that fomething is, we know not; and
" furely it is high time we fliould be convinced that we cannot
" know it ^.^ But though we cannot defcribe its intimate effence,
M^e may know enough of it to be convinced, that it is not matter.
It is to no purpofe to pretend, that there may be unknown pro-
perties of matter, by which it may be rendered capable of think-
ing : for the properties of matter that we do know are inconfiilent
with the power of felf-motion and confcioufnefs. It is true,
that he cenfures thofe 2i% proud dog?natijh, who befcov/ the epi-
thets oi inert, fenfelcfs, J}. lipid, palfive, upon matter ■>": but in his
cahiier mood, when he is not carried away by the fpirit of oppo-
fition, and has not his hypothefis in view, he owns, that *' matter
** is purely paffive, and can aft no otherwife than it is a8.ed
*' uponi." It is therefore inconfiflent v/ith its nsvure to afcrib;;
to it a principle of felf-motion.
He exprefsly acknowledges, that " our idea of thought is not
** included in the idea of matter §." And that intellect is cer-
tainly above the "power of motion and figure, according to all
^' the ideas we have of them-; and therefore (faith he) I embrace
" very readily the opinion of thofe who airume, that God ha»
" been pleaied to fiiperadd to feveral fyrtems of matter, in fuch
*' proportions as his infinite wifdom has thought fit, the power of
" thinking jj. This is an hypothefis he feems fond of; he fre-
quently refers to it, and fays it is little lefs than blafphemv to
deny it •^'". Mr. Locke, as heobferves, fuppofed, that God might,
if he pleafed, give to certain fyftems of created fenfelefs m.atter,
put together as he thinks (it, fome degree of iQmQ, perception,
and thought. But whdt Mr. Locke had advanced as barely pof-
fible, for aught he knew, to Almighty Power, our author affunies
as having been attually done, and as continually done in the or-
dinary courfe of things. But I think we may fafely leave it ta
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iii. p. 509. f Ibid. p. s?
X Ibid. vol. V. p. 47Z. § Ibid. vol. iii. p. 364.
11 Ibid. vcL V. p. 3 J. ** Ibid. vol. iii. p. 364,.
an\r
lO * A VIEW OF THE DEISTiCAL WPvITERS. Let. XXW
Zny unprejudiced judgment, whetber it be not more reafonable
and more phiiorophical, toalTign difierent luhftances as tiie fub.*
jecis oi properties To entirely JitFerent, than to fuppofe properties
merely fuperadded by omnipotcncy to fubHanccs to which they
do not naturally belong? Why fhould Lord Bolingbroke have
been fo backward to acknowledge a diftinct fubftance from mat*
ter as the fubjeft of tliefe properties, when he himfelf was ob-
liged to acknowledge, that the idea of tJio light is not included
in the idea, of matter^ and that intellcBzs above the power of mo-
tion and figure, according to all the idtas zve have of them? Is it
agreeable to the divine v/ifdora, or to the order of things, to fap-
pofe, that God, in the general courfe of his providence, continually
fuperadds preternatural or fupernatural properties and powers to
things not naturally fitted to receive them, rather than that he
hath produced fpiritual fiibrtances, to which by the original con-,
ilitution of their natures thefe properties and powers do belong?
It hath been often Taevvn by thofe that have treated this fubjeft,
that the elTentiai properties of body and fpirit are not only dif-
tinct, but incorapatible, and that therefore they cannot belong to
the fame fubftance, but muft be the properties of different fub-
itances. Matter being a foiid, {igurabie, divifible fubftance,
confifting always of feparable, nay of aftually feparate and dif-
tinft parts, it is evident, from the very nature of it, that it is not
one indivifible fubftance, but is compounded of innumerable
little fubftances, which are really diftin61, though contiguous;
fo that if the intelligent fubftance in us were corporeal, it would
be a compound of many intelligences and concioufnefles, which
could not be one and the fame individual intelligence and confci-
oufnefs. Matter therefore is not a fubjeft capable of an indi-
vid'jal confcioufnefs, which confequently muft have fome other
fubje£l to refide in. This argument is purfued with admirable
clearnefs and force by the learned Dr. Clarke, in his letter to
Mr. Dodv/ell, and in his feveral defences of it againft Mr. Col»
lins, who puflied the argument for the materiality of the foul as
far as it could bear. Nor do I find that Lord Bolingbroke hath
advar.ced any thing that can be called new upon this fubjefi.
He fuppofes, but does not prove, all the foecies of intellectual
beings to be material, and talks of an intdlcEiual fpring common
to them all; which, he fays, is the fame fpring in all, but dif-
ferently
Let, XXV. LORD BOLTNGBROKE. • \t
fcrently tempered, fo as to have difl^^rent degrees of force z.vi^
elaflicity in fome from what it has in others; and he refoivcs the
farprizing variety of its effefts into the apparent difference in the
conftitutions or organizations of animals-'^. But it is juPJv
argued on the other hand, that it is abfurd to fuppofe, that that
w'hich is unintelligent and infenfible before organization, can
become intelligent and felf-confcious by organization, fince or-
ganization does not alter the nature and effence ofthiiigs.
Thefe obfervations feem fo me funicient to take off the Force
of what Lord Bolingbroke hath advanced, to (he^vv that the foul
is not an immaterial fubltance diftinft from the body. — His view
in it is plain: it is to deflroy the proof of itr, immortality, and to
bring in this conclufion, that fmce it is not a diftincl fubuance
from the body, it muft die with it. He pretends indeed, that the
opinion of the foul's immateriality adds no ftrength to that of its
immortality, and blames the metaphyficai divines for clogging
tke belief of the immortality of the foul with that of its iiziyiatcri^
ality ; and that by reftiiig too much on the latter they zceakero the
former t. But the true reafon of his finding fault with it is,
that the immateriality of the human foul furoifheth a ftrong pic-
furaption in favour of its immortality, or at ieaft that it may fur-
vive when the body is diflblved. That he himfelf is fenfible of
this, appears from v;hat he acknowledges, that '' on fuppofition
'* of the foul's being a different fubftance from matter, phiiofo*
" phers argue admirably well a priori, and prove with great
'* plaufibiiity, that this mind, this foul, this fpirit, is not material,
'* and is immortal." He urges indeed, that ''■ this affumption
*' cannot fl^nd au examination a pofteriorii;'' that is, as he
elfewhxcre obferves, ail the phsenomena from our birth to our
death feem repugnant to the immateriality -and immortality of
the foul. But ail that thefe phenomena prove is, not that body
smd foul are one and the fame fubftance, but that there Is a clofe
union between them, which there m.ay be, and yet they may be
fubftances of very different natures ; and that they really are fo
appears, as has been already fliewn, from their different effential
properties. The lav/s of this union Vo^crc appointed by the author
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iii. p. y^S, 527. f Ibid. p. 535. 539.
X Ibid. p. 509.
oi
12 A VIEW CF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXV,
cf the human frarric : and by virtue of thofe ]aws, foul and body
b:ive a mutual influence upon one aacther v/hilft that union fub.-
fills. But it by no means follows, that, v/hen this union is dif-
folvccl, both thefe fubitunces, fo diiTerent from one another, do
alike fall into the duft. Nor can this be concluded from the
phenomena. — Vv"e fee indeed what becomes of the fleihy corrup-
tible body ; but v/e cannot pretend to decide, that txicreiore the
thinking irrimatcrial fubllancc is diiTolved too, or to determine
what becomes of it.
Bat he urgeth, that though " thinking and unthinking fub-
*' fiances fiiouid be fuppofed ever fo diftin6t from one another,
*' yet as alTiimed fouls were given to inform bodies, both are
'• necelfary to complete the human fyftem; and that neither of
*' them couid exilf or aft in a frate of total feparation from the
*' other-," And he obferves, that Mr. Woilafton is fo fenfible
CI this, that he fuppofes, that there is, bcfides the body which
periflies, forae fine vehicle that dwells with the foul in the brain,
and goes oiT with it at death. Our author has not offered any
thing toiliew the abfurdity of this fuppofition, except by calling
fucha v^\\iQ\Qt\-iQ.Jhirt of thejhul, and talking of the foul"s^^^;2^
uway in itsjliirt into the open fields of heaven: which may, for
aughti kno\'/, pafs with fome perfons for witty banter, but has
no argument in it. Very able pliilofophers, both ancient and
modern, have fuppofed, that all created fpiVits are attended with
material vehicles. But whatever becomes of this fuppofition
with regard to the human foul, I do not fee how it follows, that
a fubflance which is efTentiaily a6five, intelle6tive, and volitive,
fhould iofe all intelleft, a6lion, and volition, merely on its being
feparated from a material fubflance to which it was united, and
which is naturally void of thefe qualities. However it might be
bound by ihe laws of that union for a time, there is no reafon
to think it, fhould be dill fubjeft to thofe laws, and that it fhouid
be unable to a61 or think at all, after this union is diffoived.
The only thing farther which hath any appearance of argu-
ment is, that *' if the philofopher alTerts, that whatever thinks
^' is a fimple being, immaterial, indiffoluble, and therefore im-.
^' mortal J — we mull be reduced, if we receive this hypothefis,
* BoJIngbroke's "Works, yol. lii. p. ji/.
'^ to
Let. XXV. LORD EOLiriGBROKE. I3
** to fiippofe that other animals befiJes have immaterial or im-
*' mortal fouls*." And if it be allowed, that other animals have
immaterial fouls too, I do not fee what abfurdity follows from it;
or why it may not be reafonably fuppofed, that there maybe:
innumerable gradations of immaterial beings of very dilFerent
capacities, and intended for different ends and iifes. Buf; our
author urges againft thofe who fuppofe fcnfitive fouls in brutes,
and a rational foul in man, that " the power of thinking is as
*' nccelfary to perception of the (lighteft fenfation, as it is to geo-
*' metrical reafoning: and that it manifcftly implies a contradic-
** tion to fay, that a fubllance capable of thought by .its nature
" in one degree or inflance, is by its nature incapable of it in
*' any other t.*' But I fee not the leaft abfurdity in this; ex-
cept it be faid, that it necefTarily follov/s, that a fubllance ca-
pable of thought or fenfe in the loweif degree, mult be ellentiuHv
capable of thought or fenfe in the higheft degree. I can eaiiiy
conceive, that a nature may be fuppofed capable of the former,
and not of the latter. And muft not he fay io too, fince he af-
ferts that brutes think, and yet I believe will hardly amrm tliat
they are capable as well as men of geometrical reafoning? There
is no abfurdity in fuppofmg immaterial fouls, which have fenfi-
tive perceptions, and are capable cf fenfitive happinefs, without
ever rifing beyond this, or being properly capable of moral agen^
cy. And fuppofing the brutes to have immaterial fenfitive fouls
which are not annihilated at death, v^rhat becomes of them aTter
death, whether they are made ufe of to animate other bodies, or
w hat is done with them, v/e cannot tell. Nor is our not being
able to aihgn any ufe for them fo much as a prefumiption that they
anfwer no end at all, or that tliey do not exiii. There ma)- be
athouf^xnd ways which the Lord of nature may have of difporing
ot them, which we know nothintr of.
It appears from what hath been offered, that there is a real
foundation in reafon for the dofirine of the foul's immortality,
and that therefore there is no r>.tQA to refolve it, as this writcr
fccms willing to do, into the pride of the human heart. ' It is
his ovv^n obfervation, " that men were confcious ever iincc
*' their race exiiied, that there is an active thinking principle in
5 Bolingbroke's Works, vol iil. p. ^z%. f Ibid, p, 531.
" their
14 A VIEW CP THE DEISTICAL Vv'RITEP.S. Let, XXV.
•' their compofitioii. — That there are corporeal natures, we have
" fenfitive knowledge : that there are fpiritual natures diffin6t
" from all thelc, we have no Lnov/ledge at all. We only infer
" that there are fiich, bccaufe we know that we think, and are
•'^ not able to conceive how material fyilems can think*." And
this certainly is a very reafonable inference, as reafonable as it is
to infer a maicriai fubftance from the afFeftions and properties o£
matter.
But though it is agreeable to reafon to believe, that the human
foul is immaterial and immortal, this doth not implv, as his lord-
fhip is pleafed to infmuate, that " it is immortal by the necefTiLy
*' of its nature, as God is felf-exiilent by the neceffily of hist."
Nor 13 it io underilood by thofe v/ho maintain the natural im-
mortality of the human foul. What they intend by it is only
this : That God made the foul originally of fuch a nature as to be
fitted and dcfigned ior an immortal duration : not naturally liable,
as ^^Ci^ body is, to corruption and diffolution : but not, as if it
were rendered fo neceflarily exigent as to be independent of God
himfelf. Still it is in his power to annihilate it, if he feeth fit
to put an end to its exigence, though there is no reafon \o think
that he v/ill ever do fo : for fmce it was fitted for immortality by
his ow'^A original conftitution, this may be^ regarded as an indica-
tion of his will, that it inall continue in immortal being, thougit
flill in a dependence on the power and will of the Creator. '
it is proper to obferve here, that our author hath acknowleged
feveral things which furnilh a very reafonable prefumpiion in
favour of the doctrine of the immortality of the foul. One is,
the univerfal prevalence of that doftrine from the oi^ft^ anti-
quity. For this feems to (liew, that it is agreeable to the natu-
ral fentiments of the human mind; or at leaft that it was derived
from a primitive univerfal tradition received from the firif ancef..
tors of the human race, and which was originally owing to di-
vine revelation. Both thefe may probably have contributed ia
the general fpreading of this notion. This writer, according to
his cuHom., varies on this iiead ; for, after having exprefsly af-
ferted, that this dotbine was inculcated from time imine7norial,
and that it began to be taught long before we have any light intj
* Boiingbrokc's Works, vol. iii. p. 53(5. f Ibid p. 559.
antiquity^
Let. XXV. LORD BOLIHGBROKE. 1^
antiquity*, he pretends to afiign the original of it, and afcribes
the invention of it to Egypt, and that it came from thence to €ae.
Greeks, to whom it was brought by Orpheus, and from the
Greeks to the R.omans■^. But we find it was equally received
among the moil barbarous as among the ihoft polite nations. Tiie
ancient Indians, Scythians, Giruls, Germans, Britons, as well as
Greeks and Romans, believed that fouls are immortal, and that
men fhould live in another ifate after death. There were fcarce
any among the Americans, when the Europeans iirfl arrived
there, who doubted of it. It has been almoft as generally be-
lieved as the exiftencs of God; fo that it may \^!q\\ pafs for a
common notion.
Another thino- taken notice of by this vvriter, and to which he
partly afcribes the belief of the foul's immortality, is what he
calls the pozucrful dejire of contimiing to exiji. He obferve?;,
that this defire was fo ilrong, that '* the multitude in the pagan
** world were ready to embrace the hope of immortality, though
** it was accompanied with the fear of damnation 1." This
ilrong defire of future exiftence appears by his own account to
be natural to the human m.ind. And would the author of our
beings have fo conRituted us, if the objefl: of this defire was
vain, and .if there were no future exigence to expecl? Is noi:
this powerful defire or expeflation of immortality, v/hich is im-
planted in the human heart, an argument that he that made us,
formed and defigned us, not merely for this prefent ilate zvA
tranfitory life, but for a future ilate oi exifience?
Lord Bolingbioke farther obferves, that Qn<t great caufeof the
fpreading of this dcfcirine v^/as its being encouraged by the poli-
ticians and legiflators, as well as philofophers, on the account of
its great ufefulnefs to mankind, and becaufe they looked upcii
it to be neceiTary to enforce the fan8;ions of the lav/ of nature^.
Now the great ufefuinefs and necefiity of this doftrine is no
fmall argument of its truth. For if men are fo framed, that they
cannot be nronerly governed without the hones or fears of a iu-
turc Hate; if thefe arc neceilary to prcferve order zwo. good go-
vernment in liie world, to allure and engage men to virtue, and
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. y. p. i.z'i' ^oS. it ?hid. p, 352. 4^9'
^ Ibid. p. i?i. :"(ii.
deter
10 A VIEW CF THE CZI3TICAL WRITERS. Let. XXV#
deter tbein from vice and wlckednefs; this fhews that the author
ci their beings defigned them for immortality, and a tuture ftate,
and that coni'tquently fuch a ftatc there really is; except it be
i'aid, that he fornied cur natures fo as to make it neceiTary to go-
vern us by a lie, and hy falfe motives, and imaginary hopes and
fears.
It fuf?>cienLi7 appears from -what has been already obferved,
that our author, by denying that the foul is an immaterial ful>-
jlance didincl: from tiie body, hath done what he could to take
away the force of the natural argument for a future ftate of ex-
igence and retributions after this life is at an end. It rem.ains
that we take notice of what he hath offered to deftroy the moral
arguments ufually brought for it from the fuppofed unequal dif-
tributions of this prefent Hate. He fets himfclf at great length
to prove, that the fuppofition is abfolutely falfe and groundlefs;
that it is highly injurious to God; and tendeth to calf the m.cft
blafphemous reflections upon his providence. In the m.anage*
ment of this argument, he hath broke out into the moft oppro^
bricus inveftives againfl the Chriftian divines and philofophers,
whom he abufes and traduces without the leaft regard to de-
cency. He frequently charges them as in a confederacy with
the atheifis; and reprefents them as " complaining of the uni-
*• form conducf of that providence of God which is over all his
"works, and cenfuring their Creator in the government of the
*' world, which he has made and preferves.' ^-I'hat they have
*' done nothing more than repeat what all the atheifts, from De-
*' mocritus and Epicurus, have faid: That they have pufhed their
*' arguments on this fubjeB: fo far, that the whole tribe of thefe
*' writers, like WoUafton and Clarke, do in effeft renounce
*' God, as much as the ranked of the atheiftical tribe:" And
Le undertakes to prove this, to their Ihame, to be true*. That
*' the heathen theifls defended the divine providence againll the
*' atheills v/ho attacked it, and recommended a cheerful refigna-
" tion to all the difpenfations of it; whereas Chriftian divines
*' liave made a common caufe with the atheifts, to attack provi-
" dence, and to murmur againft the neceffary fubmifTion that
** they pay+." That " the Chriftian philcfophers, far from de-
.* Bolirgbroke's Woiks, vol. v. p. 4B4. ^Sj. Ibii. p. 486.
*' fending
Let. XXV. LORD BOLINGBROKE.
^7
*' fending the providence of God, have joined in the clamour
*' againft it." That '* they have brought the felf-exiftent Being
" to the bar of humanity, — and he has been tried, convifted, and
" condemned, like the governor of a province, or any other in-
** ferior magiftrate*.'*
Accordingly he fets up as a zealous advocate for the goodncfs
*' and righteoufncfs of divine providence in the prefent conflitu-
*' tion of things, and with great folemnity undertakes to plead
*' the cauje of God againft atheifts and divines." He sffirms, that,
" notv/ithftanding the human race is expofed to various evils,
*' there is no ground, for complaint, but abur.dant caufc for
*' thankfulnefs t." That " if we are fubjc61: to many evils, phy-
*' fical and moral, we can fhew much more good of both kinds,
" which God hath bellowed upon us, or put it into our power
" to procure to ourfelves." — That the means to foften or pre-
vent evils, the chief of winch he reckons to be hope, are *' fo
*' manyinftanccs of the pofitive goodn^fs of God^:" That " nei-
" ther the goodnefs nor juftice of God require that we Ihould
*' be better, nor happier than we are^:" That man " enjoys
*' numberlefs beLicfiLS by the fxtnefs of his nature to tiie conili-
*' tution of the world, unafked, unmerited, freely beftowed||."
He afferts, in oppofition to atheifts and divines, that *' the gcnc-
*' ral ftate oi mankind in the prefent fclieme of providence is
*' not only tolerable, but happy : — And that there is \n this world
'' fo much more good than evil, and the general ftate of man-
•' kind is fo happy in it, that there is no room for the exaj^o-e-
" rated defcriptions that have been made of human mifery*^'^:"
That " God has made us happy, and has put it into our power
*' to make ourfelves happier, by a due ufe of our rcafon, which
*' leads us to the practice of moral virtue, and to all the duties of
•' focietytf :" That *' good men are often unhappy, and bad
*' men happy, has," he fays, " been a fubjeft of inve8ive rather
*' than argument, to Epicurus, Cotta, and others among the an-
*' cienrs, and to eminent divines among the m.odernsi]:." A\u\
he particularly examines the indances produced by Cotta in Ci-
* Bo!ingbro!:e'3 Works, vol. v. p, 488. f iD'th p. .^33, 334.
± Ibid. p. 336. § Ibid. p. 513. I! Ibid. p. 339. ^
** Ibid. p. 395. It Ibid. p. 384. Xt Itid. p. 394.
VOL. ii, C cerQ
l8 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld. XXI.%
cero againfl the providence of God, and fhews what Balbiis
might have anfwered*. He finds great fauh, with Dr. Ciarke
for faying, that *' it is certain, from the moral attributes of God,
*' that there mufl be fuch a ititure Tiateof exiftence, as that, by
** an exaft diilribution of rewards and punifhments, all the pre-
*' fent diforders and inequalities may be fet right, and that the
'* whole fchemc of providence may appear at its confummation
*' to be a defign v/orthy of infinite wifdom, jiiftice, and good-
*' nefs." See Clarke's Evidences of Natural and Revealed Re^
ligion, prop. IV. For this he calls him audacious and vain Jo-
phijl; and that " according to thefe men, it appears aftually un-
*' worthy of them at prcfentr." And in oppofition, as he pre-
tends, to divines, he Tnevv^s the general tendency of virtue to
promote happinefs, and of vice to produce mifery .J:.
Thefe things he enlarges upon in feveral of his Fragments and
EiTays in the fifth volume of his works. See particularly the
forty-third, forty-fourth, forty-eighth, forty-ninth, fiftieth, fifty-
firft, fifty-fecond, fifty- third, and fifty-fourth of thofe Fragments.
It will be neceffary here to make fome obfervations; and a
few will be fulficient.
And 1. My fird reOeclion is this : that Lord Bolingbroke had
no juft pretenfions to value himfell noon being an advocate for
the goodncfs and righteoufnefs of divine providence, nor could
properly attempt to vindicate it, in confillcn cy with his fcheme.
He had taken pains to fhew, that moral attributes are not to be
afcribed to God as diftinguilhcd from his phyfical attributes:
That there is no fuch thing as juflice and gcodnefs in God, ac-
cordin*/ to our ideas of them, nor can v/c form any judgment
concerning them; and that there arc many phenomena m the
prefent courfe of things, which are abfolutely repugnant to thofe
moral attributes. But in that part of his book where he under-
takes to juftify the providence of God in this prefent ftate, he
not only fuppofcs juiticc and goodncfs in God, but that they are
confpicuous in the whole courfe of his difpen fat ions, and that
the prefent flatc of things is agreeable to our ideas of thofe attri-
butes. Another confideration which (hews his great ineonfift-
* Bolingbroke's Works, Yol. y. p. 4C4> 5- feq. f ibid. p. 395.
X Ibid. p. 399, 6c fc(i,
ency
Let. XXV. LORD EOLINCBROKH.
19
ency is, that at the fame time that he fcts up as an advocate ("or
the goodnefs and juftice of providence in this prefent Hate, he
yet will not allow that providence confiders men individually at
ali, though he himfelf owns that jufticc has neceilarily a refpecl
to individuals. I had occafion to obferve in my laft letter, that
he afferts, that " juftice requires mod certainly that rewards and
*' punidmients (hould be raeafured out in every particular cafe
** in proportion to the merit and demerit of each individual'^'.'*
With v/hat confiflency then can he undertake to demonftrate the
juftice of providence in this prefent ftate, when he makes it ef-
fential to juftice, that regard fliould be had to the cafes and cir-
cumflances of individuals, and yet affirms, that providence m
this prefent Hate hath no regard to individuals? And he feems
to make its not extending to individuals here, an argument that
it fiiall not extend to them in a future ftate ; for he mentions it
as an abfurdity in the Chriftian fyfleni, that " the proceedings of
*' the future flate will be the vc^yj reverfe of the prefent ; for that
" then every individual human creature is to be tried, v/hereas
" here they are confidered only collePdvcly ; that the mofl fe-
" cret a8:ions» nay, the very thoughts of the heart, will be laid
" open, and fentence will be pronounced accordingly! :" where
he feems to ar?ue, that becaufe individuals are not called to an
account, or rewarded and punilhed here, according to their par-
ticular merits or demerits, therefore they fliall not be fo here-
after: whereas the argument feems to hold ftrongly the other
way, fuppofmg the juface of divine providence; that fince juf-
tice necelTarily requires that a regard fliould be had to men's par-
ticular aftions, cafesj and circuraftances, and fince there is not
an exacl diftribution of rev.-ards and puniOmients to individuals
in this prefent ftate, according to the perfonal merit or demerit
of each individual, therefore there Ihall be a future ftate, in v.diicli
this fhail be done, and the rightcoufncfs of providence Ihall be
fully manifefted and vindicated. And it cannot but appear a
little extraordinary, that this author fhould make fuch a miighty
parade of his zeal for vindicating the juftice of divine provi-
dence, when according to his fcheme the juftice ot providence
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 405. t ^bid. p. 4 94-
C 2 cannot
26 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld. XXV.
cannot confiftently be faid to be exercifed or difplayed, either
here or hereafter.
2dly, It is proper farther to obferve, that what Lord Boling-
broke hath offered with fo much pomp for vindicating the pro-
ceedings of divine providence in the prefent conftitution of
things, hath nothing in it that can be called nevv% or which had
not been faid as well, or better, by Chriftian divines and philo-
fophers before him. They have frequently fiiewn, that this pre-
fcnt world is full of the effects and inftances of the divine good-
nefs: That many of thofe that are called natural evils are the
effefts of wife general laws, which are beft upon the whole:
That the evils of this life are, for the moft part, tolerable, and
overbalanced by the bleffmgs bePiowed upon us, which, ordina-
rily fpeaking, are much fuperior to thofe evils: That in the pre-
fent conftitution, virtue has a manifeft tendency, in the ordinary
courfe ot things, to produce happinefs, and vice mifery ; and
that this conffitution is the effe£l of a wife and good providence ;
from, whence it may be concluded, that the great Author and
Governor oi the world approves the one, and difapproves the
other: So that it may be juftly faid in general, that good and
virtuous perfons enjoy more true liitisfacf ion and happinefs, even
in this prcfent life, than the bad and vicious. Divines may fay
much more on this head than this author could confrftently do.
They maintain a providence which extends even to the indivi-
duals of the human race: That good men may confider them-
felves as continually under God's wife and fatherly care and in-
fpeftion: That they may regard the good things they enjoy as
the effefts of his goodnefs, and are provided with the properefl
confolations and fiipports under all the evils of this prefent life,
being perfaaded that God, who knoweth their circunn'tances,
will over-rule all thefe things for their benelii; and tliat they are
part oi the difcipline appointed to prepare them for a better
ftate; the profpetts of wliich diffufe joy and comfort through all
the gloomy fccncs of adverfity they m.ay here mcei; with. But
in his fcheme there is no folid foundation for that tranquillity of
mind, of which he fpcaks in fnch high terms, as the infeparable
companion of virtue, and for that hope, which, he fays, gives a
relifii to all the comforts, and tai:cs off the bitter reliih from all
the
Let. XXV. LORD EOLINGBROKE. 21
the misfortunes of life. If providence dr.th not concern Itfelf
about individuals, the good man hath no effeftual fupport under
his calamities. And it is worthy of obfcrvation, that our author
himfeU, in vindicating the jullice and goodnefs of providence in
this prefent ftate, is fometiraes obliged to have recourfe to the
hypothefis of a particular providence. Some of the anfwers he
puts in the mouth of Balbus, as what he might have oppofed to
Cotta's harangue againft providence, proceed upon the fuppofi-
tion of a providence which hath a regard to the cafes and cir-
cumftances of individuals'*^. And Vv^ith regard to public calami-
ties, one of the ways he takes of accounting for them is this,
that " they may be confidered as chaflifements, when there are
" any to be amended by partaking in them, or being fpetlators
*' of them, — And that they fhould teach mankind to adore and
*' fear that providence, which governs the world by particular
•' as well as general difpenfations t."
A third reflection is this : That though it be very true in gene^
ral, that, in the prefent conllitution of things, virtue hath a ma-
nifeft tendency to promote our happinefs, and vice to produce
jnifery, yet it cannot be denied, that it often happeneth in parti-
cular cafes, that as to the outward difpenfations o\ providence,
there is not a conftant and remarkable difference made between
the righteous and the wicked here on e?.rth : That perfons of
eminent virtue have frequently been overwhelmed with evils
and calamities of various kinds, and have periflied under them,
without any recompence of that virtue, if there be no future
Itate: And that wicked men have often been remarkably prof-
perous, and have m.et with great fuccefs in their undertakings,
and have continued profperous to the end of their lives. Thefs
things have been obfcrved in all ages. And accordingly he ex-
prefsly owns, that " the ancient theifts were perfuaded, that nc-
*' .thing lefs than the exiftence of ail mankind in a future ftate,
" and a more exacl diftribution of rewards and punilhments,
" could excufe the affumed, irregular, and unjuft 'proceedings
" of providence in this life, an which atheifls founded their ob-
*' jctlionsi." He frequently intimates that this was one great
* Bolingbroke's Work'^, vol. v. p. 41^. t Ibid. p. 3S0, 3^1-
X Ibid. p. 50S. -
C 3 reafon
2? A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let- XXV,
reafon of the philofophcrs afTuming the dotlrine of future rev7ards
and punifhments : though fometimes he feems to contradift this,
?nd to fay, that the heathens did not take in the hypothefis of 4
future ftate in order to vindicate the conduct of divine provi-
dence*. But without endeavouring to reconcile this writer to
himfelf, v/hich it is often impoflibie to do, we may proceed upon
it as a certain thing, that it hath been generally acknowledged in
all ages, that good men have been often in a very calamitous con-
dition in this prefent flate, and bad men in very profperous cir-
cum.lfances. It is true, that, as our author ohferves, we may be
deceived, and think thofe to be good men who are not fo: but
in many cafes we may certainly pronounce, that thofe who by
their aftions plainly (hew themfelves to be bad men, the unjuft,
tlie fraudulent, the cruel, and oppreffive, profper and ilourifli,
Vv'hilfl men, whom it were the heiQ-ht of uncharitablenefs not to
fuppofe perfons of great goodnefs, inteority, and generous honeftyj
fuffcr even by their very virtues, and are expofed to grievous
opprefhons and reproach, v/ithout any redrefs from human judi-
catories.. It is his own obfcrvation, that " there is room for
*' much contingency in the phyfical and moral v;orld, under the
*' government of a general providence, and that aniidil thefe con-
*' tingencies, happinefs, outward liappinefs at leall, may fall to
■' the lot of the wicked, and outward unhappinefs to the lot of
*' goodm.enf."
Mr. Hume has reprefeuLed this matter with fpirit and elegance
in the twenty-firft of his moral and political Eilays; M'here he
cbfcrvcs, that *' though virtue be undoubtedly the befl choice
*' where it can be attained, yet fuch is the confufion and dif-
*' order of human alTairs, that no perfect oeconcmy, or regular
*' diftribution of happinefs or mifery, is in this life ever to be
" expefted. Not only are the goods of fortune, and endowments
*' of the body, unequally diftributed between the virtuous and
*' the vicious; but the moll worthy charafter, by the very ceco-
•' nomy oi fhe pafiions, doth not always enjoy the higheiT: felicity.
*' Though all vice is pernicious, the dilturbance or pain is not
" meafured f>ut by nature with cxa8; proportion to the degrees
"■of vice: nor is the man of higheft virtue, even abftrafting
^ Compare \ol. v. 238. 4S7. t Ibid. p. 485.
" from
Let. XXV, LORD BO^^INGBROKE. SJ
** from externa] accidents, abvays the mod happy. A gloomy
*' and melancholy temper ma)- be found in very worthy charafters
*' that have a great renfc of honour and integrity; and yet this
*' alone may embitter life, and render aperfon completely mifer-
•• able. On the other hand, a felfifti villain may pofTefs a fpring
*' and alacrity of temper, a certain gaiety of heart, which will
*' compenfate the uneafinefs and remorfe arifing irom all the
*' other vices. If a m.an be liable to a vice or imperre6}ion. it
•' may often happen, that a good quality which he poflefles along
*' with it, will render him more miferable, than if he were com-
*' pletely vicious. A fenfe of (harae in an imperfeft charafter is
*' certanily a virtue, but produces great uneafinefs and remorfe,
*' from which the abandoned villain is entirely free*."
Though I lay no great ftrefs on Mr. Hume's authority, yet I
believe this reprefentation will be acknowledged to be agreeable
to obfervation and experience. And if it be fo, what can be
more natural or reafonable, than the hypothefis of a future ftate,
where the rewards of virtue, and punifhmcnts of vice, fliall be
more equally and regularly proportioned than they can ordinarily
be in this prefent ftate ?
It is hard to produce an inftance of groiTer calumny and abufe
than our author is guilty of, when he advanccth it as a general
charge againft the Chrillian divines, that " they have made d^
" common caufe with atheifts to attack providence, and to mur-
♦' mur againfc the neceffary fubmilTion that they pay." And
he gives it as the charaQer of the Chrijlian, that " he goes
*' murmuring and com.plaining through this life againfl the jiiftice
*' of God, and therefore deferves little to taRe of his goodnefs in
*' a future ftatef ." But this is ftrangely mifreprefented. Tne
Chriftian, infcrufted by the holy Scriptures, believes, that God is
perfectly juft and righteous in ail his ways: He is taught to re-
gard all the good things he enjoys as flowing from God's paternal
* Hurac*3 moral and political Effays, p. 344, 245 •
•j- Bolingbrokc's Works, vol. v. p. 486. It is in die fame fpirit of mifre-
prefentation and abufe, that he thinks fit to charge Chriftians with a/Tuming,
that happinefs confifts principally in health, and the advantages of fortune,
and U'ith pretending " to keep an account with God, and to barter fo much
" virtue, and fo many afts of devotion, againll i:i many degrees of honour.
Vol. V. p. 401, 40Z.
C ^ benignity J
2^ A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Lci. XXV.
benignity ; all the evils and afFiictions he endures, as ordered and
governed for the mod wife and righteous ends. If there he any
thing in the divine difpenjTations at prefent, wliich he cannot well
account for, or reconcile, he is far from accufing God, or enter-
taining a hard thought of his juftice or goodnefs. He helieves,
that thefe things are all wifely ordered, or permitted: that they
are what may be expecled in a fiate of trial and difcipline, and
rnake a part of the fcheme of divine providence, v/hich will ap-
pear, when the whole comes to be viewed in its proper connec-
tion and harmony, to have been ordered with the moft perfe6l
V/ifdora, righteoufnefs, and goodnefs. This prefent ftate only
makes a part of the glorious plan; and they are the perfons that
defame and mifreprefent providence, who are for feuarating and
disjointing the admirable fcheme. What a llrange perverfion is
it to reprefent the hope and expeftation which Chriilians enter-
tain of a future ftatc, as arguing a bad temper of mind, and tend-
ing to render them unworthy to taile of the divine goodnefs here-
Stter! As if it were a fault and a vice to afpire to a flate where
our nature fhall be raifed to the perfeftion of holinefs and virtue,
where true piety fhall receive its proper and full reward, and
the glory of the divine perfections fhall be moH illuflrioufly
difplayed.
As to the nature and extent of thofe future rewards and punifli-
jp.ents, they will come more properly to be confidered, v/hen I
com.e to examine the objeftions he hath advanced againft the ac-
counts that are given of them in the gofpel.
The only thing farther which I Ihall at prefent take notice of
IS, the ufe which he makes of that m^axim, that Whatfozv^r is, is
right. He inunuates as if Chrillian divines were not for ac-
knowledging, that v/hatfoever God does is right; which he looks
upon to be a moil certain and important principle; and that upon
this principle we ought to reft fatisfied, that what is done in this
prefent ftate is right, without looking forward to a future ftate,
or takinjT it into the account at all.
For the explaining the principle our author m.entions, V/hat-
Joevf.r is, is right, it muft be obferved, that it is not to be applied
to every particular incident confidered independently, and as con-
fined to the prefent moment, without any dependence on v/hat
went before, or follows after. The maxim would not be true or
juft,
Ltt. XXV. LORD BOLINGBROItEo 2J
jud, taken in this view. T'lC meaning therefore mud he, that
whatever is, confidered as a part of the univerfa] fcheme of pro-
vidence, and taken in its proper harmony and connexion with
the pad and future, as well as with the prefcnt appointed courfs
of things, is rightly and fitly ordered. Thus, e.g. fuppofe a
^ood man reduced to the greateft mifery and diftrefs, and con-
fiifting with the foreft evils and calamities, it is fit he fhould be
fo, becaufe, confidering that event in its connexion, and taking
in the pall and future, it is permitted or appointed for wife rea-
fons, and is therefore belt upon the whole: but confidered in-
dependently, and as no part of the fcheme of providence, or as
Separated from the other parts of that fcheme, it is not in itfelf
ine bed nor fitteft. This maxim therefore, v/hich this writer
makes ufe of with a view to fet ahde a future ftate, is, if under-
flood in that fcnfe in v/hich alone it is true, perfeftly confiftent
-with the belief of a future (late, and even leadeth us to the ac-
knowledgment of it. If we believe that God always does that
which is fitteft to be done, and yet meet with fome things v/hich
we find it hard to reconcile to our ideas of the divine wifdom,
righteoufnefs, and goodnefs, our perfuafion, that he always dcL-i
that which is right, will put us upon endeavouring to reconcile
thofe appearances: and if a probable hypothefis offers for recon-
ciling them, it is perfectly confirtent with the veneration we owe
to the Deity to embrace that hypothefis; efpeciaily if it be not
arbitrary, but hath a real foundation in the nature of things : and
fiich is the hypothefis of a futur-e ftate of retributions. There
is great. reafon to believe, that the thinking principle in man is
an immaterial fubftance, quite diftinfl; from the hody, and which
fiiail not be dilTolved with it: and there are many things tb:).t
fcemto (hew, he was not defigned merely tor this prefent tranli-
torv life on earth. The ftrong defire of immortality, fo natural
to the human mmd; the vaft capacities and faculties of the hu-
man foul, capable of making an immortal progrefs in knov/iedge,
wifdom., and virtue, compared with the fmall advances we have
an opportunity of making in this prefent ftate ; our being formed
moral agents, accountable creatures, which feems plainly to
fhew, that it was defigned by the Author of our beings, and
v/ho hath given us a law for the rule of our duty, that we fhould
})e hereafter called to an account for cur conduct; of which wc
have
26 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXV.
have fome forebodings in the judgment our own confciences
naturally pafs upon our aftions : thefe, and other things that might
be mentioned, feem to lhev*% that man was not defigned merely
for tiiis prefent (late. And fince there are feveral reafons which
leads us to look upon a future ftate of exigence as probable, it
is a nioft natural thought, that then the feeming inequalities of
this prefent ftate will be reftified; and that the confideration of
that ftate is to be taken in, in forming a judgnient concerning
God's providential difpenfations. And if Avith all this there be
sn exprefs revelation from God, alluring us of a future ftate,
the evidence is complete, and there is all the reafon In the world
t,o draw an argument from that ftate to folve prefent contrary-
appearances.
I am yours, &c.
LET.
lei, XXVI. LORD BOLINCBROKE. ^
LETTER. XXVI.
Qbfervations on Lord Bolinghroke's Account cf the Lazo of Na-
ture — He cjftrts it to be Jo plain and obvious to the meanejl
Underjianding, that Men cannot he mifiakai about it — The
contrary Jhewn from his own Acknowledgment — He makes
Self Love the only original Spring from which our moral Du-
ties and AffeBions flow: yet fdppofes umverfal Benevolence
' to he the fundamental Law of our Nature — Ue declarer that
7^'c are obliged by the Lazv of Nature to place our Hope and
Trifl in God, and addrefs ourf elves to him — Tins fliezon to be
inconffent with the Principles he had ad.vanced — He afftrts
Folygcimy to be founded in the Law of Nature — lie will not aL
low, that there is any fuck thing as natural Shame or Modefty,
The Account he gives of the Sanations of the Law of Nature,
corfidercd — He admits no Sanclions of that Law with ref pea
to Individuals — The ill Confequences of his Scheme to the lii^
{erefls of Morality and Virtue, reprefenced.
SIR,
FROM the obfervations that have been niade in the foregoing
letters, I think it fufficiently appears, that Lord Boiingbroke
hath endeavoured to fubvert, or at ieaii; to perplex and confound,
fome of the main principles of what is ufually called natural re-
ligion, I fhall now proceed to examine the account he hath given
of the law of nature, conudered as a rule of duly. He frequent-
jy fpeaks in the highefi: terms of the clcarnefs, the fufficiency,
and perfePfion of that law. He reprefents it as the only Handing
revelation of the will of God to mankind, and v/hich renders
every other revelation ncedlefs. Very learned and able men
have treated of the law of nature : but our author fcems not at all
fatisfied with what they have written on that fubjcft. He fays,
*' they have b6en more intent to fhew their learning and acute^
^* nefs, than to fet their fubjeti: in a clear and fumcient light: —
^' That, inftead of fetting up a light fufficient to enlighten a laige
** room, they go about with a fmall taper, and, v.'hilll they ilium i-
♦* nate one corner, darken therefi; — That they puzzle and per-
*' nlex
e8 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld, XXVI,
*' p!ex the plainefl thing in the world, fomstlmes by citations
*' little to the purpofe, or of little authority ; fometimes by a
*' gre^t apparatus of abftraft reafoning, and by dint of explana-
" tioii. — Read Selden and Grotius, read Cuniberland, read Puf-
" iendorf, if you have leifure or patience for it. — There are many
" curiou3 refe-Tches, no doubt, and many excellent obfervations
*' in thcfc Vv-riters ; but tliey feem to be great writers on this fub-
** je61, by much the fame right as he might be called a great
" traveller who fnould go ffom London to Paris by \\\zCape of
" Good Hope'^.'" I think it is not eafy to convey a more con-
temptible idea of any writers, than he hath here done of thefe
great imn. It is to be fuppofed therefore, that he propofes to
jead men a more clear and dn-efl; way to the knowledge of the
law of nature; efpecially fmce he hath declared, that '* all that
*' can be faid to any real or ufeful purpofe concerning that law,
*' is extremely plaint."
Befidcs o^cafional palTages in which he makes menticn of the
Uw of nature, this is the principal fubjeft of feveral of the Frag-
ments and EfTays of which his fifth volume confiils, particularly
of the third, fifth, fixth, feventh, eighth, ninth, hxteenth, feven-
tcenth, eighteenth, and twenty-fecond, of thefe Fragments and
F^fTays. But all thefe together are far from making up any thing
that can with the leaft propriety be called a treatife on the law
of nature; and, asjiis Lordlliip generally feems to think himfelf
above treating things in a methodical way, we are left to collect
his fentiments by comparing feveral parts of his works together,
and forming a judgment as well as we can. He has neither dif-
tmftly explained the principles of that law, nor purfued thofe
principles to their regular confequenccs, nor formed any deduc-
tions from them th.at can be of great ufe for the direftion and
inftruclion of mankind.
As to the lav/ of nature in general, he tells us, that " the law
"of nature is the law of reafon. A right ufe of that faculty
*' v/hich God hath given us, coilefts that law from the nature of
" things, as they ftand in the fyflem which he has conilitutedi.'*
Or, as he cl fc where ex prefTeth it, " It is a law which God has
*' given to all his human creatures, enafted in the conilitution of
* BoHnahrckc's Works, vol. v. p. 68. f Ibid. p. Cj. % Ibid. p. 83;
'• their
Let. XXVI. LORD EOLINGBROKE. 29
*' their natures, and ilifccrnible by the ufc of the faculties he has
** given them^." He calls it, " th.e revelation God has made of
*' his will by his works. And what is the will of God," faith he,
*' is a qiiefiion eafily anfv/ered. To anfwer this, we nttA go no
*' higher than the moral obligations that arife in cnr own fyiftem,
*' and of which we have very adequate ideas. The nature of
** the human fyftera is independent on man, and yet he is obliged
*' to derive the rules of his conduft from it. By employing our
" reafon to collecf the will of God from the fund of our nature
*' phyfical and moral, and by contemplating frequently and feri-
*' oufly the la\7s that are plainly and ncceffarily deducible from
** them, we may acquire not only a particular knowledge of thofe
*' laws, but a general, and, in foine fort, an habitual knowledge
*' of the manner in which God is pleafed to exerciic his fuprerne
*' power in tliis fyflem, beyond which we have no concern t."
This hv7 he reprefents as abfolutciy certain, and obvious to
all mankind. " Natural revelation (for fo," faith he, " I will call
" it) produces knowledge, a feries of intuitive knowledge from
*' the firll principles to the lad conclufions. The phcrnomcria
" of nature are the lirft principles: and reafon, i. c, a real di-
" vine illumination, leads us from one necelfary truth to ano-
*' ther, through the v^^hole courfe of thefe demonllrations. —
*' In all thefe cafes we knov/, we do not believe i." He afTert;^,
that '* we more certainly knov/ the Vv'ill of God in this vray
*' than we can know it in any other §.'"' " And that the tables of
*' the natural law are hung up in the v/orks of God, and are ob-
*' vious to the fjght of all men, fo obvious that no man who is
" able to read the plaineft charaftcrs can miiuake them||." And
accordingly he declares, that " the will of God, fignified hj
*' tlie law of nature, and revealed by his works, is a revelation
.*' that admits of no doubt, and fbcws the road to happinefs to
*' all mankind '••"^"." I fliail only n:ention one paffage more,
among many that might be produced to the fame purpofc.
Having afferted, that " natural religion is the original revelaiicn
*' which God has made of k.im.fcif, and of his v/ill, to all mankind
* Pjolingbroke's ^Vorli:, vol. 7. p. 95, + Ibid. p. icc. 15/. 178. 106. 271.
'I Ibid. vol. iv. p. c 76. (J Ibid. p. 287.
ij Ibid. vol. V. p. J/3. * * Ibid. p. 196;
*.3 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVU
" in the ccr.ftitution of things, and in the order cf his provI-»
•' dence; he cbferves, that human reafon is able to difcovcr in
*' the orifrinal revelation evcrv conceivable duty that we owe to
*' God as our Cre^.tor, and to man as our fellow creature: that
•' this fyO'Tin of duty is fully proportioned by infinite wifdom
*' to the human ftate, and to the end of its human happinefs. — ■
*' Natural religion therefore is relatively perfctl: it is immutable:
" as long as God and man continue to be what they are, and
*' to fland in the fame relations to one another." He add%
*' if it does not follow neceflarily from this, fare I am that it
*' follovvs probably, that God has made no other revelation of
*' hjmfelf and of his will to mankind ^^. This is evidently the
jTiain point our author had in view, in extolling fo mightily as
he has done the abfoiute perfection, certainty, and clcarnefs of
the law of nature.
From the feveral pafTages which have ht^n produced, it ap-
pears, that by the law of nature he underftands what we may col-
left by our reafon, concerning the will of God and our duty,
from the con fideration of his works, but efpecially from the con-
llitution of the huni?.n fyftem, or, as he expreffeth it, irom the
fund of our nature, phyfical and moral. Let us therefore in-
quire what account he gives of the human fyflcm. Ke ob-
ferves, thac " man has tv.'o principles cf determination, affeflions,
" and pafiions, excited by apparent good, and reafon, which is
*' a (luggard, and cannot be lo excited. Reafon muft be willed
•' into aftion ; and as this can rarely happen, when the v/ill is
*' already determined by affe^lions and pallion?, fo when it does
*' happen, a fort of compofjtion generally happens between the
*' two principles: and if the aiTcftions and pafiions cannot govern
" abfolutely, they obtain more indulgence from reafon than they
*' defcrve, or than fhe would (hew them if fhe v/ere entirely free
*• from their force, and tree irom their condu6lt." He exprefs-
ly declares, that " the appetites, pafiions, and the immediate ob-
*' jpQs of plcafure, will be always of greater force to determine
" us than reafon ;}:;" and that " amiidif the contingencies that
" muilarife from the conilitution of every individual, he needs
■* Rolingbroke's Work?, vol. v. p. 54;,, 544.
•;• Ibid. p. 150. See alfoluiJ. p. 116. 137. 227. % Ibid. p. 267, 268.
*' not
Let* XXVI. LORD BOLINGBROKE.
3<
*' not go about to prove that the odds will always be on the fide
*' of appetite; from which affections arife, as atfe£lions rrow ur>
*' afterwards into pafTions, which realbn cannot always fiibdue
*' in the ilrongeit minds, and by which (lie is perpetually fubdued
*' in the weakefl*." At the fame time that he fpeaks in fucli
ftrong terms of the great power and prevalency of the appetites
and paffions, he will not allow that the Creator hath implanted
in the human mind any thing that can be called a natural fenui
of good and evil, of right or wrong. He treats thofe as enthti-
fiafts in ethics, and as rendering natural religion ridiculous, who
maintain, that there is *' a moral fenfe or inilinft, by which raeii
*' diftinguidi what is morally good from what is morally evil,
" and perceive an agreeable or difagrccable intelleclual fenfation
*' accordingly t." " This," he fays, " maybe acquired in fome
*' fort by long habit, and by true philofophical devotion, but that
*' it is whimrical to afiinne it to be natural :t."
And now we may form fome judgment, how far cur author's
declarations concerning the abfolute clearners, as well as certain-
ty, of the law of nature, are to be depended on, which he makes
with a view to fiiew that all extraordinary revelation is entirely
needlef^^
He fells us, that " the law of nature has all the clearnefs, all
"the precifion that God can give, or man defire;" v/hich he
proves, becaufe " the nature of our fyflem, as tar as the mora-
** lity of a61ions is concerned, is fufncientiy known to us, and
•' the laws of cur nature ccnfequently, fnice they refult from
" it§." It is to be obferved, that the clearnefs and precifion he
here attributes to the lav/ of nature is fuppofed by him to be cf
fuch a kind as to be obvious to all m.ankind. And the only way
he allows to any of the human race for knowing that la-vv and his
own duty, is by fending him ior information concerning it to
the works of God, and efpecially to the human fyflem, and the
laws that refult from it. And is this fo eafy a taflc to every man,
even the moft illiterate ? Can it be faid that thifs is, as he af-
firms, " intelligible at ^dl times, and in all places alike, and pro-
" portioned to the meaneil underfianding II ?" Is every man
* Bolingbtokc's Work?, vol. v, p. 4 79* t ^bid. p. S5.
% ibid. p. 479. § Ibid. p. 26. 97. 1! ibid. p. 94.
ge A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVa.
'%'/e]l qualified to fearcli into the fund of his nature, phyfical and
■moral, and to term his conclurions accordingly, and draw up a
fyftem of religion, of laws and rules for his own conducl ? How
can he ccnfiflently fuppofc, that the human fyftem is fufficientiy
known to all, vvhen according to him fome of the wifefl men in
ail ages, and manhind in general, have been miflaken even in a
point cl fucli importance relatiag to it, as the fuppoiing the foul
to be a difiinft fubilance from the body? Befides which, the
kno'vvledge oi the human fyflem takes in a due confideration of
our fcnfes, reafon, appetites, and palTions. All thcfe muft be
conlidered, that we may know wherein confifleth the proper or-
der and harmony oi our powers, which of them are to be fubor-
dinate, and which' to govern; what are the jult limits of our ap-
petites and palTions ; how far and in what inflances they are to
be gratified, and how far refl:rained. And is every ■ particular
peribn, if left to himfeif, able by the mere force of his own rea-
fon to confider and compare all thefe, and from thence to make
the proper dcduftions, and acquire 2. particular knowledge, as our
author requires, oi thofe laws that are deducible from this fyftem ?
He has another remarkable pafTage to the fam.e purpofe, whiich
it maybe proper to take fome notice of. " Whether th^^vord of
" God," faith he, *' be his word, maybe, and hath beendifputcd
*' bv theills: but w^hether the works of God be his works,
*' neither has been nor can be difputed by any fuch. Naturaf
'• religion therefore being founded on human nature, vvhich is the
*' work of God, and the necefi'ary conditions of human happinefs,
*' which are impofed by the whole fyftem of it, every man who
*' receives the law of nature receives it on his own authority,
*' and not on the authority of other men known or unknown,
" and in their natural ilate as iallible as himfeif. It is not commu-
*' nicated to liim only by tradition and hiftory : it is a perpetual
*' Handing revelation, always made, always making, and as prefent
*' in thefe days as in the days ot Adam to all his offspring*. ''
Here every man is dircfled, in forming a fchemc ot the law of
nature for himfeif, to defpife all other authority, and rely wholly
on his own. It is even mentioned as an advantage, that he re-
ceives it on his own authority, i. e. that he has no other proof or
* BcIingbrckc'sWcrks; yol. y. p. 9^.
a'Jthority
ZeC.XK.VU LORD BOLIKGBROKE. 33
autliorky for it, but the dedu8:ions he himfclf forms by his ov/ii
rearon; though that rcafou is, as this writer owns, for the moil
part influenced and overborne by the appetites and paiTions. — ■
And this is cried up as a Handing revelation to all the fons of
Adam. But if we apply this raagniMcent talk concerning the
divine certainty and clearnefs of the law of nature, to what our
author plainly intends by it, the deduftlons drawn by every man
for hiinfelt concerning his duty, and what he tliinks moft con-
ducive to his bappinefs, the fallacy of his v^ay of arguing will
immediately appear: for though the works oF God are certainly
the works of God, and it will not be denied that the hui^iaii
nature is his work, it doth not follow that the conclufions form-
ed by every particular perfon, from that nature, and from the
v/orks of God, concerning duty and moral obligation, are to be
certainly depended upon. When therefore he aiTerts, that *' the
*^ contents of the law of nature are obje6fs of fuch a certainty,
" as the author of nature alone can communicate -," if the de-
fign be to Signify ^ that the judgment every man forms for himfelf
by his own reafon, s^nd upon his own authority, as he exprcITeth
it, concerning' the law of nature, hath fuch a divine certainty in
it, it is manifeftiy falfe. He confounds the obje6tive certainty
of the law ^s founded in the nature of things,- with the certainty
Oi the judgment n}en form concerning it: which are very d-if-
ferent things. However certain the law of nature is in itfelf,
men m.ay greatly miiiake and mifapprchend it. And it is cer-
tain in faft that they do ftand in great need of particular inftruc-
ticn to enable them to acauire a ridit knowledge of it. And
fureiy a divine inftru6tion coricerning-it, byperfcns extraordina-
rily fent and commilTicned to pubiiili a revelation of the, will of
God to mankind, and who give fufficient proofs of their divine
million, muft be of the higheR advantage.. '
This writer himfelf, though he fo often extols the abfolute
clearnefs, certainty, and perie6fion of the law of nature, i. e. of
the judgment men form by reafon concerning it; yet at other,
times makes acknowledgments which quite deftroy the argupjent
he would draw from^ it agairilf the necefFity or ufefulnefs of e:c-
traordinary revelation. He had affirmed in a paiTage cited above,
^ Bolingbroke's Works^ vol. v. p. 2;,
VOL. II. D that.
34 A Vmv OF THE DEISTICAL XVRITERS. Let. XXVI.
that " natural revelation (for fo," fays he, " I will call it) produces
" a ferles of intuitive knowledge from the firft principles to the
** laft coficlufions ;" where he feerns to make both the great
principles of the law of nature, and the conclufions that are drawn
from it, to be infallibly certain : and yet he elfevv'here declares
that the laws of nature are general, and intimates that a multitude
of falfe deductions and wrong applications have been often made
of that law*. Among feveral pafTages to this purpofe, there is
one that deferves particular notice. After having faid, that " it
*' is in vain to attempt to know any thing more than God has
*' fhewed us in the aftqal conftitution of things," he adds, that
•' even when we judge of them thus, and make particular appli-
*' cations of the general laws of nature, v/e are very liable
*' to miftakes. — That there are things fit and unfit, right and
*' wrong, juft and unjuft, in the human fyftem, and difcernible
** by human reafon, as far as our natural imperfe6tions admit, I
*' acknowledge moft readily. But from the difficulty we have
*' to judge, and from the uncertainty of our judgments in a mul-
*' titude of cafes which lie b eVond our bounds, I would demon-
*' Urate the folly of thofc v/ho afre6t to have knov/ledge beyond
** them. They arc unable on many occafions to deduce from
*' the conflitution of their own fyflerf!, and the laws of their own
** nature, with prccifion and certainty, v^^hat thefe require of
*' them; and v/hat is right or wrong, juft or unjufl, for them to
*' dot." To this may be added the acknowledgiiient he hath made,
that " the law of nature is hid from our fight by all the variegated
•* clouds of civil laws and cufloms. Some gleams of true light
*' may be feen through them: but they render it a dubious light,
" and it can be no better to thofe who have the keenefl fight,
*' till thofe interpofitions are removed +." So that after all his
boafts, as if the law of nature were fo clear and obvious to all
men that they cannot mi flake it, he owns it to have been Jtidfrom
our fight by the clouds of civil laws and cuftoms, and that it
is rendered a dubious light even to thofe who have the keen eji fight.
And furely nothing can be more proper to remove and difpel
thefe interpofitions of contrary laws and culloms, than the light
of divine revelation enforced by a divine authority. He himfelf
* Bolingbrokc's Works, vol. v. p. 154. \ Ibid. p. 444. Ibid, p; 105.
obfervcs,
Let, XXVI, LORD BOLINGfiHOKEi g^
obferves, that *' Eufebius, in his firft book of his evangelical
*' preparation, gives a long catalogue of abfurd laws and cuftoms,
** contradi6lory to the law of nature in all ages and countries,
" for a very good purpofe, to fhew in feveral inftances, how
*' fuch abfurd laws and cuftoms as thefe have been reforme.l by
" the gofpel, that is, by a law which renewed and confirmed the
*' original law of nature*."
Thefe obfervations may fuffice with regard to what Lord
Bolingbroke hath offered concerning the law of nature in general,
and its abfolute certainty and clearnefs to all mankind: I ihall
TiO\'^ proceed to make fome particular refleftions on the account
he gives of the contents of that law, or the duties which are there
prefcribed: as alfo of the grounds of the obligation oi that law,
and the fanflion w^hereby it is enforced.
I. With regard to the contents or matter of the law of nature,
he obferves, that " felf-lov^e, direfted by inrt:n6t to mutual plea-
*' fure, made the union between man and woman. Self-love
*' made that of parents and children: felf-love begat fociability:
*' and reafon, a principle of human nature as well as inftintl:,
*' improved it, and extended it to relations more remote, and
*' united feveral families into one community, as inftinft had
*' united feveral individuals into one family." See the third of
his Fragments and ElTays in his fifth volume. And he treats
this more largely in the nxth of thole Eflays, where he obferves,
that " there is fuch a thing as natural reafon implanted in us by
*' the author oi our nature: but that reafon would come too
*' ilowly to regulate the condu£l of human life, if the All-wife
*' Creator had not implanted in us another principle, that of felf-
*' love; which is the original fpring of human a61ions, under the
*' direftion of imlinfl; firft, and reafon afterwards t." — *' That
*' mftinftand reafon may be confidered as diftinft promulgations
*' of the fam.e law. Self-love direQs necefFarlly to fociability. —
" Inftinft leads us to it by the fenfe of pleafure, and reafon con-
*' firms us in it by a fenfe of happinefsi." " Sociability is
*' the foundation of human happinefs: fociety cannot be maln-
" tained without benevolence, juftice, and other focial virtues.
** Thofe virtues therefore are the foundation of fociety. And
*' thus are we led from the inllinftive to the rational law of na-
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. loo, loi. f Ibid. p. 79.
t ibid. p. 8o, 81.
D 3 ^ ' '' ture.
ofi ' A VIEW or THE DEISTICAt WRITERS. LcL XXV!»
*' ture.— Self-love operates in all thefe ftages. We love our-
*' felves, we love our families, we love the particular focieties
*' to which we Ipelcng: and our benevolence extends at lad to
" the whole race of mankind. Like fo many different vortices,
*' the centre of all is felf-love: and th«t which is the moil dircant
'• from it is the weakcft *."
It appears iibm. this account of the law of nature, that he
makes ielf-love to be the original fpring of all human aftions,
the fundamental principle of the law of nature, and centre of
the moral f'ylfem, to whicli all the lines of it tend, and in which
they terminate: and yet. he eife where calls " univerfal benevo- -
*' lence, benevolence to ail rational beings, the great and funda-
*' mental principle of the lav/ of nature t:" and aiTcrts, that " the
*' liril principle of 'the religion of nature an.^ reaTon is a focia-
*' biiity.that flows from univerfal benevolence "i." In the paffages
above cited, he had exprefsly afhrmed, that felf-love begets fccia-
bility, and had rcfolved benevolence into felf-love as the original
principle from which it flows : but here he makes fociability to
flov/ from univerfal benevolence. I do not well fee hov/ this
can be made to confift upon his fchcme. Thofe may juflly re-
gard univerfal benevolence as a fundamental lav; of our nature,
Vv'ho fappofc a focial principle, and a benevolent difpofition,
dillin8; from felf-love, to be an original difpofition, natural to
the human heart, and implanted 'by the Author of our beings:
but if felf-love be, as he rcprefcnts it, the only original fpring of
human aftions, and the centre of the v/hole fyilem, univerfal be-
nevolence cannot be properly reprefented as the fundamental
\dw of our nature. Upon this fcheme the private intercfi of the
individual, v/henever it happens to come in competition with
the public good, ought to be preferred. Lord Bolingbroke en-
deavours to anfwer Carncadcs's argument againil juftice, who
urged, that " either there is no fuch thing as juftice, or it would
" be extremely fooiiili, becaufe that in providing for the good of
*' others, the juft would .hurt themfelvcs§." This argtuTient
feem.s to me to be concluhvc upon his Lordfliip's fcheme.- For
fuppofing, which feerns to be his fentiment, that there is no na-
tural fcnfe of right and wrong, of moral beauty and deformity,
*' BoKn^roke's Works, vol. v. p. 82.
T Ibid. viQl.lv'; p. 283. vol. V. p. 98. t Ibid. p. 196. f Ibid. p. 103.
implanted
Lei. XXVI. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 37
implanted in the lunnan bearc; and that at the fame thne a man
is peri'uaded that providence has no regard to individuals, to their
a6iions, or the events which befai them; and that therefore he
has noti"jing to hope or to fear from God; and that this life is
the whole of his exiftence: and if he is alfo made to think, that
felf-love is the original fpring of human actions, and the central
point to which all mufl tend; and that a tendency to promote
his own happinefs, hisprefent happinefs, is v/hat gives the lav/
of nature its obligation, which, as fhali be fhewn, is what Lord
Bolingbroke avows: upon the fe principles, if in any particular
inflance an unjufl; aftion may turn to his own advantage, and he
knows he is fafe in committing it, he is juftified in doing that
action, when a {lri6l regard to juftice, or fidelity to his word and
promife, would do him hurt. For his prefcnt advantage and
intereft in this uncertain life is what he is to have principally ia
view, and to v/hich every thing elfc muft be fubordinate.
In the eleventh of his Fragments and E flays, in which he par-
ticularly treats of fociability, he obferves, that ." it is owing to
*' our being determined by felf-love to feek our pleafure and
*' utility in focicty; and that when thefc ends are fuilicicntiy
*' anfv/ered, natural fociability declines, and natural infociabi-
** lity commences. The influence of felf-love reaches no far-
** ther: and v/hen men are once formed into focieties, thofe
*' focieties become individuals, and thus felf-love, ^vhich pro-
*' motcd union among men, promotes difcord among them^.'*
So that, according to him, fell- love iirft produces fociablenefs,
and puts men upon forming focielies; and when focieties are
once termed, this fame felf-love profluces unfociablencfs and dif-
cord between thofe focieties. And if this be the cafe, I cannot
fee liov/ he can maintain, as he fometimes does, that univerfal
benevolence fioxvs from felf-love, when, according to his account
of it, it is only a very limited. focidbieners which is produced by
felt- love; and felf-love, inftead of promoting an univerfal bene-
volence, deflroys it.
With regard to the particular duties included in the law of-
nature, there is little in thefe Elfays that can be of ufe, either
to Ihew what thofe duties are, or hov/ thev are deaucible froni
Solingbroke's Works, vol. y. p. 115.
D 3 that
33 A VIEW OF THE DLISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVI*
that law. What he faith en this head is for the mod part ,very
general.
As to the dtuies we ov/e to God, he obferves, that *' the reli-
*' gion and law of nature fhews us the Supreme Being manifeiled
*' in all his works to be the true and only obje6l of our adora-
*' tion; and that it teaches us to wordiip him in fpirit and in
*' truth, that is, inwardly and fmcerely." But he feems to con-
fine the worfhip prefcribed in that law to inward worfhip. He
adds, that " in the exiuence God has given us, and in the bene-
*' fits which attach us ftrongly to it, this fhews him to be the firft
*• and greateft objeG: of our gratitude : and in the eflabiifned order
'' of things, fubjeft to fo many vicifTitudes, and yet fo conftant,
*' this religion fhews him to be the reafonable as well as necef-
*' fary object of our refignation: and finally, in the v/ants; dif^
** trcffcs, and dangers which thofe vicifTitudes bring frequently
*' upon us, to be the comfortable obje6l of our hope — in v/hich
" hope, the religion of nature will teach us no doubt to addrefs
" ourfelves to the Almighty, in a manner confiuent v^ith an en-
*' tire refignation to his will, as fom^e of the heathens did*.'*
Thele are undoubtedly important duties. But it is not eafy to
fee what plea there is for making God the comfortable objccl of
our hope in the wants, difireiTes, and dangers we are expofed to,
cr for addrefiTing ourfelves to him in an entire refignation to his
will and to his providence, if he exercifeth no care of individuals
at all, nor concerneth himfelf about their aftions, their particular
caies and circumlfances, in this prefent ftate, nor v/ili ever re-
compenfe their piety and virtue in a future one. The fcheme
cur author hath advanced on thefe heads appeareth to me to be
abfolutely inconfiilent with what he himfelf here reprefenteth as
important duties of the law of nature.
As to other particular duties required in that law, he fays, " No
*' doubt can be entertained whether the law of nature forbids
*' idolatry, blafphemy, murder, theft, and I think incefi, at lead
*' in the higheft inftance of itt." Thefe things he only men-
tions; but that which he mofl largely infifls upon, as a precept
of the law of nature, is polygamy. This is the fubjeft of the
feventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth, of his Fragments and
5 Bolingbroke's Work?, vol. v- 97; 9S. f Ibid. p. 156,
EfTays.
L^t. KllWU LORD POLINGBROKE.
^9
Effays. The principal argument winch he brings to prove that
polygamy is agreeable to the law of nature, and is a duly bound
upon us by that law, is, that it contributes to the incrcafe and
propagation of the human fpecies. He owns that " monogamy,
*' or the confinement of one hufband to one wife while they both
*' live, will unite the care of both parents in breeding up fub-
"jefts of^the commonwealth:" but he afferts, that " it will
" not ferve as effeftually, nor in as great numbers, to the be-
*' getting them*." But it would not be a hard matter to fliew,
that polygamy, if univerfally allowed (and it rnuU be fo if it
were a law of nature), would not tend to the increafe of mankind
upon the whole, but the contrary t. Seeing if one man had
many wives, feveral men mud be without any, conHdering that
providence has ordered fuch an equality in numbers between the
fexes; and that, as hath been obfervcd by thofe who have ex-
amined this matter with the greateH accuracy, there are generally
more men born into the world than women. This fiie^vs, that
in the order of nature, and according to the prefcnt conlHtution
pf things, more than one woman is not ordinarily dcfjgned for
one man. And I believe it v/iil fcarcebe denied to be probable,
that twenty men married to tv/enty women would have more
children among them, than one man married to tv/enty women.
The conUant ordinary courfe of providence throughout the
world with refpeft to the proportion between the fexes is, as
Mofes reprefents it to have been in the beginning, one man to
one woman. And it is obfervable, that according to his account,
polygamy had no place either at the firfl original of the human
race, or at the reparation of mankind immediately after the de-
luge, though in both the fe cafes the fpeedy multiplication of the •
human fpecies feenied to be neceffary. If therefore we judge,
as Lord Bolingbroke would have us judge, of the law of nature
by the conflitution of our fyilem, monogamy is more agreeable
to that law, and a miore perfe6l infiitution than polygamy. But
I fhall have occafion to refume this fubjeft, when I come to con^
fider his obfervations againU the Chriftian law on this account,
* Bolingbroke's Vforks, vol. v. p. 163.
t See concerning this the Rev. Dean Delany's excellent Refledions oa
Polygamy.
D4 I do
4® A VIEW OF THE DZIITXAL WRITERS. Lit, XXVT.
I do not fina that he any-where reprefents adultery as a vio-
lation of the law of nature; he rather intimates the contrary,
%vhen he gives it as a reafon v/hy in Greece and Rome, and fe-
vcral other ftates, a phirahty of v;ives was prohibited, and mo-
nogamy encour.^ged, " becaiife, notwhhftanding their entering
•' into fmgie marriages, no;hing hindered them, nor their wives
•' neither, except the want of opportunity, from indulging their
*' lufl: with others in fpite of their facred bonds, and the legal
*' property they had in one another's perfcns." And he thinks
it cannot be doubted that fuch confidcrations have the fame effeft
upon Chrillians, who look upon thofe marriages to have been
infiituted by God himfelf^. But I am perfuaded the ancient
pagans would not have alleged or admitted the reafon he gives
ior reconciling them to fmgle marriages : as if no m.an or v/cm.an
entered into the marriage-bond, but v/ith a refohition to violate
it as often as an opportunity offered. If that had been the cafe»
adultery vrouid not have been fo infamous a thing, nor fo feverely
puniiheci, as it was in the bell ages of Greece and Rome. Nor
were adulteries common among them., till an univcrfal diifolute-
nefs and corruption of manners prevailed, which prepared things
by degrees for the difTolution of their {late. He phunjy fuppofes
all m.en and women to be unchaile ; and that there is no ftich
thing as conjugal fidelity and chaflity either among heathens or
Chriftians. Such a way of reprefenting tilings is generally locked
upon as a uifpicious fign of a vicious and corrupt heart, v^'hich
judges of the reft oi mankind by its own depraved inclinations.
And that his Lordfhip had no great notion of the virtue or obli-
gation of chaftity, farther appears from the account he gives of
" the motives of that, modefty, with which aimoft all mankind,
*' even the moft favage, conceal the parts, and remove out of
*' fight to perform the act, of generation." He fays, *' the
" latent principle of this fhamc or modefty, is a vanity inherent
*' in our natures, which makes us fond of fiiewing hov/ fuperior
*' we are to other animals, and to hide how much v\^e participate
'' of the fame nature." As if the favage nations carried their
rehnements fo far, vyhich would be an argument againft eatiog
in Q'^f^Vi view, fince in this we equally participate of the fame
* Soliiigbrclce'i Works, vol. v. p. 167.
I! at 11 re
Let. XXVI. LORD BOLINGBROKE, 4^
nature with other animals. Ke adds, th?.t ** an imconlroaled
" aiul undifturbcd indulgence to their mutual lull, is one of tlic
" principal rcafons for the folitude wherein the two- fexes afFeO:
*' to copulate." So that this (hamc and raodelly, which forbids
public copulations of human creatures like brutes, is at iaft re-
folved into an exceflive prevalence of lufl. Ke coricludcs there-
fore, tliat " this fhame is artificial, and has been ini'pired by huma^i
*' laws, by prejudice and the like*," As to incefr, he feems to
think the law of nature forbids none but that of the highefi; kind,
viz, " the conjunftion between fathers and daughters, fons and
*' mothers:" and whether this is forbidden by that law he is ndt
very pofuive ; but inclineG to think it is forbidden ; not for any
repugnancy or abhorrence in nature to fuch copulations, Y/hichi
he treats as a pretence that fcarce deferves an anfwer, but hc-
caufe " as parents are the chief magiilratcs of families, every
*' thin?^ that tends to diminifii a reverence for them, or to con-
«« vert it into fome other fcritiment, diminifhes their authority,
*' and diiToives the order of thefe little cc^Tl^ao^v/ealths"^.'* He
mentions nations, *' among whom no regard was paid io the de-
*' grces of confanguinity and affinity, but brothers mixed with
*' fillers, fathers with their daugiilers, and fons v/ith their mo-
** thers : That they were had in abomination by the Jews, who
*' were in return held in contempt by them and all others: That
*' two of thefe nations, the Egyptians and Babylonians, had
*' been mafters of the Jews in every fenfe, and from whom the
*' Greeks and Romans derived all their knov/iedge; and perhaps
" tiie hrll uTe of letters \ :" And he obferves, that " Eve was in..
*' iQmt fort the daughter of Adam. She was literally bone of his
*' bone, and flelh of his fiedi^." This feems to be mentioned
by him with a defign to give fome fort of patronage for the ccn-
junftion between fathers and daugliters. ^iM Eve could v/ith
no propriety he called the daughter of Adam; though they might
both be called the children of God: Adam did not bc'ijet or form
Kve, but God formed them both|i.
He
* Bolingbrcke's Works, vol. v. ^. i^^, f Ibid. p. 175.
X Ibid. p. 17a, 173. 175. 5 Ibid. p. 176.
It Though our author feems in fome of the panages above cited toTpeak
^of this worft kind of inceft in foftening terms, which lliew no great abhor-
rence of it, yet when he takes notice, in a fneering %vay, of the edifying a-ricc
date
AJi A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVI.'
He concludes, that ** increafe and mulliply is the law of na-
'• ture. The manner in which this precept ftiall be executed
*' with the greateft advantage to fociety, is the law ol man." So
that the only law of nature that he allows in this cafe, is the na-
tural inftinft to increafe and multiply. Fornication, adultery,
inceft, are all left at large to political confiderations, and human
Jaws, and to what men ihali think moll for their pleafure and the
propagation of the fpecies, without any divine law to reftrain or
regulate them: v/hich is to open a wide door for a licentious in-
dulgence to the carnal appetite.
The lail thing I propofe to confider wnth regard to Lord Bo-
llngbrohe's account of the law of nature is, the ground of the
obligation of that law, and the fanftions whereby it is enforced.
As to the ground of its obligation, or from whence the oblig-
ing force of that law arifes, he obferves, that that which makes
it properly obligatory is, not its being the will and appointment
of God, but its being conducive to human happinefs. To this
p'cirpofe he declares, that " though the Suprem-e Being willed
*' into exiilence this fyftem, and by contequence all the relations
*' of things contained in it; yet it is not this will, it is in truth
*' the conflitution of the fyflem alone, that impofes thefe laws oi^
*' mankind originally, whatever power made this fyftem."— —
*' The morality of a£lions," he thinks, " doth not confift in this,
*' that they are prefcribed by will, even by the will of God: but
*' it is this, that they are the means, however impofed the prac-
** tice of them may be, of acquiring happinefs agreeable to our
*' nature." And he feems to find fault with thofe who " think
*' there can be no law of nature, or at leail that it cannot pafs
" for a iaw in the fenfe of obliging and binding, without a God :'*
though he ov/ns, that " it is more fully and e[fc6lually fo to the
*' theiil, than to the atheiil^." But though he has here exprefsly
declared, that it is not the v/ill of God, but it is the conflitution
dote of Lot's datishters, he Calls that inccfl a mcnjlrozn crime, and intimateth as
if, according to the Mofliic account, the goodnefs of their intention y2?;zfl(^<?^
it. Vol. V. p. 112. But Mofes contented hlmlelf with relating the fad as
it really happened; nor can it pofTibly be fuppofed, that he had any defign
to lan(fi:ify that crime, which is forbidden and condemned in his law in the
Urongell terms, and ccnfured as an ahojnination.
* Bolin^broke's Works, toI. iv. p. 283, 284.
Ld. XXVI. LORD BOLINGBllOKE. 42
of the human fyllem, which impofes thefe laws orlglnaliy on
jnankind; yet afterwards, in oppofition to Grotius, he afferts the
law of nature to be x\\q pofitive law of God in every fcnfe^ a law
of will, and blames that great man, and others, for diftingu idling
between the law of nature, and the pofitive law of God to man*.
With regard to the fanftions of the law of nature, he exprefsly
affirms, that the penalties which make the fanftion of natural
law, afFe6Vnations colleftively, not men individually t. This is
not an occafional thought, but is a fixed part of his fcheine, and
which he frequently repeats |:. The only penalties or fanftions
which he allows properly to belong to the law of nature, are the
public evils which affeft nations. With regard to particular
perfcns, there are no divine fan^lions to enforce that law. But
the punifhment of individuals is left wholly to the laws enabled
by every community. And it is certain that there are many
breaches of the natural law, which do not make men liable to
any puniihment by the civil laws. There is no punifliment pro^
vided by thofe laws, nor any, according to our a.uthor'5 account,
by the law of nature, forfecret crimes, however enormous: nor
do thefe laws ever punilh internal bad difpofitions, any vices of
the heart, or irregular and corrupt affeftions. A man may be
fafely as wicked as he pleafes, provided he can manage fo as to
efcape punifhment by the laws of his country, which very bad
men, and thofe that are guilty of great vices, may eafily, and
frequently do, evade. No other penalties has he to fear (for I
do not find that he ever reckons inward remorfe or {lings of con-
fcience among the fanclicns of the natural law), except he hap-
pens to be involved in national calamities; among v/hich he
mentions opprcffion, famine^- pejlilence^ wars^ and captivities ;
and in thefe it often happens, that good men as well as the v/ick-
ed and vicious are involved. So that he allows no punilh-
Hients as proper divine fanftisns of the law of nature, but what
are common to thofe that keep that law, as well as to thofe who
violate it. All that he oifers to prove, that this divine fanciion,
2s he calls it, of the natural law is fufficicnt, amounts to this,
that the fanftions of the law of Mofes, which is pretended to
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 87. f Ibid. p. 90.
X See particularly vol. iy.p. a83. vol. v. p. 47s. 4;4. 494, 495.
44 A VIE'.V or THE DEISTICAL WRITEPwS. ' Zf/. XXVf,
be a pofitive law given by God to his chofcn people, confifted
only in temporal pains and penalties, and thofe only fuch as af-
fe£lcd the nation in general, and not individuals. This, as far
as the law of Mofes is concerned, v;ill be afterwards examined.
At prefent 1 fhali only obferve, that it is a Ifrange way of argu-
ing, to cndcavcnr to jlrove, that the fanPtion of the lav/ of na-
t'lre is divine, becaufe it is the fame v/ith the fan61ion of the law
CI Mofes, which in our author's opinion v/as not divine*.
Allow me, before I conclude this letter, to make a brief re-
prefentation ot that fcheme of morality, or of the law of nature,
which his LordOiip's principles naturally lead to.
The rule he lays down for judging of the law of nature, or of
moral obligati&n, is tliis: That man is to judge of it from his
own nature, and the fyllem he is in. And man, according to
iiis account ot him, is merely a fuperior animal, whofe viev/s are
confined to this prefent life, and v/ho has no reafonable prof-
pett of exifting in any other flate. God has given him appetites
znd paffions: thcfe appetites lead him to pleafure, which is their
only cbject. Ke has reafon indeed: but this reafon is only to
enable him to provide and contrive what is moii conducive to
his happinefs; that is, what will yield him a ccr.tinued perma-
nerd [cries of the mqft agreeable fenfations or plcajures^ which is
the definition of happinefs t. And if no regard be had to futu-
rity, he muft govern himfelf by v*'hat he thinks moft conduciv^e
to his intereft, or his pleafure, in his prefent circum.flances.
The conftitution of his nature is his only guide : God has given
him no ether, and concerns himfelf no farther about him, nor
^vill ever call him' to an account for his aftions. In this confti-
tution his flefh or body is his all : there is no diftinft immaterial
principle: nor has he any moral fenfe or feelings naturally im-
planted in his heart; and therefore to pleafe the flefh, and purfue
its intereil, or gratify its appetites and inclinations, rauft be his
principal end. Only he muft take care fo to gratify them, as not
to expofe himfelf to the penalties of human lav/s, which are the
only fancfioHS of the law of nature for particular pei'fons. He
may without any check of confcience debauch his neighbour's
wife, when he has an opportunity of doing it fafely ; and needs
* Bollngbrckc's V/crks, vol. r. p. 91. f ^^'^^' P- 577? 378.
be
Ld. XXVI. LORD BOLINGEROKE.
45
be under no reflraint to the inv^ulginghis lulls, from fhame or
modcHy, which is only an artificial thing, owing to prej'jdice
or pride. As to the refined fentiments of fubjc6ling the appe-
tites to reafon, or the fuhjefting a man's own private iritcreil;, or
that of his family, to the public good of the community, this
cannot be reafonabiy done upon his fcheme. It is urged in-
deed, that •' the good of individuals is fo clofely conne6fed with
" the good of fociety, that the means of promoting the one can-
*' not be feparated from thofe of promoting the other ■^." But
though it is generally fo, yet it may happen in particular cafes,
that thefe interefts may be feparated. It may be more for a
man's private intereft to break the lav/s of 'his country: an«i if
he can find his own private .idvantage, or gratify his ambition,
his love of power, or of riches, in doing what is prejudicial to
the community, there is nothing to reflrain.him from it, provided
he' can do it fafely : for fclf-love is the centre of the whole :tio-
ral fy Ttem, and the more extended the circle is, the vvcakerit
grows. So that the love of a man's country mud be far w-eakcr
than his love of himfelf, or regard to his own particular intercfl,
which mull be his fupreme governing principle and end.
But I fliall not purine this any farther. Hov/ far fuch a fyf-
tern of morals would be for the good of mankind, it is.eafy to
fee ; and it feems to me fairly deducible from Lord Boling-
broke's principles taken in their juft conne6iicn, though 'I do
not pretend to charge his Lordfiiip with exprefsly acknou-ledg-
ing or avowing all thefe confequences; and forr.etimes jiC; ad-
vances what i^s inconfiftent with them.
* Bollngbroke's Works, toI. v. p. rcj.
T-
4^ A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL V/RITERS. Let. XXVilJ
LETTER XXVII.
An Examination of what Lord BoUnghroke hath offered concern^
ivg Revelation in general — He ajfcrts that Mankind had no
Need of an extraordinary Revelation — The contrary fully
fltewn — A divine Revelation very needful to injlriid Men in
the mofl important Principles of Religion, efpecially thofe re-
lating to the Unity, the Perfe&ions, and Providence of God;
the IVorfiip that is to he rendered to him ; moral Duty taken
in its jufl Extent; the chief Good and Happinefs of Man ; the
Ter?ns of our Acceptance zuith God, and the Means of Reconci-
liation when we have offended him; and the Rewards and Pu-
nfarnents of a future State — // may be concluded from the
Necejfities of Mankind, that a Revelation was communicated
from the Beginning — A Notion and Bdi.ef of this has very ge-
nerally obtained — The wifeft Men of Antiquity fenfible that bare
Reafon alone is not fufficient to enforce DoBrines and Laws
with a due Authority upon Mankind. — The mofl celebrated
Philofophers acknowledged their Want of divine Revelation — ■
The Author s Exceptions agairfl this examined — Under Pre-
tence of extolling the great EffeBs which a true divine Revela-
tion mufl have produced, he endeavours to fnew, that no true
divine Revelation was ever really given — His Scheme tends.,
contrary to his own Intention, tofiew the Ufefilnefs and Ne-
ciffity of divine Revelation.
SIR,
ANY one that reads Lord Bollngbroke's Works with aKen-
tion muft be convinced, that one principal defign he had in
view, was to dcftroy tlie authority ol the divine revelation in
general, and of the Jewifii and Chriftian in particular. I mall
confider what he hath clTcred with regard to each of thefe; and
Ihall begin with what relates to divine revelation in general.
As to the polTihihty of an extraordinary revelation communi-
cated from God to men, his Lordfnip hath no-wherc thought fit
exprefsly to deny it: though he hath made fome attempts which
Teem to look that way. Me frec^uently treats the notion of co/n-
munion
Let. XXVtI. LORD BOLINGBROKE.
47
munion with God and communications from God to men, as a
great abfurdity, and the fuppofition of which is wholly owinj:^ to
the pride of the human heart ; and has dechired, that he cannot
*' comprehend the metaphyficai or phyfical influence of fpirits,
** fuggeftions, filent communications, injection of ideas. — And
*' that all fuch interpofitions in the inteile6lual fyftem caunot be
*' conceived, without altering, in every fuch inftance, the natural
** progreffion ot the human undcrftanding, and the freedom of the
*' will*." Yet in a long digreffion about infpiration, in his EJfay
concerning the Nature^ Extent, and Reality, of Human Knoxi)-^
ledge, after having done what he could to expofe and ridicule it,
heexprefsly owns, that " an extraordinary a£lion of God on tlie
*' human mind, which the word infpiration is here ufed to denote,
** is not more inconceivable than the ordinary a61ion of mind on.
•* body, or of body on mind." — And that " it is impertinent tc>
*' deny the exiftence of any phacnomenon, merely becaufe we
•' cannot account for it." But he urges, that " it would be hlly
*' to affume infpiration to be true, becaufe God can aft myiU:ri«
" oufly, i. e, in ways unknown to us, on his creature manf.''
Nor was any of the divines, whom he treats on all occaiions with
fo much contempt, ever fo filly, as to affume infpiration to bs
true, merely becaufe it is poffible. The aftual truth of it muil
be proved by other arguments.
I fhall therefore take it for granted, that an extraordinary re-
velation from God to men, for inftrufting and direfting them \\\
the knowledge of important truth, of his v/ill and their duty, i^
poffible: and that fuch a revelation might be fo circumftanced,
as to be of real and hgnal advantage, our author himfelf Teems
fometimes willing to allow. After having obferved, that we
cannot be obliged to believe againft reafon, he adds, that " whcij
*' a revelation hath all the authenticity of human teilimony,
** when it appears confiftentin all its parts, and when it contaii s
** nothing inconfiflent with any real knowledge we have of the
*' fupreme all-perfect Being, and oi natural religion, fuch a reve-
*' lation is to be received with the mcft profound reverence, with
" the mofl entire fubmiffion, and wich the moil unfeigned thankf-
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol v. p. 4i't> 4^5 —See concerning this abcvc,
Letter VII. t it)i^' '''^^- ^ii- P' 468.
4^ A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld, XXVlU
■* giving*,'* This goes upon a fuppofition that an extraordinarjr
jcvclation from God is not only pcflible, but may be of lignal
beneSt to mankind; and, if really communicated, ought to be
leceived v/ith great thankful nefs. And he declares that he does
not " prefume to aiTcrt, that God has made no fuch particular
** revelations of his will to mankind:" though he adds, that
" the opinion that there have been fuch revelations, is not in any
** degree fo agreeable to the notions of infinite knov/ledge and
•' wifdora, as the contrary opinion i.'*
IVhathe principally bends himfelf to prove is, that mankind
had no need of fupernatural revelation ; and that therefore it is no
way probable that God would extraordinarily interpofe to give
Isch difcoveries of his will. For this purpofe he mightily extols
the abfolute clearnefs and perfeftion of the law of nature; from
-wlicnce, bethinks, it follows, " that God has made no other re-
•-' vclation of himfelf, and of his will to' mankind." Many of
the. Fragments and EITays in his fifth volume are particularly in-
fended to invalidate what Dr. Clarke had ur^ed to fiicw the need
tiii2 world (lood in oi a divine re v^elation. See particularly from the
twenty-thirdto the twenty-eighth of his Fragments and Effays ;
as alfo the thirty-tliird and thirty-fourth. But if we abftraci;
from the everbearing confidence, and alTuming air, fo familiar
to Lord Bolingbroke, we fhall lind very little in thofe clhiys,
v/hich is of any confequence againft v/hat that very learned v/ii-
tcr had advanced.
The reneRions that were made in my lad letter on what his
I^rdihip had offered concerning the abfolute clearnefs of the lav/
or religion of nature to all mankind, might fufiice to fhew, that
tlicre is no juft foundation for the inference he would draw ircm
it. But it will be proper to enter upon a more particular a-ud
diilinft confideration of this matter. And to fet it in a fair light,
I {hall mention fome things of high importance to mankind, with
regard to v/hich they (land in great need of particular infiruttion,
and of having them cleared and afcertained by a divine revelation.
Such arc the articles relating to the unity, the perfection, and
providence of God, the worlhip that is to be rendered to him.
Eolingbrokc's Works, vol. iv. p. 279. — See alfo vol. v. p. 201.
P- 544-
■mc'rai
f Ibid. D.
Let. XXVII. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 49
moral duty taken in its jufl extent, the chief good and happinefs
01 man, the terms ot our acceptance with God, and the means
of reconciliation when we have oiTended him, and the rewards
and punifhments of a future flate.
1. The firft and fundamental principle of all religion relates
to the unity, the perfeftions, and providence of the one true
God, the fupreme original Caufe of all things, the Maker and
Governor of the world. This is juuly reprefcnted by our author
as the angular Jlone of religion* And it comes to us confirmed
by fo many convincing proofs, that one would have been apt to
ex peel that all mankind in all ages fhould have agreed in acknow-
ledging it : and yet certain it is, that there is fcarce any thing
in which they have fallen into more pernicious errors, than in
their notions relating to this great and fundamental article. This
writer finds great fault with Mr. Locke for afferting, in his Rea-
Jonahhncfs of Chrijlianity^ that the heathens were deficient in
the firft article of natural religion, the knowledge of one God,
the Maker of all things : and yet this is no more than what Lord
Bolingbroke himfelf acknowledges in ftrong terms. He ob-
ferves, that " though the firft men could doubt no more, that
*' fome caufe of the world, than that the world itfelf, exilled,
*' yet a confequcnce of this great event, and of the furprize,
*' ignorance, and inexperience, of mankind mud have been
*' much doubt and uncertainty concerniiig the firlt caufe "^i
*' That the variety of the phasnomena which ftruck their fenfe
" would lead them to imagine a variety ol caufes. — That accord-
" ingly polytheifin and idolatry prevailed almoft every-where,
" and therefore fcems more conformable to human ideas abllrac-
*' ted from the firil appearance of things, and better proportioned,
*' by an analogy of human conceptions, to the uncultivated rea-
" fon of mankind, and to underdandinos not fuificicntlv mform-
" ed." He adds, that " polytheifm, and the confequence of it,
*' idolatry, were avowed and taught by legiflatcrs and philofo-
'' phers, and they prevailed more eafily, becaufe they ^v'ercmore
" conformable to the natural conceptions of tlie human mind,
*' than the belief of one fird intelligent Caufe, the fole Creator,
*' Preferver, and Governor of all things t." And though he in-
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iii. p. 2$z» \ Ibid. p. ^595 260.
VOL. II. E finuates,
50 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS- Let, XXVlf*
fiiiLiates, that " afterwards, when nations became civilized, and
" wife conilitutions of government were formed, men could not
*' be ignorant of this great principle," yet he owns, that " the
•• vulgar among the Greeks and Romans, and all the learned na-
** tions of the eaft, acknowledged a multitude of divinities, to
•' which they afcribed every excellence and every defeft of their
*' own nature*." He endeavours indeed to apologize for them,
by faying, that " tlie worfiiip of this multiplicity of gods did not
*' interfere with the fupreme Being in the minds of thofe that
*' wcrfliipped themt." But in plain contradiftion to this, he
elfewhere faith, that " they loll fight of him, and fuffered ima-
*' ginary beings to intercept the worlhip due to him. alone :|:."
And fpeaking of the crowd of imaginary divinities among the
heathens, fuperceleliieu and celeftial gods, \vhole gods, and half
gods, &c. he fays, that " they inLercepted the wormip of the
"fupreme Being; and that this monilrous affemblage m.ade the
*' cbjeft of vulgar adoration §." And indeed nothing can be
more evident than it is from all the remaining monuments of
paganifm, that the public worfnip piefcfibcd and eUabliOied by
their laws was paid to a multiplicity oi deities; nor v/as there
any injunction in any of their laws, that the fupreme God, and
he only, v/as to be adored. The legiilators, by his own acknow-
ledgment, " thought it dangerous to cure, and ufeful to confirm,
*' the popular fu peril it ion ||."
He is pleafed indeed to give a magnificent account of the pagan
myfteries, as\what v/ere intended by the heathen legiOators for
reforming the manners and religion of tlie people. He aiTerts
as poiitively as if he knew it, that " there are good grounds to
*' be perfuaded, that the whole fyftem of polytheifm was un-
" ravelled in the greater miyfteries, or that no more of it was
*' retained than was confiilent with monothcifm, v/ith the belief
*' of one fupreme felf-exiftent Being:" and yet he ridicules
thofe who pretend to give a minute and circumilantial account of
thofe myReries, as if they had aflifled at the celebration of them.
*' Thefe rites," he fays, " v/ere kept fccrct, under the feverelt
•*' penalties, above two thoufand years: how then can we hope
*\ EoUngbroke*s Works, vol. iv, p. 799, 200. "1- Ibid. vol. v. p. 30J.
•4; Ibid. vol. iv. p. 8c. . § Ibid. p. 461. . jj Ibid.p.ji.
*' t»
'Ld, XXVII. ' LORD BOLIXGBROKE. ' • ^i
*' to have them revealed to us now*?" He owns however,
tliat " the vulgar gods Rill kept their places iliere, and the ab-
*' furdities of polytheifm were retained, however iT>itigated: and
*' that the leller inyileries preferved, and the greater tolerated^
" the fictitious divinities which fuperllition and poetry had in-
** vented, fuch as Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus, as well as the
" rites and ceremonies inflituted in honour of them, which," he
fays, " were praftifed even by thofe who were confummated in
*' the greater mylleries." And that thus it was particularly in
the Eieufinian mylleries, which were the moft facred of them
alit. It gives one no very advantageous notion of the nature
and defign of thofe m.ylieries, that Socrates womd not be initiated
in them. And certain it is, that, notwjthftanding this boafled ex-
pedient, the people, particularly the Athenians, who were re-
markably ftri6l in the celebration of thofe m.yileries, Hill grc.r
more and more addicted to their fuperflitions and idolatries,
which were never at a greater height than when Chriflianity
appeared.
With regard to the philofophers, he tells us, " they knev/ as
*' well as we knov\% that there is a firll intelligent caufe of all
" thin2S:s, and that the infinite wifdom and ;:ov»'er of this Beine
*' made and preferves the univerfe, and that his providence go^
*' verns it j. But it cannot be denied, that fome ^\''hole feels of
" them did not acknowledge the one fupreme God, the Maker
*' and Governor of the world: others of them, as the Sceptics
*' and Academies, reprefented thefe things as matters ofdoubLful
*' difputation." And as to thofe of them ^vho acknov/ledged
the exiftence of the monad or unity, he himrelf tells us, that
" they neglefted to worfnip him, and conformed to the pra61ice
*' of idolatry, though not to the doctrines of polytheifm §." And
fuch perfons were certainly very unfit to inilruct and reform
mankind in this im.portant article. i\nd after giving a very
lively defcription of the prevailing polythcirm and ido];-^try, he
adds, that " thus the vulgar believed, and thus the prieits cn-
" couraged, whilft the philofophers,' overborne by the torrent of
*' polytheifm, fuffered them thus "to believe, in ages \;\zv\ true
* Eolingbroke's V7orks, vcl. iv. p. 58. f Ibid. p. 74.
J Ibid. vcl. Y. p. 217. i Ibid. v4 iv. p. 4S.
K 3 *' tlicif-::
52 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXV Xt>'
*' theifm was reputed atheifm*." Some of the greateft philofo-
phers were of opinion, that God was not to be named, or dif-
courfed of among the vulgar, becaufe they were not capable of
forming a juft notion of him. Plato in his book of laws did not
prefcribe to the people the worfhip of the one Supreme God,
becaufe he looked upon him to be incom.prehenfible: and that
what he is, or how he is to be worfhipped, is not to be defcribed
or declared. But he appointed twelve fclemn feftivals tobeob-
ferved, to the honour of the twelve principal gods, and propofed
the worfhip ot the ftars, whofe divinity he recommiCnded. See
his eighth bock of laws, and his Epino?nis, or appendix to his
book of laws.
There v»'as need therefore of an extraordinary divine interpo-
sition to awaken the attention of m>ankind to this great and fun-
damental article of all religion. To divine revelation it was
owing, that the belief, and acknowledgment, and adoration of
the one true God, and of him onlv, vvas eftablifhed among the
Jews, whilfl the learned and civilized nations all around them
were imraerfcd in the moft Hupid idolatry and poly theifm. And
this writer acknowled*^es, that *' our Saviour found the world in
*' a flate of error concerning this firft principle of natural reli-
*' gion: and that the fpreading of Chriilianity has contributed
*' to deftroy polytheifm and idolatry i."
As the exigence and unity of the one true God, fo his attri-
butes and perfeclions, and his governing providence, arc of high
importance to be clearly and certainly known. With regard to
the divine attributes and perieftions. Lord Bolingbroke obfervcs,
that *' though theifts will concur in afcribing all poffiblc per-
*' feftions to the fupreme Being, yet they will always differ when
*• they defcend into any detail, and pretend to be particular about
" them; as they have ahvays differed in their notions of thofe
*♦ perfeftions:!:." A revelation from God therefore, in which
he declares his own divine attributes and perfeftions, muff be
of great advantage to mankind : and it is what one fhould think
every true theifl would wifh for, that God would be gracioufly
pleafed to make a difcovery ot himfelf, and of his own glorious
* Bolingbroke's WorkS; vol. !?■ p. 2co. f Ibid. p. 243.
% Ibid. vol. V. p. 23 J.
pcrfe61ion«,
Let. XXVII. LORD BOLINGBROKE. ^3
perfeftions, which may direft and alTift men in forming jufl: and
worthy notions ot them, efpecially of what it moil nearly con-
cernethusto know, his moral attributes.
And as to the knowledge and belief of his governing provi-
dence, in this alfo the heathens were greatly deficient. He ob-
ferves, fpeaking of fome of the philofophers who acknowledged
the monad, or firft unity, that " they reduced him in fome fort
** to a non-entity, an abftraft or notional Being, and baniflicd
*' him almoft entirely out of the fyftem of his works*." Tacitus,
having reprefented it as uncertain, whether human affairs were
governed by fate and immutable neccfhty, or by chance, ob-
ferves, that the wifeft of the ancients were of different fentiments
about it; and that many had this opinion deeply fixed in their
minds, that neither our beginning, nor our end, nor men at all,
were minded by the Gods.
Mihi here ac talia audienti in incerio judicium eft, f atone res
humance, et necejjitate immutahili, an forte vohantur ; quippe
fdpientifti7nos veterum, quique eorumJeBam a^mvlantur, diverfos
reperies, at multis infttam opinionem noninitia noftra, non finem^
non denique homines dns curce. Tacit. Annal. lib. 6.
Some, like our author, who pretended to own a general, de-
nied a particular providence, whicii extends to the individuals
of the human race; and, under pretence of high thoughts of
the divine majefly, were for fecluding him from any concern
with human aftions or affairs. This then is another matter of
great importance, in which an extraordinaiy revelation from God
would be of fignal ufe. For if he Ihould condefcend by any
well-attefted revelation to affure men of his concern even for
the individuals ot mankind, to declare his kind and gracious in-
tentions towards them, and his cogni7-ance of their a6l2ons, and
the events that relate to them, this would greatly contribute to
remove their doubts, and would lay the foundation for an in-
genuous confidence, an entire refignation, a cheerful hope, and
ileady dependence.
It appears, from thefe fhort hints, of how great advantage a
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 466.
E 3 well-
54 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVII.
well-attelled revelation from God might be for inrtru8:ing us
in the certain knowledge of God, of his attributes, and his prpi
vidence — thinc^s of the hio-heft moment in reliction, and on which
the duty and happinefs of mankind in a great mcafave depend.
2dly, Another thing that it is proper to oblerve here is, that
a divine revelation is very needful to teach men. not only to
kno\r and ackno\'v ledge the one true God, his attributes, and
providence, but to inflruft them hov/ to worfhip him in an ac-
ceptable manner. Dr. Clarke had urged, that *' bare reafon can-
" net difcover in what manner, and with what kind ot fervice
*' God will be worinipped." Lord Bolingbroke takes notice of
this, and in anfwer to it qbferves, that '* bare reafon cannot dif-
*' cover how any external icrvice that man can pay fnould be
*' acceptable to the fuprem.e and all-perieft Being." He acknow-
ledges, that an^inv^rard adoration, a gratitude to God for his bene-
fits, and rcfignation to his providence, is neceffary -"; and that
the law. of nature teaches us " to'vv^orfhip God in fpirit and
*' in truth, that is, inwardly and fincerelyt." He fecms to con-
fine the wcrlhip required in the law of nature to in^'rard vrcrfliip,
the devotion of the heart. But if it be neceiTary that men fijould
worfliip the fupreme Being inwardly, it feems highly proper that
, there fhould be fome outward acts of reliQ-ious homacre, oDeiily
exprelTivc of that inv/ard adoration, reverence and gratitude.
Vv^ithout fome fuch external a6ts of vrorfhip, men cannot join ia
fecial afts of devotion, or in rendering to God public worfliip,
without which fcarce any appearance of religion can be main-
tained in the world. It is the voice of nature and reafon, m
wliich all mankind have generally agreed, that there fnould be
external as well as internal worfliip rendered to God, and that
there' fnould be facred rites appointed for the better regulating
and ordering that external worfhip. Accordingly he owns, that
" the bcfl and wifeft of tbe heathens approved the political in-
'' llitutlons ot an external fervice, as iar as they helped to keep
*' up a lively {Qn{^ of thefc duties in the minds of men, and to
*' promote the praftice of them :j::" and he had declared before,
that " there miy be laws and inflitutions relating to fuch out-
" ward rites and obfervanccs, which may be proper and even
* Bolingbiokc'3 Works, Tok V. p. 2oS. f Ibid. p. 98. % Ibid. p. 208.
'' neceiTarv
Let. XXVir. LORD BOLINCDPvOKE. ^5
*' necelTary means to promote the obfervatlon oF thofe duties.'*
But he will not allow that *' any fuch laws can be divine ordi-
*' nances; they can only pafs for human inPLitatlons*"*." But
I cannot fee upon what foundation it can be pretended, that God
cannot inftitute ordinances relating to the external rites of divine
worihip, when it is owned, that fuch ordinances may be infdtuted
by men, and may be ufeful to keep up a lively fenfe oi the great
duties of religion in tlie minds of men, and to promote the obfer-
vance and practice of them. It is undeniably manifeft, from the
experience and obfervation of all ages, that there is nothing in
which men 'have h^^n more apt to err, than in v/hat regards the
external rites of religious worftiip ; and that, when left merely to
hum.an imag-ination and invention, thefe thinf^s have often bin-
dered, inftead of promoting, the main ends of all religion. This
fiiews how needful it was, that God fhould himfelf inftitute that
external religious fervice, which is fo necelTary, and in which
yet mankind have been fo prone to fall into the erroi-s and extra-
vagances of fuperftition. Our author himfelf takes notice of
" the numberlefs ridiculous and cruel rites of paganifm, whicli
*' were held neceffary to obtain the favour, and avert the anger of
** heaven f." And furely there could not be a more proper and
effe6fual prefervative againft thefe abfurd fuperftitions, than for
God to inftitute the external rites of his own worfhip, and for
men to keep clofe to his inftitutions. This was certainly one
valuable end for which we may fuppofe it proper that God fhould
extraordinarily interpofe to reveal his will to mankind, viz. for
direfting them in the external worfhip he would have rendered
to him, that it might be regulated in fuch a manner, as to be a iit
means of promoting inward worfhip, and anfwering the maiii
ends or religion.
3dly, Another thing of great importance to mankind to knov/,
and in which a revelation from God is very needful, and of fig-
nal ufe, is moral duty taken in its juft extent. Lord Bolingbrolie
himfelf reprefents it as taking in our duty towards God and man,
according to the different relations in v/nich we ftand to both J.
To which may be added, the duties and virtues which relate to
feif-government, and the conducing and regulating our own ap*
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 9S. f ^''^^•^- P* 2®^'
t Ibid. p. J54-543-544.
E 4 pctites
56 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld. XXVIf.
petites and pafTions. Now the only way we have of being fully
inftrucled and direfted in the knowledge and practice of our
duty, it all regard to extraordinary divine revelation be thrown
out of the cafe, is either for every man to collecl the whole of
his duty for himfelf, merely by the force of his own reafon and
obfervation, or to follow the inftruftions and diretticns of phi-
iofophers and moralifts, or the imlitutions of civil lavrs.
As to the fird, there are many palTages in our author's writ-
ings, that reprefent the law of nature in its whole extent, as fo
clear and obvious to the meaneft undcrfianding, that man cannot
bemiflaken in it. He frequently talks as if every man was able,
■without any inflruftion, by confidering the works of God, and
the conftitution of the human fyftem, to furnini out a fcheme of
natural religion for himfelf, including the main principles and
duties of the law of nature. But this pretence is fo contrary to
matter of faft, and to the experience and obfervation of all ages,
and has been fo often expofed, that I need not take any farther
pains, befides the hints given in my former letter, to fliew the
abfurdity of it, efpecially as I had occafion to confidcr it at large
in the anfv/er to Tindal. '
The bulk of m.ankind, therefore, muft be fent for the know-
ledge of their duty, either to the in{lru61ions of their teachers
and wife men, or to the inflitutions of civil laws.
As to the former, if by teachers be meant the heathen pricfls,
as diifinguifiied from the philofophers (though our author fays,
that in the earlieft ages they were the fame), I believe thofe of
liis fentiments will eafily allow, that they were not very pro-
per to inRrufl: mankind in the right knowledge of religion, and
in the true doctrine of morals. But with regard to the philofo-
phers, though he reprefents them as ve?iders ofjalft wares^ and
frequently fpends whole pages in inve61ives againft them, yet
v/hen he has a mind to fliew that there was no need of a divine
revelation, he tlilnks fit to reprefent them as very proper and
fulficient guides and inflruftors to mankind. Dr. Clarke, in his
Evidences cf natural and revealed Religion^ had offered feveral
confederations to prove that they were not fo. Lord Boling-
broke endeavours to take off the force of his obfervations, efpe-
cially in the twenty-third, twenty-fifth, and twenty- fixth of his
IragmcnLS and EiTa)'s. And whereas that learned writer had af-
fcrtedj
Let. XXVII. LORD BOLIXGBROKE. 57
ferted, that "■ the heathen philofophers were never able to proVe
** clearly and diftinftly enough to perfons of all capacities the
*' obligations of virtue, and the will of God in matters of mora-
'' lity — and that they were not able to frame to themfelvcs any
" complete, and regular, and confiflent fchcnie or fyflcm of
** things:" in oppofition to this, his Lordfhip affirms, that
*' there is no one moral virtue, which has not been taught, cx-
*' plained, and proved, by the heathen philofophers, both occa-
*' fionally and purpofely — That they all agreed, that the prafticc
*' of virtue was of necelTary and indifpenfable obligation, and that
*' the happinefs of mankind depended upon it, in general, and in
*' narticular — And that thev all agreed alfo what was virtue, and
" what was vice-." And he again infilleth upon it, that " there
*' is no one moral precept in the whole gofpel which was not
" taught by the philofophers — And that this is Ifrongly and
" largely exemplified by Huetius, in the third book of \\is AL
*' netancE Oiicejiones,'' And he blames Dr. Clarke for conceal-
ing itt.
There are two obfervations which I fliall make upon what his
Lordfnip has here offered.
The firll is this : That if it were true, that there is no moral
precept enjoined in the gofpel, but what may be found in the
writings of fome one or other of the heathen philofophers, this
would not be fufficient to enforce thofe duties upon mankind, or
to convince them of their obligations to perform them. When
fo many of the philofophers wTote upon moral fubjefts, it may
be fuppofed, that one or other of them might, by a happy con-
jefture, light upon fome of the mofl fublime precepts of the gof-
pel-morality. But what was it to mankind what a particular
philofopher, or even fe6l of philofophers, maintained or taught
in their fchools? They were not the public teachers of reli-
gion; and was it likely that their refined fpeculations, uninforccd
by any autliority, and contradi£led by others among themfelves.
fliould have any great influence upon mankind, and be regarded
by them as divine laws, efpecially with regard to matters in which
the gratification of their appetites and paffions was concerned, and
* Bclingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 204, icj. f Ibid. p. 21S.
theiv
5^ A VIF.W OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXV if.
their own prevailing inclinations were to be reftrained or go-
verned? Tiiey might, after hearing the reafonings of the philolo-
phers, think they were not obhged to govern theinfelves by their
di6iates, however plauhble, and feemingly rationaL Whereas a
divine revelation, clearly afcertaining and determining their duty
in plain and exprefs propofuions, would carry far ftronger con-
viftion, and when received and believed would leave no room
to doubt of their obligation. And he himfelf feems to acknow-
ledge the uferalnefs of the Chriftian revelation' to enfQrce the
praBice of morality by a fupcrior authority^.
My fecond refIc<R:ion is this : That what this writer aflfumes as
true is evidently faife, viz, that the philofophers taught the whole
oi our duty in the fame extent as it is taught in the Gofpel.
Moral duty, by his own account of it, comprebendeth the duty
we owe to God as v/ell as to our fellow-creatures. As to the
iocial and civil duties, on which the peace and order of political
focietics immediately depend, thefe v*^ere generally acknowledged
hy the feveral fefcls of philofophers; though the regard that was
paid by the people to thefe duties, was more the effeft of civil
lavrs than of the doftrines and dicfates ofthe philofophers. But
as to that part of our duty which relates to God, with what face
or connrtency can it be pretended, that this v/as taugbt by the
philofophers in the fame extent that it is in the gofpel? Our
author makes the adoration of the one true God, and of him
only, to be a fundamental obligation of the law of nature, and
idolatry to be forbidden in that law. And certain it is, that the
moll' celebrated philofophers, inftead of inflrufting the people
aright in this important part of their duty, fell in themfelves with
the common fuperftition and idolatry, and direfted men to con-
form, in their religious worfhip to the rites and laws of their fe-
veral countries; by which polytheifm was efiablifhed, and the
public worfliip was direfted to a multiplicity of deities.
And as to that part of duty which relateth to the government
of the appetites and pafTions, it is evident the philofophers were
far from being agreed what was virtue and what was vice. Some
were for. giving much greater indulgence than others to the flcflily
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p- 294.
fenfual
Let. XXVII. LORD BOLINGBROKE, ^9
fenfual appetites and painons; and even the unnatural fin vr^is
not only permitted, but recom*niendcd, by fome of them who
were of great name.
He affirms, that " of a moral kind there were, properly fpeak-
*' ing, no difputes among philofophers. They were dirputes
" about infignificant fpeculations, and no more. For the mo-
*' rahty of Zeno, and of Epicurus, reduced to practice, were the
*' fame^." As if it were a tripling difpute, whether the world
was formed by a mod wife, benign, and powerful Caufe zvA
Author, or by a fortuitous jumble of atoms: whether the world
and mankind are governed by a moft wife and righteous Provi-
dence: or, whether there is no providence of God at all with
regard to human affairs. It is evident, that fubmifrion to God,
dependence upon his providence, gratitude for his benefits, and
refignation to his will, concerning which fome of the Stoics faid
excellent things, could make no part of the morality of Epicurus.
Thus were the philofophers divided in the moft important points
of religion, and confequently in the duties refulting from it.
But what the philofophers were not qualified to do v/as per-
haps efFefled by the Icgiflators, and -the inftitutions of civil law*.
This is what our author fcems to lay the principal firefs uoon.
He obferves, that *' fome few particular men may difcover, ex-
*' plain, and prefs upon others the moral obligalions that are in-
«' cumbciit upon all, and our moral flate v/ill be little improved
*' by it : but that for this purpofe governments have been in-
*' llitutcd, laws have been made, cuftoms eftablitlied, and men
*' have been deterred from immorality, by various punilhments
*' which human juftice infhftsf :" where he fuppofes human
governments and lav/s to be the only effeftual means for the
fecurity and improvement of virtue. But it is manifeft, that,
as I had occafion to obferve before, the civil laws of any com-
munity are very imperfeft mxafures of virtue, or moral oblir^a-
tion. A mian may obey thofe laws, and yet" be far from being
truly virtuous; he may not be obnoxious to the penalties of
tliofe laws, and yet be a very vicious and bad m.an. Some of
the moil worthy and excellent affeftions and difpofitions are un-
rewarded by thofe laws; and fome of the Vv^orfl afTections un-
^"^ Eollngbroke's Works, vol. v. p. S19. f Ibid. p. 480, 4S1.
, puniiiied.
6o A VIE-.V OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVII."
punliLed. The heart, the proper feat of virtue and vice, is not
within the cop"n:zance of civil lav/s, or human governments.
And what farther fliews, that civil laws and cuftoms are not to
be depended upon for direQion in matters of moraHty, is, that
it has often happened, that thofe laws and calloms have been
contrary to the rules of real-religion and virtue. This v^riter
indeed has taken upon him to affcrt, that " v/hatever violations
*' of the law of nature may have been committed by particular
*' men, yet none that were deemed to be fuch, and perhaps few
" that might be called flriftly fuch, have been enafted into laws,
" or have grown up into eftabliflied cuftoms*." And that " the
*' tables of the natural law, which are hung up in the works of
** God, are obvious to the fight of all men; and therefore no
*' political fociety ever formed a fyftem of laws in direft and
*• avov;ed contradiftion to themT." But though no legiflators
ever declared in plain terms, that the laws they ena6led were
contrary to the law of nature, which it were abfurd to fuppofe,
yet that many laws have been enaftcd which were really contrary
to that law, is both undeniably evident from many well-known
inilanccs of fuch laws, and is what he himfelf is obliged to ac-
knowledge. He obferves, that ** the law of nature has been
*^' blended with many abfurd and contradiftory laws in all ages
*'and countries, as well as with cuftoms, which, if they arofe
** independent on laws, have obtained the force of lawsij::"
And that " errors about the law of nature, and contradiftions to
*' it, abound, and have alvrays abounded, in the laws andcufloms
" of fociety §."
Laving all thefe tilings together, it is manifeft, that men flood
in great need of a divine revelation, to give them a clear and cer-
tain direcHon concerning moral duty taken In its juft extent.
The laws of nature, according to our author, are general, and
men have been ahvays very prone to make wrong dedu6lions
from them : and therefore if God (hould be pleafed, in a way of
extraordinary revelation, to give a fyftem of laws to mankind,
plainly pointing out the particulars of their duty, and determin-
ing it by his ov.'n divine authority, whereby even the vulgar part
* BoHngbrcke'sWorks, vol.v. p. 151. f Ibid. p. 153." J Ibid. p. 100,
J Ibid. p. 153. — See aiib ibid, p. 197. 201.
of
Let. XXVII. LORD BOLINGEROKE. <5l
of mankind might be certainly afTured of their duty in the mod
important inftances, and what it is that God required of them;
this would both give them the beft direftion, and would, where
really believed and received, have an influence in binding their
moral obligations upon them, which could not be expefted,
either from the diftates of philofophers, or the force of liumaii
]aws. And accordingly, fome of the wireft lawgivers of anti-
<iuity, in order to give their laws greater authority on the minds
oi men, endeavoured to make them pafs upon the people for
divine. And tiiis writer himfelf declares, that " nothing may
*' feem in fpeculation fo proper to enforce moral obligation, as a
*' true revelation, or a revelation believed to be true*^." Mr,
Locke, in his Reafonablenefs qfChrifnanity, hath fully confidered
this matter; where he hath fliewn the infufficiency of human
reafon, unalhfted by revelation, in its great and proper bufmefs
of morality. His Lordfnip has taken fom.e notice of this. But
the account he is pleafcd to give of Mr. Locke's ar^rument is fo
poor and trifling, that though it be as fine a piece of reafoning as
can be met with on this fubjeft, it is hard to know it in his re-
prefciitation of it. This any man v/ill be convinced of, that com-
pares it as it Hands in Mr. Locke's works, vol. ii. p. ^jg, et ftq,
edit. fol. 1740, with what Lord Bolingbroke hath offered upon
it, vol. iv. p. 295, 296.
4thly, It is a point of great importance to mankind to be in-
ffru6lcd to form right notions of happinefs, or wherein their chief
good, and the proper felicity of the human nature, doth confifl.
His Lordihiphath taken notice of what Dr. Clarke had obferved,
that, according to Varro, " there were no lefs than two hundred
*' and fourfcore different opinions about w^hat was the chief p-ood
*' or final happinefs of man.'"' He fays, *' that there were {o
** many may be doubted ; but that they mufl: have been extrcme-
*' ly various, is certain. The fiunvium honum, or fupreme
*' good of man, as it was underftood and taught by the heathen
*' philofopliers, was a fubjecl wherein every man had a right
*' to pronounce for himfelf, and no man had a right to pro-
*' nounce for another. Thefe difputes were therefore very
*' trifling t." But certainly if there be an inquiry of the utmoft
importance to mankind, it is that about the chief good. For to be
* BoHngbroke's Works, vol. v. p. a68. f Ibid. p. :w6.
wrong
62 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITER?.- Let. XXVII*
wrong in this will lead a man wrong in his whole courfe; fmce
his chief good muft be his principal governing end. His Lbrd-
iliio is for leaving every man to judge of this for himfelt, and
that no man has a right to judge for another. And fmce he
makes happinefs to be what every man muft purfue by the law
and dictates oF nature, and that the morality oi aclions, and the
proper pround of their obligation, " confift in this, that they are
*' the means of acquiring happinefs agreeable to our nature;*" if
men fix a wrong happinefs to themfelves, it v/ili put them upon
impror>er mcafures, and give a wrong direftion to their moral
conduct. And certain it is, that there is nothing in which men
are more apt to be mdilaken, and to form wrong judgments, than
this. This author makes a diftinttion between pleafure and hap-
pinefs, and obfervesj that inltinft and appetite lead to the for-
mer, and reafon to the latter. But he owns, that moil men are
apt to confound thefe: and he himfelf defines happinefs to be a
continued perinanent fen es of agreeable Jenjati on s or pleafuresT,
And mu?i. every man be left to himfelf, without any farther
direftion, to judge of his duty and happinefs, from what he
thinks will produce in him^ a feries of the moft agreeable fen-
iations and pleafures; and that, abftrafting (for fo our author
would have it) from all confidcration of another life, and a fu-
ture account? If the paffions be brought into the confultation
(and they will be apt to force themfelves in, and claim being
heard\ the judgment that is formed is like to be very unequal
and uncertain ; efpecially conudering the influence they have,
by his own account, in bringing over reafon to pronounce on
their fide, or at leaft to come to a kind of compol'ition with them.
It mull needs therefore be a mighty advantage to have this deter,
mined for us by a divine authority; and nothing could be more
worthy of the divine wifdom and goodnefs, than to grant an ex-
traordinary revelation for inftruRing men in what relates to tlie
true happinefs and perfeftion of their nature, and dire8:iDg them
in the way that leads to it.
^thly. Another thing which it highly conccrneth men to be
well inform.ed of, relatcth to the terms of their acceptance with
God, and the means of reconciliation when they have offended
* Bolinsbrokc's Works, vol. v. p. 2S3, 284. t I^^^- P- 3/2.
him ;
Let. XXVir. LORD bolinglroke. s^^
him; and this is a very proper fubjcft for a divine revelation.
Dr. Clarke had urged this, in his Evidences of natural and r^-
vealed Rdigion*, But his Lorddiip, who had undertaken to
aniwer him, thinks this to be of fmall confequcnce,. and fcarcc
worth enquiring about. He pronounces, that *' neither reafon
" nor experience v/ill lead us to inquire, what propitiation God
*' will accept, nor in wiiat manner a reconciliation betv/een the
** Supreme Being, and this worm man, is to be madet." Indeed
Upon his fcheme it would be to little purpofe to make fuch aa
inquiry, fince he would have us believe that God doth not con-
cern himfelf at all about the individuals of the human race, nor
taketh any notice of their actions, fo as to be pleafed or difpleafed
with them, or to reward or punifli them on the account of thofc
atlions. I fliali not repeat what hath been already offered t-j
fhew that this fcheme is contrary to reafon, and, if pnrfued ivi
its genuine confequences, would be fubverfive of all virtue and
good order in the world. At prefent I fhall only farther ob-
ferve, that if men are reafonable creatures, moral agents, and if
God hath given them a law, as this writer fometimes not on\v
allows,- but afferts, and which niuft be acknov/ledged, if the law
of nature be God's laW; then they muR certainly be under in-
difpenfable obligations to obey that law; nor can it ccnrili-
ently be fuppofed, that the great Governor of the world is per-
feffly indifferent, whether his reafonable creatures obey his law
or not. A tranfgreihon of that lav/, which is the will of God,
muft certainly have a monftrous malignity in it, as it isancfience
committed by his reafonable creatures, and the fubjecls of hh
moral government, againil the majcfly and authority, as well as
goodnefs, of the fupreme univerfal Lord and Sovereign of the
univerfe. And hcv/ can fuch creatures as we are pretend ■noii-
tively to pronounce what puniihment fm dcferves, or hov/ far it
may feem fit to God in his governing -wifdoni and righteoufncis
to punifii his offending creiitures, or upon what terms he will
pardon their tranfgreffions, and reffore them, to his grace and fa-
vour, or how far that pardon is to extend? Thefe are thingrs
which manifellly depend upon what feemeth moH fit to his inii-
* Clarke's Evidences o? natural and revealed Religion, p. 293.
f Bolingbrokc's Woiks, vol. v. p. ic-9.
nite
64 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVII*
nite wifclom, and concerning which we could not prefume to
form a certain judgment, if he lliould not declare his will con-
cerning- it.
As to what our author adds, that " repentance, as it implies
*' amendment, is one of the doftrines of natural religion; and
" he does not fo much' as fufpeft, that any farther revelation is
*' necefTary to eftablifh it;" it will be eafily owned, that repen-
tance and amendment are neccllary when we have finned againil
God ; and that this is a doftrine oi natural relicrion : but that this
alone is fufHcicnt to avert the penalty we had incurred by dif-
obediencc, natural reafon cannot afTure us. It is pertain, that to
ellabliih this rule in human governments would go a great way
to diffolve all order and government. And who can undertake
to afErm, that in the divine government it raufl be an eftabliflicd
rule^ that as often as ever finncrs repent, they muft not only be
freed from the puniflimcnt thcv had incurred, but be received to
the divine favour, and their imperfeft obedience rewarded, as if
ihey had not offended, without any farther expedient to fecure
and vindicate the authority of his laws? It is evident, that in
the natural courfe of things, as ordered by divine providence,
repentance and amendment do not avert many of thofe evils
which n:ay be regarded as the punifhments of men's crimes. They
often labour under evils brought upon them by thofe vices of
which they have heartily repented, and feel the penal effecf s of
their evil courfes, even after they have forfaken them. And Hnce
by this conftitutlon the Author of nature hath declared, that re-
pentance alone fliali not free men in all cafes from punifliment,
who can take upon him to determine, that our great offended fo-
vereign, tlie moft wife and righteous Lord and Gove. nor of the
world, may not judge fomething farther necelfary to Ihew his
difplcafure againil fin, and to vindicate the m.ajefly of his go-
vernment, and the authority of his laws? And accordingly tl;e
natural fenfe of mankind hath generally led them to be anxioufly
folicitous, v/hen they were fenfible of their having offended God,
to ufe fome m.eans to avert the divine dlfpleafure. Their lears
have given occafion to mxuch fuperiHtion, and many expedients
have been devifed, which have been generally ot fach a kind, as
to fiiev/ how improper judges men are of thofe things, if leit to
themfcivcs. A divine rcvciaticn v.'ould undoubtedly give the
bcil
ttt. XXVlt. LORD EOLINGEROKE* fj
beft and furefl direclion in matters of this nature, and the lulleft
fatisTaftion to the mind. It properly belongeth to God to de-
termine upon what terms he will be propitiated to guiky crea-
tures, how far his forgivenefs (hall extend, and what graces and
favours he (hall think fit to confer upon them.
The laft thing I (hall mention, as what fhews the great need
of divine revelation, relates to tVie rewards and puniflim.ents of
a future (late. That this is a do61:rine of vaft importance to man-
kind, for engaging them to virtue, and reftraining their vices,
appears from this v/riter's own exprefs acknowledgments. Se-
veral paffages were produced to this purpofe in my ninth letter.
At the fame time he hath endeavoured to fliev/, that we have no
aiTurance of it by human reafon, but that it rather leadeth us to
believe the contrary. And yet he does net pretend abfolutely
to affirm, that it is evident to reafon there is no fuch ftate at alK
Since therefore it is of great importance to mankind to believe a
ftate of future retributions, and yet we have not fufficient affu-
rance of it by hum.an ursafiilled reafon, it mud certainly be a
proper fubjecl ot divine revelation. Some of the dcifts indeed
have in this cafe thought proper to take a different method. In
order to avoid the argum.ent brought from hence to fliew the
neceflTity or the advantage of an extraordinary revelation, they
have pretended, that the doftrlne of the immortality of the foul,
and a future ilate, is fo evident to the natural reafon of mankind,
and hath been fo generally believed in all ages and nations, that
there was no need of a revelation to affure men of it. But Lord
Bolingbroke hath precluded himfelf from this way of arguing,
fince lie hath taken pains to prove, that this doPtrine is not found-
ed in reafon. And though he fometim^es declares it to have
been urged and recom.mended by the wifefl men am.ong the an-
cients, he reprefents it as it if were what they regarded rather a^
an ufeful doftrine than a true one, and as if they did not really
believe it themfelves, thougii they thought it neceffary that the
people (hould believe it. He affirms, that " the greatelf part
" of the philofophers did their utmoft to eftabliffi the belief of
*' rewards and puniQiments in a future life, that they might aU
*' lure to virtue, and deter from vice, more effeciually '^." Yet
* Bolipgbroke's Works, vol. v. p. "3:i.
VOL. 11. F aftpr-
66 A VIEVv OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Lei. XXVl!.
afterwards he tells us, that " the raoft zealous aflerters of a fupreme
*' Being, and warmed defenders of his providence, and they who
*' were the moftperfuaded of the necefTity of religion to preferve
•* government, either rejected the doftrine of a future Itate, or
*' they admitted it by halves, i. e. they did not admit future pu-
*' nifhmcnts:" and that '* this doftrine was never firmly enough
*' eflabiifhed in the philofophical, whatever it was in the vulgar
*' creed." Yea he afTerts, that *' it was not only problematical
** in the opinions of theiftical philofophers, but it feems in fe-
*' vera! inlfances to have had little hold on vulgar opinion :'* as
he endeavours to fhev/, by a remarkable quotation from Cicero,
Orat, pro A. Ciuentio; which he feems well pleafed with, and
refers to more than once*.
The truth is, it would be equally wrong to affirm, that all the
philofophers believed it, and that none of them did \o. It is
wrong on the one hand to pretend, as Lord Bolingbroke has done,
that there is no foundation for it in reafon; or on the other, that
it is fo clear and demonllrable from human reafon, that there was
no need of a divine revelation farther to confirm and enforce it.
The arguments for a future ftate in general, efpecially thofe of a
iTiOral kind, are of great weight: but yet there are feveral things
to be oppofed to them, which diminifh the evidence, and will
miniiler ground of fufpicion and doubt, if confidered merely on
the foot of natural reafon. And as to the nature, greatnefs, and
duration, of thofe future rewards and puniftiments, it is evident
that unailiaed reafcn can give us no information concerning it
which can be depended upon. Vv'e ftand in great need, there-
fore, of an extraordinary revelation to affure us of that invifible
ilate. This plainly follows from what his Lordiliip hath ad-
vanced. He reprefents " the rewards and punifhments of a fu-
" turc Hate as the great bands that attach men to revealed reli-
*' gion:" and introduces his plain man as faying, that *' it would
*• be for the interell of thefe, and feveral other do6hines, to let
" them reil on the authority of revelation t." And he direftly de-
clares, " that this do6trine nuul ftand on the bottom of revcla-
•' tion, or on none. On this bottom it would do fum.e goooi
*' moll certainly, and it could do no hurt!.''
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 354, 2SS' 487.
t Ibid, tol.iii.p. jjr.—SceairQYol.v.p. j5;:i. J5^ t Ibid. p. 488.
Tiie
Let. XXVlt. lOfvD BOLINGBROKE. 6j
The feveral confiderations which have been offered may fuf-
£ce to ihew the need the world Hood in of an extraordinary re-
velation : and that therefore it may be reafonably concluded from
the wifdom and goodnefs of God, that mankind have not been
univerfaily, and at all times, left Vv^ithotit the affiftance of fuch a
revelation. It is particularly probable, from the circumflances
of men in the firft ages of the world, that they were not left al-
together deftitute of means that feemcd fo neceHary to furnidi
them with a right knowledge of God, and of their duty. This
writer himfelf obferves, in a pallage cited above, that " a confe-
*' quence of the furprize, inexperience, and ignorance, oi the
*' firft men, muft have been much doubt and uncertainty con-
** cerning the firft Caufe." And that *' to prove the unity of
*' the firft Caufe required more obfervation, and deeper reflec-'
*' tion, than the iirft men could make'"'." And after having ob-
ferved, that " tiie precepts of the law of nature are general, and
** that reafon muft be employed to make proper and necelTary
** deduftions from thofe precepts, and to apply them in every
** cafe that concerns our duty to God and m.an," he adds, that
*' human reafon being at beft fallible, and having been little in-
" formed by experience in the early ages, a m.uititude of fajfe
*' dedu6lions, and wrong applications, couid not fail to be
*' madef." It is therefore highly probable, from, the goodnefs
of God, and the neceftities of mankind, that he would gracioufly
interpofe to m.ake fome difcoveries of himfelf, and of his will, in
the earlieft ages, to the firft parents and anceftors of the human
race, to be by them com.municated to their offspring, for inftru6i:-
ing them in the main important principles of all religion, and
direfting them in the principal articles of moral duty. And as this
may be plainly gathered from the accounts given us in Scripture,
fo there are feveral fafts in the hiftory of mankind that almoft
necedarily lead us to fuch a fuppofition. To this may prin-
cipally be afcribed the general belief of fom.e of the main prin-
ciples of religion, v/hich obtained before men had made any con-
liderable im.provements in philofophy, or the art of reafoning;
particularly relating to the creation of tiie world, the immorta-
lity ol the foul, and a future ftate, which were generally received
5 Bolingbroke's Works, vol iii. p. 259. f Ibid. vol. v. p. 154-
F 2 even
65 A Vir.V Cr THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let, XXVIt*
even among the raoft illiterate and barbarods nations, and were
probably derived irom a tradition tranfmitted from the firJQ: ages,
and originally owing to divine revelation. And accordingly it
has been almofl; univcrfally believed among mankind, that divine
revelations have been comra'anicated; which belief may be pro-
bably afcribed to traditional accounts oi fuch revelations, as Vv'ell
as to the natural fenfe men have generally had of their need of fuch
afliilances. There has been no fuch thing as mere natural reli-
gion, abllracling from all divine revelation, profefled in any age,
or in any nation of the world. Lord Bolingbroke, in his inqui-
ries tliis way, is forced to have rccourfe to China, and to the fa-
bulous ages of their hiftory, anfwering pretty much to the golden
age of the poets, when he fuppofcs they were governed by mere
natural religion"^. But of tliis he produceth no proofs. And if
the ages there referred to relate, as they probably do, to the early
patriarchal times, the original revelation might have been pre-
ferved in fome degree oi purity, though in procefs of time it be-
came greatly corrupted there, as well as in other nations.
It adds a great welgiit to all that has been obferved, that the
greatefi; mQ.n of antiquity feem to have been fcnhble, that bare
reafon alone v;as net fufhcient to enforce do8;rines and lav/s with
a proper force upon mankind, without a divine authority and re-
velation. Opr author obferves, that " the moil celebrated phi-
*' lofophers and law-givers did enforce their dotfrines and laws
*' by a divine authority, and call in an higher principle to the af-
*' fiftancc of philofophy than bare reafon." He inilances in " Zo-
*' roafter, Hoflanes, the Magi, Minos, Pythagoras, Numa, Slc. and
*' all thofe who founded or formed religions and commonwealths ;
*' who made tliefe pretenfions, and pafTed for perfons divinely
" infpired
* Bollngbroke's Works, vol. v. p. aa8, 229. HisLordfnip exprefTes him-
ielf on this head v/ith a caution and mcdeily net ufual with hira. Pie faith,,
that " among the countries with which we are better acquainted, he can
*' find none where natural religion was eflabliflted in its full extent and piirl-
*' ty, as it feems to have been once in China." Jt may be obferved by the way,
that having highly extolled the ancient Chinefe fiiges, lie takes notice of the
concife manner in which they expreiTed themfelves, whenever they fpoke of
the Supreme Being. And that " their refining fucceffors have endeavoured,
*' in part at leaft, to found their atheifm upon what thofe fages had ad-
*' vanced." Vol. v. p. %%Z, I thii)k; according to this account, there it?u11
have
Let. XXVir. LORD BOLINGBROKE. , ^9
*' infpired and commiffioned"^'." This fliews that they built upon
a principle deeply laid in the human nature, concerning the need
we Hand in of a divine authority and revelation, and which was
probably ftrengthened by fome remains of ancient traditions re-
lating to fuch revelations. But as thofe philofophers and law-
givers he fpeaks of produced no proper and authentic creden-
tials, It could not be expefted to have a very lafting and exten-
five effeft ; and yet the very pretences to it gave their laws and
inftitutions a force, which otherwife they would not have had.
But as the feveral fefts of philofophers in fubfequent ages among
the Greeks and Romans only flood on the foot of their own rea-
lonings, and could not pretend to a divine authority, this very
much hindered the efFecl of their inftruclions. And indeed the
beft and wifeft among them confefied their fenfe of the want of
a divine revelation, and hoped-for fomething of that nature.
This is what Dr. Clarke has (hewn by exprefs teftimonies: nor
does Lord Bolingbroke deny It. He fays, " it muft be admitted
** that Plato infumates In many places the want, or the neceiTity
*' of a divine revelation, to difcover the external fervice God re-
*' quires, and the expiation for fin, and to give flronger afTur-
*' ances of the rewards and punlOmients that await men In ano-
" ther world +." But he thinks It abfurd and trifling to bring
the opinion of Socrates, Plato, and other philofophers, concern-
ing their want of'" divine revelation, and their hopes that it
*' would be fupplled, as a proof that the want was real, and that,
*' after it had been long complained of, It was fupplled J." He
attempts to fhew that their want was not real, as if he knew bet-
ter what they v/anted than they thcmfelves did, and were a more
proper judge of the true ftate of their cafe tlian they were. He
have been a great obfcurity in their manner of exprefHng themfelves con-
cerning the Divinity, and that they were greatly deficient in the infcru6lions
they gave with regard to this great fundamental article of all religion. How
Tafdy fuperior in this refped was Mofes to all thofe admired fages, in VN^hofa
writings, and in every part o^the holy fcriptures, the exiilence, the perfec-
tions, and providence of God, are alTerted and defcribed in fo plain and
ftrong a manner, as is fitted to lead people of common capacities to the firm
belief, obedience, and adoration of the Supreme Being, the great Creator
jind Governor of the world!
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 227. t Ibid. p. 214, 7,15-
X Ibid. p. S16.
F 3 repeats
7® A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVII.
repeats what he had faid before, that there is no moral precept
taught in the gofpel which they did not teach: and that "the
*' phaenomena that difcovered to them the exigence of God, dif-
*' covered the divine will in all the extent of moral obliga-
** tion^:" as ii* it were equally eafy to difcover the whole ex^
tent of moral obligation, as to difcover the cxifience of the
jDeity. He adds, that " they could not know a revealed reli-
■ ' glon, nor any real want of it, before the revelation was made.'*
That they could not be acquainted v/ith the revelation before it
was given, will be readily granted ; but it doth not follow, that
they could not be fenfible of their want of it. He pronounces
however, that " their complaints, and their expeftations, were
♦' founded in proud curiofity, and vain prefumption." It was
pride, it feems, to be fenfible of their ignorance, and need of
farther inllruftion : it was prefumption to hope or to defire any
farther illumination in things concerning which they were in
doubt, and which it was of great importance to them to know.
He adds, that " the knowledge they had was fuch as the Author
*• of nature had thought fufficient, fmce he had given them no
*' more;" and concludes, that " for Dr. Clarke to deduce from
*' the fuppofed reafonablenefs of their complaints,, the neceiTity
" of a farther revelation, is to weigh his own opinion and theirs
*' againft providencet." But allov/ing the necemty of revela-
tion, there is no juft pretence for arraigning the conduct of di-
vine providence : for hov/ever needful a revelation is fuppofed
to be ior giving men full affurance and information concerning
things oi high importance, yet thofe to whom that revelation
never was made known, fhall not be accountable for what they
never had an opportunity of knowing. Eefides, our author goes
upon the fuppofition, that the world had been left all along
without the affiftance of divine revelation, and that the lieathens
had never had an -opportunity of knowing more of religion i}\An
they actually did know. Biu this is a wrong fuppofition. God
had been pleafed to make revelations and difcoveries of himfelf,
and of his will, from the beginning; v/hich, if they had been
duly improved, and carefully tranfmittcd, as the importance ef
them deferved, would have been of vafl advantage. Great re-
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol, y. p. 217. f Ibid. p. aso.
mains
Let. XXVII. LORD BOLINGBROKE. yt
mains of this original religion continued for a long time among
the nations: and the fe traditions, together with their own reafon,
duly improved, might have prcferved the main principles of re-
ligion and morals among them. And if, through the negligence
and corruption of mankind, this true primitive religion v/as in a
great meafure loft and confounded in polytheifm and idolatry,
no blame could be caft upon divine providence : nor could the
wifdom and righteoufnefs of God have been juftiy arraigned,
though no more had ever been done for the human race. But
fuppofmg, which v^^as really the cafe, that Gcd was gracioufly
pleafed, at that time, and in that mianner v/hich fecmed fitteft to
his infinite wifdom, to communicate a clearer and fuller dif-
covery and revelation of his will than had been ever yet given
to mankind, for recovering them- from the ignorance, idolatry,
and corruption, into which they were generally fallen, this cer-
tainly ought to be acknowledged with great thankfulnefs, as a
moft fignal inftance of the divine goodnefs and love to mankind,
and concern for human happinefs.
There is one paffage more which may deferve fom.e notice.
Having obferved, that bifliop Wilkins feems to place the chief
diftinclion of human nature not in reafon in general, but in re-
ligion, the apprehenfion of a Deity, and the expefiation of a
future ftate, which no creature below man doth partake of; he
remarks upon it, that " they who fuppofe all men incapable to
" attain a full knowledge of natural religion and theology with-
*' out revelation, take from us the veryeffence and form of man,
*' according to the bifhop, and deny that any of us have that
*« degree of reafon which is neceffary to diftinguifii our fpecies,
*' and fufRcient to lead us to the unity of the firft intelligent
'' Caufe of all things*." But the bifhop, by reprefenting man
to be a religious creature, only intended to fignify, that he is
naturally capable of knowing, and being inftrufted in it, which
the brutes are not: but it is not to be underftood, as if all mxCn
had naturally an aclual knowledge of religion, which is contrary
to facl and experience: or as if all men were capable of attaining
to a full knowledge of it merely by the force of their own rea-
fon, without any inftruftion or afliftance at all. Man's beingj
* Bdlingbroke^s Works, yol. iv. p. 71.
F ^ forraecl
75 A VIEV/ OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVIU
forme:^ a religious creature does not hinder the ufe and necefTity
oF mftruftion. It is ftill fuppofed, that all proper helps and
aiTiuances are to be taken in. And notwithftanding his natural
capacities, he would never attain to fuch a knowledge of reli-
gion without the afliftance of divine revelation, as he may attain
to by that afTiftance. Thefe things are perfeftly confident:
man's being in his original defign a religious creature, and his
franding m need of divine revelation to inftruft him in religion,
and give him a fuller knowledge of it. Revelation fuppofes hiuj
a creature capable of religion, and applies to him as fuch.
It may not be improper to obferve here, that this writer, who
leaves no method unattempted which he thinks may anfwer his
defign, feems fometimes to cry up the great efHcacy of a true
divine revelation, and the mighty effecls it muff have produced,
if it had aftudlly been made, with a view to (hew that never
was there any revelation really given to mankind. He fays,
that " unexceptionable revelations, real miracles, and certain
♦* traditions, could never prove incfFcftual *;" That "if the
*' revelations that have been pretended, had not been pretended
*' only; if the fame divine v.'ifdom that Pnews both the exiftence
*' and will of God in his works, had prefcribed any particular
"' form of worihip to mankind, and had inTpired the particular
'* application of his general laws, the neceffary confequence
*' would have been, that the fyllem of religion and government
*' would have been uniform through the v/hole world, as well
*' as conformable to nature and reafon, and the Hate of mankind
*' would have arrived at hum/an perie61ion+." He proceeds fo
far as to declare, that in a fuDernatural difpenfation, the divine
oni/Lipotence (hould have impoftd it on all mankind^ fo as necef-
faniy to engage thar af[^Rt\: ^w^ tliat it mufl have forced con-
viElicn^ and taken away even the poffibihty of dcubt\. Can any
thincr be more unreafonable? As if revelation could be of no
ufe at all, except by an irrefifnble force it overpowered all men's
underffandings and wills. But furely, if God gives men clear
difcoveries of his will and their duty, this muft be acknowledged
to be a glorious inftance of his wifdom and goodnefs, thoughdie
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iy. p. 2^4. t Ibid. vol. v. p. aoi.
X Ibid, yoi.iv, p. 267. . J Ibid. p. sic.
Ld, XXVn. LORD BOLIJIGEROKE, . 73
ijoes not abfolutely conftrain them to alTent, which would be to
take away their free agency, and to deftroy the ceconomy of his
providence. May we not here apply in the cafe of revelation
what he himfelf faith with regard to reafon ? " It may be truly
*' faid, that God, when he gave us reafon, left us to our free-will,
** to make a proper or improper ufe of it ; fo that we are obliged
** to our Creator, for a certain rule, and fufficient means of ar-
** riving at happinefs, and have none to blame but ourfelves when
*' we fail of it. It is not reafon, but perverfe will, that makes
*' men fall fhort of attainable happinefs. And we are felf-con-
** demned when we deviate from the rule"^." This holds flrong-
ly with regard to revelation. God hath been gracioufly pleafed
to reveal do6lrines and laws to mankind, of great ufe and advan-
tage for inllrufting them in the knowledge of religion, and di-
Te61ing them in the way to happinefs. But when he has done
this, and confirmed that revelation with fufficient credentials, ftili
he thinks fit, as the wife moral Governor, to leave them to their
free-will, and the exercife of their own moral powers; and thus
deals with them as reafonable creatures, and moral agents. If
they do not receive, and make a right ufe of this advantage, the
divine wifdom and goodnefs is not to be blamed, but their own
obifmacy and perverfenefs.
But though a revelation, if really given, cannot be fuppofed to
come with fuch force as irrefiftibly to conftrain men's affent,
and though it fail of producing ail thofe effefts v/hich might be
juftly expeftwd, and which it is naturally fitted to produce, yet
it may be of very great ufe and benefit to mankind. This v/riter
reprefents the general reformation of men as an impofTible thing:
He obferves, that neither human nor divine laws have been able
to reform the manners of men effeftually: yet he ov/ns, that
*' this is fo far from making natural or revealed religion, or any
" means that tend to the reformation of mankind, unneceiTary,
*' that it makes them all more nccefTary. — And that nothing-
** (hould be neglefted that tends to enforce moral obligation, and
*' all the doctrines of nat^iral religion. And that nothing may
*' feem in fpecaiation fo proper to this purpofe, as a true revela-
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 2SS.
** tiop„
74: A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. LeL XXVII.
*• tion, or a revelation believed to be true*." And he after-
wards fays, that " if the confli6i: between virtue and vice in thg
" great commonv/ealth of mankind was not maintained by re-
*' iigious and civil inllitutions, the human ftate would be in-
*' tolerable t." Thofe therefore muil be very ill employed, and
can in no fenfe be regarded as the friends and benefaftors of
mankind, who take pains to deftroy thefe inftitutions, to fubvert
the main principles of natural and revealed religion, and thereby
to deftroy all the influence it might have on the minds of men.
If the reformation of mankind be fo difficult, nctwithftanding
all the powers of reafon, and all the force of the additional light,
and powerful motives, which revelation furnifhes, what could
be expefted, if all thefe were laid afide, and men vv^cre taught to
have no regard to them at all ?
I fhali conclude with obferving, that Lord Bolingbroke's
fcherae, contrary to his own intention, feems to furnifli argu-
ments to prove the great ufefulnefs and neceffity of divine reve-
lation. Ke has endeavoured to fhew, that v»'e can have no cer-
tainty, if we judge by the phenomena, concerning the moral
attributes of God, his juftice and goodnefs: That no argument
can be brought from reafon in proof of a particular providence,
though he does not pretend to fay it is impoflible : That the
immortality of the foul, and a future ftate, though ufeful to be be-
lieved, are things which we have no ground from reafon to be-
lieve, and which reafon v/ill neither affirm nor deny : That the
laws of nature are general, and the particulars of moral duty
derived from them are very uncertain, and in which men have
been always very apt to millake, and make wrong conclufions.
Now if it be of high importance, as it manifeftly is, that men
fhould be aiTured of the moral attributes of God; that they
Ihould believe a pairticular providence, extending to the indi-
viduals of the human race, and exercifing an infpeftion over
them, and their a6lions and affairs ; that they fiiould believe the
immortality of the foul, and a ftate of future rewards and punifh-
ments; and that they fliould be rightly, in ft rufted in the particu-
lars of moral duty; if all thefe be of unqueftionable importance
* BoliDgbroke*s Works, vol. v. p. 467, 36?. i Ibid, p. 227.
to
Ld, XXVII. LORD EOLINGBROKE. p-j
to be believed and knovv^n by mankind (and yet we can, accord-
ing to him, have no afTurance of them by mere natural reafon),
then tliere is great need of an extraordinary divine revelation to
give U3 a proper certainty in thefe matters ; and a well-attefted
revelation airuring us of thefe things, and furnifiiing us with
proper inllru61ions concerning them, ought to be received witi;
ihe highell thankfulnefs.
LET-
•yS A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let, XXVIII,
LETTER XXVIII.
Lord Bolinghroke s Jlra7ige Rcprcfaitation of the Jexinjli Reve^
lation — His Attempts againji the Truth of the Mofaic Hifto'ry — •
The Antiquity, Impartiality, and great Ufefuhiefs ofthatHiJ-
tory Jhcwn — The Pretence, that Meijes was not a contemporary
Author, and that his Hijlory is not conjirjned by collateral
Tejliir.ony, and that there is no Proof that the Pentateuch
was written by Mofes, examined — The Mofaic Hi/lory and
Laxus not forged in the Time of the Judges, nor in that of the
" Kings, nor \after the Bahylomfh Captivity — The Charge of
Inconfiflencies in the Mofaic Accounts confdered — The grand
Objection againfi the Mofaic Hifiory, drawn from the incre-
dible Nature of the Fatls themfelves, examined at large — The
Reafon and Propriety of ereEling the Mofaic Polity — No
Abfurdity in fuppofing God to have feleEled the Jews as a pe-
culiar People — The great and amazing Difference between
them and the heathen Nations, as to the Acknowledgment and
Adoration of the one true God, and him only — The good Effe&s
of the Jewifi Conjlitution, and the valuable Ends which were
anfoeredhyit — It is nojujl Objeclion againft the Truth of the
Scriptures, that they come to us through the Hands of the Jews,
SIR,
HAVING confidered what Lord Bolingbroke hath offered
with regard to divine revelation in general, I now proceed
to examine the objeftions he has advanced againft the Jewifh and
Chriflian revelation. Of the latter he fometimes fpeaks with feem-
ing refpecl and decency: but with regard to the former, he fcts
no bounds to inveftive and abufe. He here allows himfelf
without refcrve in all the iicentioufnefs of reproach. Far from
admitting it to be a true divine revelation, he every-where re-
prefents it as the very worft conftitution that ever pretended to
a divine original, and as even worfe thanatheifm.
Befides occafional palTages every-where interfperfed in his
writing'^, there are feme parts of his works, wliere he fets himfelf
purpofely
Let. XXVIIt. LORD B0LING2R0KS. 7/
purpofely and at large to expofe the Mofaic revelation. This is
the principal defign of the long letter in the third volume of his
works, occafipncd by one of ArchuiQiop Tillotfon's fermons : as
alfo of the fecond feftion of his third effay in the fourth volume,
which is on the Rife and Progrefs of Monotkeifm; and of the
fifteenth, twentieth, twenty-firlK feventy-third, feventy-fifth, o'i
his Fragments and Effciys in the fifth volume.
In confidering Lord Bolingbroke's obje^ions againflthe holv
fcriptures oj the OldTeftament, and efpecially againft the books
of Mofes, I (hall dillinftly examine what he hath offered againft
the truth of the fcripture hiilory, and againll the divine authority
of the facred v/ritings. This is the method he himfelf hath
pointed out in the above-mentioned letter, "occafioned by one of
Archbifhop Tillotfon's fermons.
I ftiall begin with confidering his objeftions againft the truth
of the hiflory. But iirft it will not be improper to make fome
general obfervations upon the fcripture hiftory, and elpecially that
which is contained in the Mofaic writings.
And hrft, it deferves cur veneration and regard on the account
of its great antiquity. We have no accounts that can in any
degree be depended upon, or that have any pretence to be re-
ceived as authentic records, prior to the Mofaic hiilory, or in-
deed till fome ages after it was written. But though it relateth
to the moft ancient times, it is obfervable that it doth not run up
the hiilory to a fabulous and incredible antiquity, as the Egyp-
tians, Chaldeans, and feme other nations did. Mofes's account
of the time of the creation of the world, the general deluge, &c.
reduces the ac^e of the world v/ithin the rules of a m.oderate
computation, perfectly confiilent with the beif accounts v/e have
of the origin of nations, the founding of cities and empires, the
novelty of arts and fciences, and of the moil ufeful inventions
of human life : all which leads us to affiirn an age to the world
which comports very well with the Molaic hiflory, but is no
way compatible with the extravagant antiquities cf other eailern
nations.
Another thing which fhould greatly recommend the fcripture
hiilory to our own eileem, is the remarkable fimpticity and im-
partiality of it. It contains a plain narration of fa6ts, delivered
in a fimple unaffected ilyle, without art or ornament. And ne-
ver
7S A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let, XXVllU
ver was there any hiflory that difcovcred a more equal and un-
biaiTed regard to truth. Several things are there recorded, which,
if the hiilorian had not laid it down as a rule to himfelf, not ovAf
jict to contradift the truth, but not to conceal or difgiiire it,
would not have been mentioned. Of this kind is what our author
refers to concerning Jacob's obtaining the birth- right andbleffing
by a fraud *. For though it is plain, from the prophecy that was.
given forth before the birth of the children, that the blefling was
originally deflgned for Jacob the younger in preference to Efau
the elder, yet the method Jacob took, by the advice of his mother
Kehekka, to engage his father Ifaac to pronounce the blefling
upon him, had an appearance of art and circumvention, which,
confidering the known jealoufy and antipathy between the Edo-
mites and the people of Ifrael, and the occafion it might give to
the former to infult and reproach the latter, it might be expefted
an Ifraelitiih hiftorian would have endeavoured to conceal. To
the fam.e impartial regard to truth it is owing, that Reuben's in-
ceft, and that of Judah with his daughter-in-law Tamar, .from
which defcended the principal families of the noble tribe of Judah,
are recorded: as is alfo the cruel and perfidious a6l of Simeork
and Levi, the latter Mofes's own anceftor, and the curfe pro-
nounced upon them by Jacob on the account of it. This writer
indeed, who feems determ.ined at all hazards, and upon every fup-
pofilion, to find fault with the facred hiUorians, has endeavoured
to turn even their impartiality to their difadvantage. Having
mentioned common Jtnfe and common konefty, he fays, that *' the
" Jews, or the penmen of their traditions, had fo little of either,
*' that they reprefent fometimes a patriarch like Jacob, and fome-
•* times a faint like David, by charafters that belong to none but
*' the worfl of ment." Tliis according to our author's manner
is highly exaggerated. But I think nothing can be a Uronger
proof of the mofl unreafonable prejudice, than to produce that
as an inilance of the want of common fenfe and common honcjly^
in thofe writings, which in any other writers in the world would
be regarded as the higheft proof of their honefly, their candour,
and impartiality ; viz. their not taking pains to dil'guife or conceal
the faults of the mofl eminent of their anceflors ; efpecially v/heu
^ Bolingbroke*s Woiks, vol. iii. p. 304. f Ibid. vol. v. p. 194.
it
Lei. XXVIIT. LORD BOLINGBROKE. ^:<5
it appears, that this is not done from a principle of malignity,
or to detraft from their merits, fmce their good a61ions, and the
worthy parts of their charaftcr, are alfo impartially reprefented,
but merely from a regard to truth, and from an unaffecced Sim-
plicity, which every -where appears in their writings, in a manner
fcarce to be paralleled in any other hiftorians, and v/hich de-
rives a mighty credit to all their narrations. But what above all
ihews the impartiality of Mofes, and of the other facredhiftorians
of the Old Teftament, is, their relating without difguife, not only
the faults of their great men, but the frequent revolts and infide-
lities of the Ifraelites, and the punilhments which befel them on
that account. Lord Bolingbroke has indeed difcovered, what no
man but himfeli would have been apt to fufpefl, that even this
was intended to flatter their pride and vanity; " becaufe though
** they are reprefented as rebellious children, yet ftill as lavourite
•' children — Notwithilanding all their revolts, God's predileftiou
** for this chofen people ftill fubfiils. — And he renews bis pro-
*' mifes to them of future glory and triumph, — a MefTiah, a king-
" dom that fliould dellroy all others, and laft eternally*.'' — As
to the kingdom of the IvIeiTiah, vv^hich he here refers to as pro-
mifed to the Jews, it v/as to be of a fpiritual nature, and was not to
be confined to the people of Ifrael alone, but to be of general
benefit to mankind. And even the rejefting of that MelTiah by
the body of their nation, and the puniihm.ents and defclations to
which this Hiould expofe them, were foretold. And it was cer-
tainly a mi.oft extraordinary expedient to flatter the vanity of a
people, to rcprefent them as having carried it moft ungratefully
towards God for all his benefits, and though not abfolutely and
finally reje6led, yet as having frequently drawn upon themfelves
the moft fignal effefts ofthe divine difpleafure. If the view of
the facredhiftorians had been to flatter the pride andprefumption
of that people, furely they might have reprefented them as the
obje6ls of the divine favour, v/ithout giving fuch an account of
their conduft; from v/hich their enemies have taken occafioa
bitterly to reproach them, as the moll ungrateful and cbftinate
race of men that ever appeared upon earth. Nothing could have
induced them to record facf s which feemed to give fuch a difad-
* Bolingbroke's Wo::ks, yol. iii. p. ;i?-«.
vanta?eous
So A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITEHS. Ld. XXVlIf*
vantageous idea of their nation, but an honeft and impartial re-
gard to truth, rarely to be found in other hiftorians.
But that which efpecially diilinguifheth MofeSj and the other
facred hiftorians, is the fpirit of unaffefted piety that every -v.'iiere
breathes in their writings. We may obferve throughout a pro-
found veneration for the Deity, a zeal for the glory of his great
name, a dehre of promoting his true fear and worfhip, and the
pratlice of righteoufners, and to engage men to a dutiful obedi-
ence to his holy and excellent laws. Their hiftory was not
written mierely for political ends and views, or to gratify curiofity,
but for nobler purpofes. The Mofaical hiftoiy opens with an
account of the creation of the world, which, by the author's own
acknowledgment, is an article of the higheft mom.ent in religion.
It gives an account of the formation of man, of his prim.itive
ilate, and his fall from that flate, of the univerfal deluge, the
moil remarkable event that ever happened to mankind, ot the
lives of fome of the patriarchs, and of many moft fignal acts of
providence, upon which depended the ereftion and ellablirhment
cf a facred polity, the proper defign of which was to engage men
to the adoration of the one living and true God, the Maker and
Governor of the world, and of him only, in oppofition to all
idolatry and polytheifm. The recording thefe things was not
only of immediate ufe to the people among v.'hom they were
fxrft publiflied, but hath had a great effeft in all ages ever fnice,
to promote a reverence of the Supreme Being among thofe who
have received thefe facred writings ; and it tended alfo to prepare
the way for the laft and moll perfect revelation oF the divine wiU
that was ever given to mankind. Nothing therefore can be more
unjuftthan the ccnfure he hath been pleafed to pafs on a great part
of the Mofaic hiftory, that it is fit only to amufc children with^'.
Let us now conhder the objetlions he hath advanced againft
tliis hiftory.
And firft, he urges that Mofes was not a contemiporary author.
This is not true with refpecl to a confiderable part of the hiftory
recorded in the Pentateuch. Many cf the things which are m.oft
objefted againft, efpccialiy the extraordinary lafts done in Egypt,
at the Red Sea, at the promulgation of the law at Sinai, and dur«
* Bolingbrok^'s Vvorksi vol. iii. p. 504*
ing
Let. XXVIII. LOtlD BOLINGBROKE.- %t
iiig the fojourning of the ITraelites in the wildernefs, were thing*
to which Mofes was not only contemporary, but of which he
was himfelf an eye-witnefs. As to that part of the hiflory which
is contained in the book of Genefis, and which relateth to events
which happened before the time of Mofes, it cannot be juftly ob-
je6led againil on that account; except it be laid down as a rule,
that no hiflory is to be believed, which was written by an author
who was not contemporary to all the fafts which he relates. But
this has never yet been allowed as a maxim in judging of .the
credit of any hiflory ; and, if admitted, would difcard fomc of the
beft hiilories now in the world. Nor does our author himfelf
pretend to infift upon it as a general rule: but he vvants to know
"where Mofes got his materials, when he wrote the book of
" Genefis." A mod unreafonable demand at this dillance of
time ! As to the far greater part of that book, which relates to
the lives of the patriarchs, Abraham, Ifaac, Jacob, Jofeph, and
to the iirft fettlement of the Ifraelites in Egypt, thefe are evi-
dently things of which he may be fuppofed to have had full in-
formation. And with regard to the events which happened be-
fore the time of Abraham, the accounts given of them by Mofes
are generally very (hort ; confifling for the moft part of little
more than the genealogies of perfons and families, interfperfed
with a few brief anecdotes, the memory of which was eafily pre-
ferved. The mofl remarkable event during that period, and of
which Mofes gives the moft particular account, was the univerfal
deluge. And this muil have been then very well known. His
not giving into the extravagant antiquities of fome of the eafteni
nations, and his not attempting to fill up that period with fuch
fabulous romantic accounts as h:;ve been invented fmce his time,
«mong Jews, Chriftians, and Mahometans, is a ftrong prefump-
tion in his favour; and the plainnefs, fimpllcity, and impartial
love of truth, which, as hath been already obferved, appears in
his hillory, makes it reafonable to believe, that he had the ac-
counts he gives from memorials which he knew might be de-
pended upon. What v^ays they had of tranfmltting the memory
of things in thofe ancient times, we cannot at this diilance dlf-
tinftly explain, but that they had fevcral ways of doing this we
may be well affured. And it has been often obferved by learned
men, through hov/ few ftages the tradition might run from Adam
VOL. II. ^ ^^
Sa A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVlIt,
to Abraham, and from him to Mofes, confidering the long lives
oi the nril men *. The only thing mentioned by this writer as
what Mofes could not have received by hiftory or tradition, is
the circumilantial account given by him of the creation of the
world : with regard to which he obferves, that '* Adam hlm-
*' felf could only have related to him fome of the circumitances
*' of the fixth day, but nothing that preceded this." It will be
eafily allowed, that the account of this muft have been originally
owing to extraordinary revelation. And very worthy it was of
the divine wifdom to grant fuch a revelation to the firft parents
and ancellors of the human race, fince it was a matter of great
importance to mankind to be well acquainted v/ith it; and our
author himfclf owns, that " it leads men to acknowledge a Su-
*' preme Being, by a proof levelled to the meanefl underlfand-
*' ingi." And it may be juftly concluded, that the account
of this was tranfmitted with great care from our firft parents to
their defcendants, and preferved among the moft religious of
them: which might the better be done, if, as is very probable,
the obfer Vance ct the feventh day was appointed from the begin-
ning to preferve the memorial of it. So that theprefervation
of this very important tradition may be accounted for, even ab-
ftrafting from Mofes's divine infpiration, which, if in any thing
tradition had bt-come imDerfe£l, might eafily enable him to fupply
the defecls of it.
Another objection, on which his Lcrdihip Teems to lay a great
ilrefs, for invalidating the authority of the Mofaic hiffory, is,
that the principal fa£is are not confirmed by collateral teftimony :
and by collateral teflimony he underftands, the teilimony of thofe
who had no common intereft of country, religion, or profefiion \.
But fuch collateral teflimony as this is no way neceffary to the
authenticity of hiffory. Many hiflorics are very reafonably be-
lieved which have no fuch collateral teilimony to confirm them.
Such teflimony is frequently not to be had, nor could reafon-
ably be expelled with relation to many of the facls recorded by
* Mr. Hume makes the great length cf men's lives, as recorded in the
Mofaic hiftory, to be an objedlon againft it. Efiay on Miracles, p. ic6.
Bat Lord Bolingbroke allows, that the lives c^ men in the firft ages of the
Vv'orld were probably much longer than ours. Vol. iii. p. 244.
f Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iii. p. 2^y, J Ibid. p. j8i, 282.
Mofes.
Ld. XXVIII. LORD EOLINGEROKE. S3
Mofes. As to that part of the Mofaic hiRoiy, which relateth
to the times of greateil antiquity, little help can he e.xpe6lcd
from collateral teilimony, fmce there is no hi (lory of thofe times
now extant To ancient as his own. Anci yet there are confider-
ahle traces of tradition which have been preferved among other
nations, concerning fome of the moil remarkable events during
that period, as hath been often (hewn by learned men ^ ; efpecialiy
v/ifh
* His Lordil\ip frequently fpeaks with f^reat contempt of the attempts
made by the learned to fupporttbe hiftory of Mofes by collateral teftlmorsies,
thofe of Egyptians, Phceaicians, Chaldeans, and even Greeks. See parti^
cularly vol. iii. p. 280, 2S1. Yet he fays, " The man who gives the leafl:
** credit to the Mofaic hiitory, will agree very readily, chat thefe five books
*' contain traditions of a very great antiquity; feme cf which were preferved
" and propagated by other nations as well as the Ifraeiites, and by other
** hiflorians as well as Tvlofcs. Many of them may be true, though they will
*' not ferve as vouchers for one another." And he farther oLferves, that
** three or four j^cient neighbouring nations, of whom we have fome know-
*' leuge, feemed to have a common fund of traditions, which they varied ac-
** cording to their different fyfrems of religion, philofophy, and policy.'*
Ibid. p. aSz. And fince he here fuppofes, that the nations he refers-to had
different fyilems of religion and policy, and were evidently neither of the
fame country, nation, or religion, v/ith the people of Ifrael, the teflimonies
they give to the facts recorded in the Mofaic writings may be iufLly regarded
as collateral tefdmony, even according to the account he himfelf is plealed to
give of it, viz. that it is the teftimony of thofe tjuho had 710 coimnon i/itereji of
ecuntry, rcli^ion^ cr prcfejjlon. So thart after all his cla-iours againft theMofyic
hiftory for want 01 collateral tefdmor.y^ he himfelf in effedtowns, that, in fe-
veral inftances at leafl, and with regard to fome of the facts there related,
collateral teflimonies may be produced, which therefore are very properly
taken notice of by the learned. Thefe teflimonies relate to feveral things in
the Mofaic account of the creation. I'he long lives ofthefirll: m.en — the
general deluge, with fome of the rem.arkable particulars recorded by Mofes
relating to it — the deHrudtion of Sodom and Gomcr.ah-^the excellent char-
acter of Abraham, and feveral particulars in his life, and that of Zfaac and
Jacob — Jofcph's being envied by his brethren, and fold into Egypt — hi3
great advancement there, and wife adminlflration, and preferving Egypt ia
a time of famiine — many things relating to Mofes himfelf— his great v/ifdoni
— his being oppofed by the Egyptian magicians — his leading the Ifraelites
out of Egypt, whiifl the Egyptians who purfued them were compelled to
defiii — his bringing them» througli the deferts of Arabia to Mount Sinai—
the law given by him as from God — his noble notions of the Ueity, and
prohibiiing the reprefenting or worfliipping him by any corporeal images-
many of the peculiarities of that jaw, differer.t from thofe of other nations.
G % Th3
§4 A VIEV/ OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVliJ,
with relation to that which is the moft extraorrhnar}' cf them all,
the univerfrii deluge. N.)r can any thing he more falfe and con-
trary to known \\\b}, than v;hat this v/riter boldly afHrms, that
*' the tradition of N ah's deluge is vouched by no other authority
" than that of Mofes; and that the memory of that cataftropbe
*' was known only to one people, and preferved in one corner of
*' the earth*." Nr>t on!y has tliere been a general tradition in
confirrndtion of it f , but there are many proofs of it ai! over the
earih, many phaenomena which plainly lead us to acknowledge
that there has been fuch a deluge, and which cannot othcrwife
be reafonably accounted for.
With refpect to that part of the hiftory which rela^eth to the
laws given to the Ifraelites, and the extraordinary faft- whereby
the authority of thofe laws was eftabhfhed, they were not only-
things of which M )res had certain knowledge, and in which he
could not be niiibken, but they were of a moll public nature,
and to which the whole nation were witneffes. The fafts were
of fuch a kind, that the accounts of them could not pofiibly have
been impofed by Mofes at that time upon the people, if they had
not been true, nor could they have been made to believe that
they were done before their eyes, if they had not been done.
And ihefe iafcts having been all along From that time received hy
that people, together with the laws in confirmation cf v/hich they
were wrought, furnifliieth a proof of authenticity to this part of
the Mofaic hiffory, v/hich can fcarce be paralleled in any other.
I do not fee how the force of this can be avoided, fuppofing
Mc;fes to be the author of the Pentateuch. But this is what
Lord Bolingbroke thinks cannot be proved. He has made a
kind of reprefentation after his own way of what Mr. Abba.lie
has ofrered to this purpofe; and adds, that it would be hard to
find an example of greatertrifling^. But whofoever will take
The reader may fee inoH of thefe things collecied by Grotius de Verit. Reli^,
ChriJLWb.'i. fee. i6. 1 think any impartial perfon will be of opinion, that
there is as much collateral teil;i nony as could be reafonably expe<5ted con-
cerning things of flich remote antiquity, and from perfons who v/ere not of the
Jewifh nation or religion, and fevcral of whom were p'-ofeiTed enemies to both,
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iii. p. 224.
f See concerning this, Grotius de Verit. Relig. Chrijl. lib. i. fcc. 16. Scc
alfo Revelation cxa-rAned iv'.th Candonr, part i. differt. 13, 14.
% Eclingbrokc's Works, vol. iii. p. 275, 276.
pains
Let. XXVIII. LORD BOLING2R0KE. g^
pains to examine the ar2;ument, not as he is pleafe^ to reprefent
it, but as it (lands in Mr. Abbadie's own bjok, will find b- sy
little he has offered that can in any degree take off the force of
his reafoning. Indeed it is hard to know what greater proof can
reafonahiy be defired of Mofes's bclnjx the author of the Pen-
tateuch than is given. Tne whole nation, among wh<\rn tln/fe
books have been alv/ays received with great venera ion, as contain-
ing tlie moft authentic accounts of their hiftory and their laws,
have conftantly attributed them to Mofes. All thofe of foreign
nations that have mentioned their hiil )ry or their laws, have al-
ways fuppofed Mofes to have been the author ot them. Never
has it been denied till thefe latter ages, after fo long a pofTefhon,
upon Tome cavils and exceptions, which are really trifling, and
which have been fufficiently aniwered. And if all this will not bs
allowed to be a proof, it is impuflible that any thing of this nature
Ihould ever be proved. It hath ail the proof which the nature
of the thing can admit of; and it would be unreafonable, by Lord
Bolingbroke's own acknowledgment, to demand more. " C<)m-
*' mon fenfe," faith he, " requires that every thing propofed to
" the underilanding, fliould be accompanied with fuch pr:).;f as
" the nature of it can furnifli. He who requires more, is guilty of
** abfurdity ; he who requires lefs.of rafh ^efs*."
There is then all the evidence wiiicli can be defired in fuch a
cafe, that the books containing the original hiftory and laws given
to the people of Ifraei were written by Mofes, as the whole na-^
don to vvhom tlie hidory belonged, andi w:io were governed by
thofe lav/s, and received them as the ru'e of their polity, have
conflantiy affirmed. And of this thev mufr be allowed to he com-
petent winieiTes. His Lordlhip indeed, with a view to (hew
how little the teilimony of the Jews is to be depended upon, and
h^.w eafily thofe lav/s might be irapofed upon them, raenuons
*' the little time that it t;v>k to eftiblifh the divine authurity of
*' the Alcoran among the Arabs, a people not more incapable to
*.' judge of Mdiiumet and his bK)ok, than we may, fuppofe the
*' IlVaeiites to have been to ju Ige of M >fe<', and his b(X)k, if he
*' left any, whether of liw alone, or of hilt :rv txwA law both+.'*'
But this obfervation is little to the purpofe. The A.rabians were
fufficient vouchers, that the Alcoran v>*as the book left them by
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol iii. p. 24-. t ^^^' P- ^7^-
Q 3 Mahomet,
86 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL V.TJTERS. Let. XXVIII.
Mahomet, containing the revelations he pretended to have re-
ceived fiom heaven. In this they are to be credited. So are
the Jews, that the books containing the original hiilory and laws
ot their nation were written by Mofes. As to the divine authority
of thofe laws, this muft be tried by other arguments. But how-
ever iluDid we mav fn?:)Dore the Arabians to have been, it v/ould
not have been in tl^e power of Mahomet to have made them be-
lieve, that they thcmfelves had heard his laws diftin^tly delivered
■^vith the moif amazing folemnity from heaven in the prefence of
above fix hundred thoufand men, if there had been no iuzn.
thing: or that he wrought a feries offtupendous miracles before
their eyes, if he had not done fo. And accordingly he was too
wife to put the proof of his own divine milTion, or of the autho-
rity of his lav/s, upon fafts of fuch a nature: which would have
been the moil effectual way he could have taken to deteft and
expofe his own impoflure. But he pretended to have received
communicatioiis and revelations from heaven, the truth of which
depended upon his own credit. The fame obfervation may be
made concerning thofe celebrated lawgivers of antiquity, who
pretended to have received their laws from the gods, as Minos,
Numa, and others. None of them ever put the proof of the divine
authority of their laws upon public fa£t3 of the moft miraculous
and extraordinary nature, done in the prefence of all the people,
and for the truth of which they, appealed to, them. They pre-
tended to directions from oracles, or to fecret coip.munications
with the deity, of which the people had no proof, and which
they received folely upon their authority. But Mofes put the
proof of the divine authority of his lav/s upon fenlible faQs, of
the moft public nature, and of which the whole body of the neo-
ple, to whom thefe laws were given, v/ere witnelTes. Appeals were
made to the people, at the time v/hen thcfc lavvS were deliver-
ed, concerning thofe fa6ts as done in their fight, and v/hich they
themfelves could not poffibly deny. The accounts of thofe fafts
are fo interwoven with the laws, that they cannot be feparated.
Some of the principal motives to engage the people to an obfer-
vance of thofe laws are founded on thcfe faCls. Many of the
laws were peculiarly deligned to preferve the remembrance of
the fa61s, and cannot be otherwife accounted for than by fup-
pofing the truth of thofe fa61s to v»'hich they relate. And this
was the profefTed defign of the inftitution of feveral of their
facred
Let. XXVIII. J.ORD BOLINGEROKE. 8/
facred rites, which were appointed to be folemnly obferved by
the whole of the nation, in every age from the beginning of their
polity, i. e. from the time when they firft received theTe laws,
and their conftitution was eftablifhed. There were feveral pub-
lic monuments, which fubfifted fevcra! ages, to perpetuate the
memory of the moll remarkable of thofe fafts. The people
were commanded, as by divine authority, frequently to confider
thofe fa6^s, and to take care to tranfmit them to their children.
To which it may be added, that in all the remaining writings
publilhed at different times, and in difftirent ages, among that
nation, whether of an hiftorical, moral, or devotional kind, there
is a ccnftant reference to thofe fafts as of undoubted credit and
authority. T.iey are repeated on fo many different occafions,
fo often and folemnly appealed to, that it appeareth, with the ut-
moll evidence which the thing is capable of, that thefe fafts have
been all along univerfally known and acknowledged, and the
remembrance of them conftantly kept up among that people.
And upon the truth and authority of thefe fafts, their peculiar
conftitution, whereby thev were fo remarkably diftinguifhed from
all other nations, was plainly founded : nor can it well be con-
ceived, how it could have been eftablilhed among them without
tliofe fafts. It ftrengthens all this, v^^hen it is confidered, that
fcarce ever was there any people fo well fitted by their confti-
tution for preferving and tranfmitting the remembrance of their
laws and fatts, as the people of Ifrael. Their weekly fabbath,
the obfervance of which vv^as bound upon them in the ftriftcf};
manner, and which was a conftant m.emorial to them of their re-
ligion and law: their fabbatical years, an inftirution of the mod
extraordinary nature, and which furnifhed a vifible proof of the
divine original and authority of that law, and in which it was
ordered, to be publicly read to the whole nation aftembled to-
gether at their folemn feftivals: the exatt care that was taken to
keep up thediftinftion of tribes, and the genealogies of the feve-
ral tamilies in their tribes, on which their legal right to their in-
heritances and poffefiions depended, and which they could trace
to the time when the firft divifion of the land was made, and their
conftitution eftabliftied, with which the laws and fads were in-
timately connetted: all thefe tilings laid them under peculiar
obligations, and gave them peculiar advantages for preferving
G 4 the
^^ A VIEW O? THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Lei. XXVIII*
i\\z remembrance of their law, and the fafts done in atteflation
•to it. Taking thefe confiderations together, the evidence for. the
laws and idB.^ is as ftrong as can reafonably be dc fired for any
iafts done in pafi ages. And I am perfuadcd the evidence would
-never have been contened, if it had not been for the pretended
-incredibility of thp fafts thcmfeives. But before I come to con-
iider this, I fhall take notice of fome other e.^zceptions made by
Lord Bolingbroke to the credit of this hidory.
He mentions it as a mfpicious circumflance, that ** the prieRs
•*' in Egypt and Judea were mtrufled with the pvibnc records,"
and that this fliews how little they are to be depended upon*.
And he afks, *' With what face can we fufpeft the authenticity
*' of the Egyptian accounts by Manetho and others, which were
•*' compiled and preferved by Egyptian priefis, when we received
*' the Old Teilament on the faith of JewiCi fcribes, a rr,oft ig-
*' norant and lying racet? But it is a great miflake, or grofs
niirrcprefenlation to pretend, that the jewilh hillory and facred
■writings, particularly thofe of Mofes, were in the hands of the
priells, cr JewiOi fcribes, alone. If, like the Egyptian laws and
records, they had been wrapt up in facred characters and hiero-
glyphics, which the priefls only underdnod, and of which they
alone were the aiithorifed guardians and interpreters, and which
v/ere carefully difguifed and concealed from the people, there
might be fome ground for this pretence. But, on the contrary,
their hirtory and iav;s "//ere put into the common language: the
people were commanded to make themfelves thoroughly ac-
quainted with the laws that were given them, and with the hif-
tory of thofe fa6h by which their law was eftablifhed. It was
urged upon them in the name of God himfelf, to meditate upon
them continually, to fpeak of them in their houfes, and teach
them diligently to their children. They were taught to believe
that their intereft in the favour of God, their public and private
happinefs, depended upon it. No part of their hiftory and laws
was kept as a fecret from the people: all was open and undif-
guifed. And this was fo different from the arts of impoflors, or
of defigning politicians, as affords a flrong prefumntion, that all
was founded on truth and faQ.
^ Eolingbroke's Wcrkr., toI. ill. 1:5^ ::;6. f Ibid. p. 305.
Our
Ld. XXYIII. LORD BOLINGERCKE. 89
Our autiior is vejy willing to have it believed, that tliefe writ-
ings were forged ai'ter the time ot Mofes; and the time he fceras
lo fix upon as tiie likeiieft for {"uch a forgery is that of the
Judges"'^. But there is not the leafl foundation for fuch a fup-
pofition. To fuppofe them to have been forged in the time of
•Jofhua, or the eiders that immediately fucceedcd him, is the fame
thing as to fuppofe tiiem to have been forged in the days of Mo-
les himfelh It mull then have been very well known, whether
(hefe were the laws that were given by Mofes, and whether the
facls there referred to as things of public notoriety, and known
10 the whole nation, were really done or not; fmce great nurn-
|:ers muft have been able to contradi61 or detect them, if tliey
had been falfe: and after the death 01 Jofiiua, and the elders that
had lived in the time of Mol'es, and feen thofe mighty afts, v/ho
could have had authority enough to have impofed thofe laws and
fa6f s upon the people ? The deliverance out of Egypt, the fo-
journing of the Ifraelites in the wildernefs, the laws and conlH-
tutions appointed by Mofes in the name of God, the extraordi-
nary fafts faid to have been wrought by him, their introduction
* His Lordfhlp is pleafed to cbferve, that " the four centuries the Ifrae!-
^* ites paiTed under their Judges, may be v/eil compared to the heroicaP' (by
which he underftands the fabulous) '* ages of the Greeks." The reafon
he gives for this is pretty extraordinary. He fays, " thofe of the Greeks
were generally bafrards of fome god or other; and thofe of the jev/s were
*^ always appointed by God to defend his people, and deftroy their ene-
** niles." As if the being a ba,{Lard of fome god or other, and the being
appointed by God for delivering and defending his people, were of the fame
lignificancy, and equally abfurd and fabulous: though under fuch a polity
S.S the Mofaical was, their having tlielr Judges and deliverers extraordinarily
raifed and appointed by God, had nothing in it but what was peife6tly
jigreeabie to the nature of their con.litution. And whereas he mentions It
to the difadvantage of the Jewifii hIil:ory under that period, that we there
read of Ehud aii ajfajjin, and Jephthah a robber^ and David a captain oflaiiditti,
it may be obferved, that this lafl does not properly belong to the times of
the Judges, and is only thrown in out of his great good-will to the memory
of that illuflrious prince: and as to the two fornrier, v/ithout entering into a
particular confideratlon of the accounts which are given cf them*, it may
juilly be afiinr.ed, that thefe inl>ances do not afford a (liadow of a proof,
that the hiftory is fabulous, and doth not contain a true account of faas.
* See concerning Ehud, A:ifrjcr to Chrtf.kn:fy as c!d a: the Creation. Vol. il. p,
334. 2cl edit.
into
go A VIE^V OF THE DZISTICAL WRITERS. LeL XXVIII,
into Canaan, and the manner of their fettlement there, muft have
been comparatively frefh in th'nr remembrance. It appears by
Jephthah's anfwer to the king of the Ammonites, that the people
of Ifrael were in his time verj^ well acquainted with their own
hiftory, and with what had happened to them in the time of Mo-
fes, Judges xi. 12, &c. The fame thing appears from the Song of
Deborah, ch. v. 4, 5, and from the anfwer of Gideon, ch. vi. 13.
And it cannot withont great abfurdity be fuppofed, that they
could at that time have had a body of laws impofed upon them
as the laws of Mofes, and laws by which their nation had been
governed ever fince his time, though they had not known thofe
|?.ws before: or, tiiat they could have been m.ade to believe, that
the fatls referred to in thofe books v*^ere fa61s of winch their
whole nation had been witnefTes, and which they themfelves had
received from their anceftors, and the memory of which had
been conRantly preferved among them, though they had never
heard of thefe fafts: or, that fuch and fuch facred rites and or-
dinances had been inftituted, and conftantly obfeived and folem-
iiized in their nation, in remem.brance of tn.ofe fafts, if till then
tliey had been utter Grangers to the obfervance of thofe rites.
And v/hat renders this ftill more improbable is, that during that
period the-i'e was (or the m.cif part no general governor v/ho had
authority over the whole, as the kings had afterwards. The fe-
vera! tribes feem to have been very much in a ftate of indepen-
dency, and to have had the government within themfelves. Few
of their Judges exercifed an authority over all the tribes: nor
were any of them priefts till the tim.e of Eli. In fuch a Ihte of
things, how was it polTible to have impofed a new body of laws
and hiftory upon the whole nation, efpecially laws fo different
from the laws and cuftoms of all other countries, and which
enafted the fevered penalties againft the idolatries to which the
neighbouring nations were fo ftrongly addifted, and which the
Ifraelites were fo prone to imitate? If fome of the tribes had
received them, what likelihood is there that all would have done
fo, or would have regarded them as the laws of Mofes, and as
obligatory on the whole community, when they were fo con-
trary to their own inclinations, and had never been impofed upon
their nation before? Nothing lefs than fuch an authority as that
which Mofes claimed in the name of God himfclf, and which
was
Let. XXVIII. LORD BOLINGEROKE, CI
was enforced by fi'.ch ill Lifn ions divine atteflatlons, cou!d have
prevailed with thein to have iubnjitted to thofe laws, or to have
received thofe fa61s. To whicii it may be added, that is; is mani-
feft from the account given in the book of Judges, which is the
only account oi that time that we have to depend upon, that the
general (late oi things during tliat period was this : The people
frequently fell into a compliance with the idolatrous rites of the
neighbouring countries : but when public calamities befei them,
and which they regarded as punidunents upon thera for their
tranfgreflions of their law, they were made fenfible of their g\iv.t,
and again returned to the obfervance of it, and to the adoratioa
ot the only true God as there prefcribed; and they were encou-
raged by the great things God had formerly done for their na-
tion, to apply to him for deliverance from their opprefTors, So
that every thing during that period fhevv's, that the law of Mofes,
and the worfhip of God and of him alone, free from idolatry and
poiytheifm, was then tlie edabliihed conftitution, which they
themfelves regarded as of divine authority, notwith.ftanding
they too often fufFered themfelves to be feduced inLo deviations
jrom it.
After the sera of the Judges followed that of the Kings.
King David lived very early in that period: and it appears witli
the utmoft evidence, from the hiilory and writings of that great
prince, that the law of Mofes v/as then held in the highell vene-
ration, as of divine authority, and that the fafts there recorded
were univerfally believed and acknovvdedged ; and though fome
of the fucceeding 'Kings deviated from that law into the idola-
tries of the neighbouring nations, yet that law never left its au-
thority, and the obfervance of it was foon reflored. The de-
fign of the prophets, of whom there was a fucceffion during that
period, was to keep the people clofe to the obfervance of that
law: and the extraordinary fa6ls by which the authority of it
was eftablifiied, were ftiil had in remembrance: and on the cre-
dit of that law, and of thofe extraordinary fafts, they itili looked
upon themfelves to be God's peculiar people. This writer in-
deed takes upon him to alTert, that *' there were times when they
" had acfually no body of law among them, particularly in the
'* reign of Jofiah, when it had been long lolf^"." But there is
* Bolinsbroke's Works, vol. iil. p. 376,
no
^2 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld, XXVIII.
no ground to fuppofe, that ever there was a tiiTie under any of
their Kings, when they had aftuiilly no body of law among them,
or that the book of the law of Mofes had been ever entirely loft.
This cannot he juflly concluded from the furprize exprefTed at
Hillviah's the High Prieft's finding the book of tlie law o\ the
Lord in the temple, when they repaired it in Jofiah's reign : for
this is juftly fuppofed to be either the original book of the \;\y<j
written by Mofes himfeli, and ordered to be lodged m a coffer
at the iide of the ark, and which was found when the ark was
removed, on occaGon of the temple and holy of holies being re-
paired; or at leaif an authentic copy ot great antiquity and au-
tiiority, kept in the temple, and which migiit have been ne-
gleBed, or thought to have been loll. But it v/ould be abfurd
to imagine, that there Vv^as no copy oi the law at all remaining
in any private hands, or in the hands of any of the Prieils or
Prophets. And it may very rcafonably be conceived, that upon
finding an authentic book of the law of fuch venerable antiqui-
ty, the attention of the King and great men might be more tho-
roughly awakened to the things conialncd there, and they might
make a much flronger impreiTion upon them, than they had ever
4one before, even fuppofi ng they had read or heard the fame
things out of fonie other copy of the law, of lefs authority, and
V. hich was not fo much to be depended upon. There is not one
word in the account that is given us of this matter, of what our
author mentions, concerning the little time tiie reading of the
book in tiie prefence of the King took up ; from whence he
concludes, that it contained nothing but the law ftrifily fo call-
ed, or the recapitulation of it in the book ot Deuteronomy:
though if that copy had contained no more than the book of
Deuteronomy, this is a collection not only of the principal laws
given by Mofes, but of the extraordinary and miraculous fafts
whereby the divine authority of the law was attefted. As to
what he inunuates, that all the facred writings of the Jews were
compofed after the captivity, and that Efdras and his fucccflbrs
compiled the written law*, I (hall not add any thing here to wliat
I have elfewhere offered to demonftrate the palpable falfehood
* Bclingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 339. vol. v. p. aag.
and
Let. XXVIII. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 9^
and abrurdity of fuch a fuppofifion '^ I (hall only at preTent
obferve, that the preferviiij; of the Pentateuch among the Sama-
ritans, between whom, from tlie time of their firlt fettling in that
country, and the Jews, there was a fixed antipathy and oj^pofi-
tion, affordeth a plain proof, that the code of the Mofaic hilloiy
and laws was not the invention or compofition of Efdras, biit
had been preferved among the irraeiites of the ten tribes, in
place of whom tlie Samaritans came. And the remarkable con-
iormity there is between the Samaritan and Jewiih code of the
Pentateuch, both in the laws and in the facts, gives a fignal con-
firmation oi the antiquity and integrity of the Mufaic hiltory and
laws, and hov/ far the Hebrew code is to be depended upon.
But to proceed to Lord Boimgbroke's farther cbjeftions. In
order to dedroy thexredit of the Mofaic hiilory, he hath taken
all occafions to charge it with inconfiftencies and contradiflions.
Thus he tells us, that the M.)faic account is plahily inconliRent
with itfelf, m fuppofing that the unity of God was the original
tradition derived from Adam, and yet that it was loft, and poiy-
theifm eftabliflied in its Head in the days cf Serah : or at ieaft of
Terah and Abraham, four hundred years after the deluge. He
thinks it abfurd to fuppofe, " that the knowledge of the exilf-
*' ence of that God who had deftroyed and reilored the world,
*' juft before, could be wholly iod in the memory of mankind,
** and his worfhip entirely forgot, whilfl the eye-witneffes of
" the deluge were yet alive i." The whole force of this ohjetlion
depends upon his own abfurd way of ftating the cafe, as if the
knowledge of the only true God w^ere fuppofed to be then en-
tirely loft and forgotten among mankind. True religion and
the true worfhip of God might have been confiderably corrupt-
ed in that time, and idolatry might have made a great progrefs,
though the knowledge of the true God was not entirely loif and
forgotten among men: as our author himfeif, v*^hen it is for his
purpofe, thinks lit to own.
With the fame view of proving inconfirtencies on the Mofaic
hiftory, he obferves, that " it is repugnant to human nature
*' to fuppofe, that the Ifraelites fhould, in the courfe of fo few ge-
* See " Reflexions on Lord Bolingbroke's Letters on the Study and'
Ufe cf Hiilory," p. 51. & feq.
f Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 19, 30, a 17. 218.
*' ncratlcns.
94 A VIEW O? THE DEI3TICAL WRITERS. Ltt, XXVIII,
••' nerations, become confirmed and hardened idolaters in Egypt^
•' and {liould in fo fhort a time not only forget the traditions
•* of their fathers, and the God or Abraham, of Ifaac, and of
" Jacob: but that they fhoiild have been as much wedded to ido-
" latry as the Egyptians themfelves were-.'* He himfelf fur-
nifheth an anfwer to this, v/hen he obferves, that *' polytheifm
*' and idolatry have a clofe connexion with the ideas and afFec-
** tions of rude and ignorant men." And that " the vulgar em-
•* brace polytheifm and idolatry very eafiiy, even after the true
*' doctrine ot a divine unity has beentauo"ht and receivedt." It
o
may v/ell be conceived, that during their abode in Egvpt the
Ifraelites might have contra61ed a great fondnefsfor the Egyptian
cuftoms. They might be jillured by the pov/er and fplendor of
the Egyptians, to entertain a good opinion of their religion : and
the extreme inifery and didrefs to which they were reduced hy
their iervitude, might lead many of them to queftion the pro-
mifes made to Abraham and their ancellors, and make them more
ready to deviate from the religion derived to them from their
iathers: though there is no reafon to think they entirely forgot
it, but mixed idolatrous rites with it. And even after their de-
liverance from Egypt, the idolatrous habits and cuftoms many of
them had fo deeply imbibed, v;ere not foon laid afide. It may cafiiy
be fuppofed, that they would endeavour to reconcile and unite
them with the religion Mofes taught them. And this feems par-
ticularly to have been the cafe v/ith regard to the worfhip of the
golden calf. He mentions it as an incredible thing, that " they
*' forgot the true God even when he conducled them through
*' the defcrt: They revoked from him even whilfl the peals of
** thunder that proclaimed his defcent on the mountain rattled
*' in their ears, and whiift he dlftated his laws to them;!:." He
adds, that " ii the miracles recorded to have been wrought had
*' been really wrought, nothing lefs than the greatefi of all mira-
*' cles could have made thefc real miracles incffeftual." '* I
*' know farther," fays he, " rnofl intuitively, that no creature of
*' the fame nature as I am of, and I prefumc the Ifraelitcs were
*' human creatures, could refift the evidence of fuch revelations,
" fuch miracles, and fuch traditions, as are recorded in the bible:
* ro'ingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 222, 2Z3. f ib. p. ai, 22. J lb. p. 22j.
" That
Let. xxvin, lord bolingbroke. 95
*^* That they muft have terrified the mod audacious, and have
*' convinced the mod incredulous'''." Thus, with a view to
dedroy the credit of the Mofaic hiliory, he cries up the irrefillibie
force oF the revelations and miracles v/rought among the Ifraelites.
But perhaps he could not be fo Cure, as he pretends, what he
himfelf might have done in thofe circumftances. There is fcarce
any anCweruig lor the extravagances and Inconnilencies vi-hich
human nature may fall into. But he goes aii along upon a wrong
fuppofuion, as he had done before, as if the Ifraellles had entirely
forgotten God, or intended abrolutely to abandon his worHiip.
This was not their intention in the inftance he feems to have had
particularly in his view, their worOiipping the golden calF. For
it is evident, they did not dcfign to renounce the one true God,
the God of Ifrael, and to difcard his v*^orfhip. This appears from
Aaron's proclaiir.ing on that occafion a feaft to the Lord, jcko-
zjah; and from the people's declaring, Thcfe be thy Gods, 0
Ifrad; or, as it is elfewhere rendered. This is thy God, that
brought ihee out of the land of Egypt^ Exod. xxxii. 4, 5. ccm-
pared with Nehem. ix. 18. Nothing can be plainer than that
they intended by it to worlhip the God oi" Ifrael, who they knew
had fo lately brought them cut of the land of Egypt ; and that
the worliiip they rendered to the calf was not designed to ter-
minate there, but was done with a reference to the Lord Jehovah,
whom they v/ere for wordilpping by that fymbol. They might
therefore ilatter themfeives, that this was confiilent with their
acknowledging no other God but one, which had been fo fo-
Icranly enjoined them : and that the prohibition of bowing down
before any image was defigned only to forbid the woriliipping
falfe gods, not the true God by fuch a fymbol. This indeed was
an inexcufable contravention of the law, which had beenjuH
promulgated v/ith great folemnity, and vrhicli was intended to
forbid their worlhlpping and bowing down before any image of
the Deity, under any pretence whatfoever. But It v/as what
minds, fo ftrongly prepoffeffed with the notions and prejudices
they had imbibed in Egypt, might be fuppofed capable of falling
into. I would obferve, by the way, that the recording this ftory
affords a fignai proof of the impartiality of the facred hiilorian,
* Bollngbroke's Works, toI iv, p. p. 3^5.
Nothing:
C)6 A VIEW OF TKE DEISTICAL WRITERS. LcL XXVIIl*
Nothing but the drifted regard to truth could have prevailed
\v:ih. hAm to have inferted a thing which has been (o often men-
tioned to the difhoncur of that people, even by their own writers,
and by others ever fmce. And it is very probable, that if th.e
people in after-times dnrft have made any alteration in the ori-
ginal facred records, they would have ffruck it cut for the fame
reafon for which Jofephus has omitted it, as he has done fome
other things which he thought would turn to the difcredit of his
ration.
Another attempt this v/riter makes againft the credit of the
Mofaic hiflory, relates to the account given of their exode. He
thinks it incredible, that " the Ifraelites fhouid bear the oppref-
*' fions of the Egyptians, when they were become fo vaflly nu-
*' m.erous, and could bring fix hundred thoufand fighting men
" into the field, which was an army fufficient to have conquered
" Egyp-"^." But what could be Gxpeftedfrom an undifciplined
and unarmed multitude, however numerous, againlf the force of
a powerful kingdom? efpecially v;hen their fpirits had been
depreffed by a long flaverv, and a fcries of grievous oppreffions;
in which cafes vaft multitudes have been kept in fubjeftion by
a very few, of which there are many inffances in hiftory. In
what follows he lets us know, that he thinks the accounts given
by pagan authors of their exode not wholly fabulous, and that
' an epidemical infectious dillemper in the Lower Egypt, might
' make Pharaoh defirous to drive the inhabitants of that part of
* his kingdom into the neighbouring deferts. — That many of the
* inhabitants of the Lower Egypt were included with the Ifrael-
' ites in that tranfmigration ; and that a common diftemper, rather
' than a common religion, united them in it." And again, he
mentions it as a reafon of the L'raelites flaying forty years in the
wildernefs, that " it was a fufficient time to wear out the leprofy,
'• with which profane hiflory allures us, they were infeftedt."
Thus he is for reviving a falfe and fcandalous ffory, the abfurdity
of'which has been fo often expofed. The different accounts given
by the pagan authors relating to that matter will naturally lead
every intelligent reader to conclude, that the Egyptians endea-
voured to conceal and difguife the truth. They could not deny
* EoHrgbrok^i's WcikC; yuL v. p. 151. ■ f Ibid. p. 143. 144? ^iS-
Lei, XXVIir. LORD EOLINGBROKE.
97
the departure of the Ifraelites out of Egypt, and that it was in a
manner and with circumftances very difagreeable to them; yet
they did not think it confiflent with the honour of their own
nation, to relate the faol with all its circumftances as it really hap-
pened. But of all the ftories they trumped up on that occafion,
that of the Ifraelites being expelled on the account of their being
generally infetled with the leprofy, is the moft foolifh and ridi-
culous. It appears indeed by the laws and conftituticns of Mofe::,
that there were leprofies, and other cutaneous dillempers, among
the ifraelites, as well as among the neighbouring nations in that
part of the world; but it alfo appears, with invincible evidence,
thatthebody of that people were not infefted withthofediftempers,
and that there were comparatively very few who v/ere fo; fmce
the infected were ordered to be put cut of the camp, and were
treated in fuch a way as they could not have been treated, if a
great part of the people had been leprous. But any fiory is
hatched at, however void of all appearance of truth, that tends to
call difgrace upon the Jews, and the holy fcriptures.
The only remaining objection againd the Mofaic hiPcory, and
'^vhich indeed feems to be what he layeth the principal ftrefs
upon, is, that it is repugnant to the experience of mankind. That
*' incredible anecdotes are not mentioned feldom or occafionally
** in them, as in Livy of other hiftorians, but the whole hiftory
*' is founded on fuch, and confilh of little elfe." He comoares
thofe that fpeak of the P-entateuch as an authentic hiftory to Don
Quixote, and reprefents them as 7iot much lefs mad than he was.
^* When I fit down (fays he) to read this hiftory, I am ready to
*' think m^yfelf tranfported into a fort of fairy land, where every
" thing is done by magic and enchantment; where a fyfteni
** of nature very different from ours prevails ; and all I meet
** with is repugnant to my experience, and to the clearcft and
'• moft diftinft ideas I have. Almoft every event in it is incredible
*' in its caufes or confequences, and I muft accept or rejcft the
*' whole*." What his Lordfhip fays amounts in other words to
this: that this hiftory gives an account of a feries of miraculous
lacls and events, which were not according to the ufual and crdi-
* Bolingbroke's Work?, vol. iii, p. %%0i
VOL. II, ' li narv
98 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXYIII*
nary courfe of things. This will be eafily acknowledged. But
it is denied, that this is ajuft or fufficient objection againft the
truth or authenticity of the hiftory, or a valid reafon why it ihould
be rejefted. On the contrary, if the fafts there related had been
only of the ordinary kind, they would not have anfwered the end
which the divine wifdom had in view. It was necefiary, as the
cafe was circumftanced, that they fiiould be miraculous, and
therefore their being miraculous is not a proof of their being
falfe: and, confidered in their caufes andconfequences, they are
fo far from being incredible, that, taking in their caufes and con-
fequences, they claim our belief and veneration. The way ot
arguing made ufe of by our author, and others of the deiftical
writers in fuch cafes, deferves to be remarked. If the fa8;s ad-
vanced in proof of a divine revelation may pofiibly be accounted
for in a natural way, then they are no miracles at all, and cannot
give a fufficient atteftation to the truth and authority of a fuper-
natural revelation : and if they are of an extraordinary nature, and
out of the common courfe of our experience, and manifeHly tran-
fcend all human power, then the very extraordinarinefs of the
fa6ls, and their being miraculous, though it is proper in fuch cir-
cumftances they fhould be fo, is made a reafon for rejecting them.
But that Vv'e may confider this matter more diftinftly, it is to
be obferved, that it cannot be pretended, that the fafts recorded
in the books of Mofes are abfolutely impoflible, or beyond the
power of God to efFeft. If any reafon therefore can be afTigned
to {hew, that it was proper they fliould be wrought, and that it
V/as worthy of the divine wifdom to interpofe in fo extraordinary
a way, thofe fafts, how^ever miraculous they are fuppofed to be,
become credible. And if to this it be added, that v/c have all
the proofs that thefe fafts were aftually done, which the nature
of the thing can admit of, or which could be reafonably defired,
fuppofmg thofe things to have really happened, this is all that can
be juftly expefled, and it v/ould be unreafonable to infill on
more.
The cafe that is here fuppofed is this : That when the nations
had fallen from the Vv'orfhip and adoration of theone true God,
and him only, and became involved in fuperdition, polytheifm,
und idolatry, which was ftill grov/ing and fpreading, and in dan-
ger
Let, XXVriJ, LORD BOLINGBROKE.
99
ger of becoming univerfal, it pledfed God, in his great wifdom
and goodnefs, in order to put a check, to the fpreadmg idolatry,
and to preferve his knowledge and worfhip among men, tointer-
pofe in an extraordinary way, by eftabUfhing among a people
chofen for that purpofe a conftitution of a peculiar kind, the
fundamental principle of which was the acknowledgment and
adoration of the one true God, in oppofition to all idolatry Andu
polytheifm. And, in order to give weight to this conftitution, it
was fo ordered, that its divine authority was confirmed by a feries
of wonderful a6ls, which exhibited the moil illuftrious difplays
of his divine power and glory. And this conditution v/as de-
iigned farther to prepare the way for another difpenfation, which
was intended to be of a more general extent, and in v/hich reii-
gion was in due feafon to be publilhed to the world in its moil
perfeft form.
This is a general view of the cafe: let us now examine it more
diftinaiy.
And firft, that at the time when the law of M )res and the
Ifraelitifh conftitution were firll eflablifhed, idolatry and poly-
theifm were generally fpread through the nati^)ns, is a facl that
can fcarce be conteiled. This appears from all the remainnig
monuments ok thofe times, as far as v/e can carry our inquiries.
Nor could Lord Bolingbroke deny it. Oti the contrary lie ac-
knowledges, as (hall be more particularly obferved afterwards,
that fo great and general was the attachment of the pe<)ple to ido-
latry and polytheifm, that the moil celebrated legidators of an-
tiquity v/ere every- where obliged to fall in with it. And he
him (elf afferts, that " polytheifm and idolatry have fo ciofe a con-
** nexion with the ideas and affettions ot rude and ignorant men,
*' that one of them could not fail to be their firfc religu)us prin-
*' ciple, nor the other their firft religious praftice"^*." This may
be thought to be carrying it too far ; but it is certain, that if we
judge from fa6l and experience, there would have been little-
hope or expectation of recovering m.ankind from the idolatry
and corruption into which they were fallen, without fome extra-
ordinary expedient, above what either the, legiiiatoxs orphtiofo-
phers were able to elTeclo
* Boiingbroke's Works, voL iv. p. ?,to.
lis li
lao A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVllf*
If therefore it pleafed God to interpofe in an extraordinary
manner for this purpofe, it ought to be acknowledged to have
been a fignal inllance both of his wifdom and of his goodnefs.
Our, author himfelf reprefents it as a fundamental article of the
religion of nature, that " the Supreme Being is the true, and only
*' true, object of our adoration*." He calls this that firjl and
great principle of natural theology^ and the angular ftone of true
theijm. If ever therefore it was worthy of God to interpofe
at all, or to concern himfelf with the affairs of men, here was a
proper occafion for it, for maintaining and preferving that fun-
damental principle of all religion, w^hich was become fo greatly
Corrupted and perverted among men, and overwhelmed under
an amazing load of fuperflitions and idolatries.
This accordingly was the excellent defign of the Mofaic con-
{litution. and ot all the extraordinary atteftations whereby the
divine authority of it was eftablifhed. It is undeniably manifcft,
that the chief aim of that v/hole difpenfation, and the principal
point to which all its laws were direfted, w^as to efiablini the
worfl:sip and adoration of the one true God, the maker and pre-
ferver of all things, the fupreme Lord and governor of the world,
and of him alone ; and to forbid and fupprefs, as far as its influence
reached, that idolatry and fuperftition, which the wife men of
other nations humoured and encouraged, and thought it impoffi-
ble to fubdue. If we compare the Mofaic inftitution with theirs,
we fhall find a vaft difference between them. Lord Bolingbroke,
fpeaking of the miglny degree of wealth and power to which the
ancient priefls, who were alfo the ancient philofophers and wife
men, arrived in Egypt, Ethiopia, and the great eallern kingdoms,
tells us, that " the general fcheme of their policy feeras to have
" been this. They built their whole fyflem of philofophy on
" the fuperfHtious opinions and praftices that had prevailed in
*' days of the greatell ignorance. They had other expedients
*' which they employed artfully and fuccefsfully. Moft of their
'• do6lrines were wrapped up in the facred veil of allegory.
*' Moft of them were propagated in the myfterious cypher of
*' facred dialc6ls, of faccrdotal letters, and of hieroglyphical cha-
** raflcrs; and the ufeful diftin6fion of an outward and inward.
f Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 98.
*' doctrine
Lf^.r. XXVIII. . LORD B0LINC2R0KE. 101
*• doftrine was invented, one for the vulgar, and one, for the
" initiated"'^." He afterwards obfcrves, that " the worlhip of one
*' God, and the limpHcity of natural religion, would not fcrve
" their turn. Gods were multiplied; that devotions, and all the
*' profitable rites and ceremonies that belong to them, might be fo
*' too. The invifible Mithras, without the vifible, v/ould have
*' been of little value to the Magit." It ought therefore to
give us a very advantageous notion of the divinity oi the law of
Mofes, and the truth of his pretenfions, that the method he
took was entirely different ; and that he was far from making
ufe of thofe arts and expedients, which the ancient priefts and
fages of the eafl: thought necelTary. He did not found his
theology on falfe popular opinions : on the contrary, the fun-
damental principle of his fyftem was fubverfive of that poly-
theifm, which his Lordfliip reprefents as the natural belief of
men in the firft uncultivated ages, and to which a great part
of mankind in every age have been undeniably very prone. No
variety or multiplicity of Gods was allowed in his conftitution :
no falfe or idolatrous devotions, in order to bring a greater re-
venue to the priefts. He did not conceal his doftrines and laws
in the cypher of facred dialecls, and facerdotal letters, and hiero-
glyphical charafters. His laws and doftrines were all defigned
for public univerfal ufe: and there was no fuch thing in his
fyftem as fecret doftrines, to be communicated only to a few, and
concealed from the vulgar. On the contrary, it was a maxim
that lay at the foundation of that conftitution, that all the people
were to be inftrufted in the knowledge and worOiip of the one
true God, free from idolatry, and to be made acquainted with his
laws, and the duties there required. And though our author fpeaks
of the allegories in the Old Teftaraent, as if allegory pajfecl for a,
literal relation of facis among them, it is certain, that in the hif-
torical parts of the bible, particularly in the Mofaic hiftory, the
fafts are generally delivered in a plain, fimple, narrative ftile,
obvious to the capacities of the people.
His Lordfliip fpeaks v/ith high approbation of the celebrated
legiflators of antiquity, whom he reprefents as the frft, and he
fuppofes the beft mifjionarits that have heenfeen in the worldt,
* Bolingbroke's Works, vc!. iv. p. 42* 4:,j 44. f lb. p. 49. ± lb. p. 25.
H 3 ' He
102 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVIU.
He inftances in Mercury, Zoroafler, Zamnlxls,- Minos, Cha-
rondas, Noma: and having told u% that they all, to give the
greater fan^liionto their religio'js and civil inftitutions, pretended
to communications with their gods, or to revelations from them,
=he declares, that " he helieves it probable, that many of the re-
*' formers of m.ankind had difcovered the exiflence of the one
*' Supreme Being; but this knowledge might feem to them not
** fufficiently adapted to the charafcler of the people with whom
*' they had to do." He adds, that *' it was neceffary in their
" opinion to fuit their doftrine to the grofs conceptions of the
" people, and to raife fuch affeftions and paffions by human
*' images, and by objefts that made Ilrong impreffions on fenfe,
** as migiit be oppofed with fuccefs to fuch as were raifed by
** feiifible images and objcfts too, and were deftruftive of order,
*' and pernicious to fociety. They employed, for reforming the
*' manners of the half-favage people they civilized, the dread of
" fuperior powers, maintained and cultivated by fuperftition^
*' and applied by policy*." Thus Lord Bolingbroke, notwith-
ilanding the zeal he profeffes for tiue theifm, is pleafed mightily
to admire and applaud the ancient legiflators, who, by his own
account, countenanced and encouraged polytheifm and idolatry;
whilft he abufes and vilifies Mofes, the main delign of whofe law
was to forbid and fupprefs it. Indeed the method he took was
fuch as fliewed that his law had an higher original than human
policy. He eftablifhed the worfliip of the one true God, the
Creator and Governor of the univerfe, and of him only, as the
foundation and central point of his whole fyftem. Nor did he,
in order to fuit his doElnne to the grofs conceptions of the people,
indulge them in that idolatry and polytheifm to which the nations
were fo generally and ftrongly addifted. All worfliip of inferior
deities was prohibited: and he exprefsly forbade the Hebrews to
reprefent the pure elTence of the Deity by any corporeal form,
that he m:ght accuflom them to a more fpiritual adoration of the
Supreme Being: and if, as our author alleges, he adopted fome
of the Eg) ptian rites and cuftoms in accommodation to the weak-
nefs and prejudict^s of the people f, though this is far from being
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. a6, ay. f Ibid. p. 31. 44.
fo
Let. XXVIII. LORD EOLINGBROKE. IO3
fo certain as he pretends^, we may be fare they were onty fuch
as might be innocently ufed, and not fuch as had a tendency to
lead the people into idolatry, or out of which idolatry arofe : for
all things of this kind he ftrongly and mod exprefsly prohibited:
and therefore commanded the people vot to do after the doifigs
of the land of Egypt ^ or to zoalk after their ordinances^ Lev.
xviii. 3. The other legiflators pretended, as well as he, to com-
munications with the Divinity ; yet whatever their private opinion
might be, they durft not fo much as attempt to take the people
off from the fuperftition and idolatry they were fo fond of. The
reafon was, they were fenfible that their communication with the
* It appears indeed, from the accounts of the Egyptian rites and cuftoms given
by fome ancient writers, that there as a refemblance between fome of thofe rites
and caftoms, and thofe that were inftituted in the Mofaical law : but there is no
proof that the latter was derived from the former; nor indeed is there any proof
which can be depended on, that thofe particular rites v/cre in ufe among the Egyp-
tians fo early as the time of Mofes, fince the authors who mention them are of a
muoh later date. And notwithftanding all that hath been faid of the improbability
of the Egyptians borrowing them from the Ifiaelites, yet the very high opinion the
Egyptians of his time had conceived of Mofcs, as appeareth from Exod. xi. 3. and
the great impredions which we may well fuppofe to have been made upon them
by the extraordinary divine interpofitions, in favour of the Ifraclites, at their de-
parture out of Egypt, and during their abode in the wildernefs, as well as at their
entrance into the land of Canaan, of which the Egyptians could fcarce be ignorant,
might give occafioa to their copying after fome of the Mofaic inftitutions. They
might pofTibly apprehend, that this v/ould tend to draw down divine blefUngs upon
them, or to avert judgments and calamities. Thefe obfervances they might after-
wards retain, though in fucceeding ages, when the firft impreflions were over, they
were too proud to acknowledge from whence they had originally derived them,
Befides, it ftiouid be confidercd, that feveial of the rites and cuftoms common to
the Ifraelites and Egyptians, might be derived to both from the patriarchal times.
The fanious M. le Clerc, notwithftanding the zeal he frequently exprcfleth for
the hypothefis, that many of the Mofaic rites were intlituted in imitation of the
Egyptians, yet in his notes on Levit. xxiii. 10. fpeaking of the cffeTing up of the
iirft-fruits to God, obferves, that this was neither derived from the Egyptians to
the Hebrews, nor from the Hebrews to the Egyptians, tut was derived to both
from theearlieft: ages, and probably was originaily of divine appointment. The fame
he thinks of the oblation of facrifices ; and adds, that there were perhaps many
other things which both people derived from the fame fource. Et alia forte fnulix
ex <2iv.o indidem traxit uterque populus. So that many of thofe Jewifn obfervances
which fome learned men, and M. le Clerc among the reft, have been fond of de-
riving from the Egyptians, had probably been in ufe in the times of the ancient
patriarchs, and were retained, and farther confirmed, as well as other additional
rites inllituted, in the law of iMcfvS.
H 4 Deity
3p4 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVIII,
Deity was only pretended; and therefore they could not depend
vpon any extraordinary afliftancc to carry their defigns into exe-
cution : but Mofes not only pretended to have received his laws
from God, but knew that it really was fo, and was able to give
the raoft convincing proofs of his divine miffion. He was fure
of a fupernaturai aHiflance, and this enabled him to accompUih
what the ableft legiflators of antiquity did not dare to attempt,
Kis Lordfhip obferves, that " the Ifraelites had the moft fingular
^' eftablifhment, ecclefiallical and civil, that ever was formed*."
And it muft be acknowledged to have been in m^any refpefls
yery different from that which obtained in other nations. AncJ
it can hardly be conceived, how, as things were circumllanced,
\t could have been eflabhfhed among the Ifraelites, but in an ex-
traordinary and miraculous way. The very nature of the con-
ilitution furnifhes a ftrcng prefumption of the truth of the miracu-
lous fafts by which the authority of it u^as attelled and confirmed,
and rendcreth the v/hole account confident and credible.
The chief objeftion which is urged againft this, is drawn from
the abfurdity of fupponng, that God Ihould feleft a people to
himfelf, among whom he would ereft a peculiar confntuiion for
preferving his knowledge and worHiip, apart from the refi of
mankind. Or however, " if he had thought lit, that the facred
" depoht Ihould be trulled to a people chofen to preferve it till
*' the coming of the Mefiiah, no people was lefs fit than the Ifrael-
*• ites to be chofen for this great trud, on every account. They
** broke the trull continually. The revelations made to them
*' were, as Mr. Locke obferves, fhut up in a little corner of the
*' world, amongil a people, by that very lavv which they received
*' with it, excluded from a commerce and communication with
" the reft of mankind. A people fo little known, and contemned
•' by thofe that knew them, were very unnt and unable to pro-
•' pagate the doarine of one Gcd in the Vvorld." Ke alks,
^' Wherefore then was this depofit made to them? It was of no
*' ufe to other nations before the coming of Chrift, nor ferved
" to prej)are them for the reception of the gofpel. And after
" his coming, it v/as in this great refpe6l cf little ufe, if of any,
V to the Jews themfcivest."
* Bolingbroke's V/orks, vol. v. p. 144. •\ Ibid. p. S42, 243-
There
Ld. XXVII r. LORD liOLINGBROKE* tOj
There is fcarce any thing that has been more the fu"bJ3fi: of
ridicule, than the Jews being a chofen race, cliftinguiihed from all
other nations of the earth. And yet that the Jews were remark-
ably diftinguifhed above other nations, for the knowledge and
worlhip of the one true God, is a matter of fa61; which cannot
polhbiy be denied. Whofoever reads the monuments of heathen
antiquity, of which there are very large remains extant, the
Qonftitution ot their laws, and fyllem of their policy, and the
writings of their hiflorians, poets, and philofophers, and com-
pares them With the Jewifli, will find an aftonifliing difference,
that cannot but ftrike every man who confiders it. It muft be
acknowledged, that many of the heathen nations, particularly
thofe of Greece and Rome, were renowned for learning and po-
litenefs, peculiarly eminent for their knowledge in the libera!
arts and fciences, and for the finenefs of their talle m works of
genius and literature, which has rendered them the admiration ot
all fucceeding ages. But in matters of religion we meet every-
v/here with the moft unquellionable proofs of the groITefl idolatry
and polytheifm, in which not on^y were the vulgar univerfally
involved, but it was countenanced and praftifed by the wifeil
and greateft men. That public worfhip which was inilituted by
their moft celebrated legiflators, and a conformity to which v.^as
recommended by the philofophers, was directed to a multiplicity
of deities. On the other hand, if we turn our views to the Jews,
a people no way eminent for their knowledge in the arts and
fciences, we Ihall find that monotheifm, the firft and great prin-
ciple, as he calls it, of natural theology, the acknowledgment
and worfhip of the one true God, the Maker and Lord of the uni-
verfe, and of him only, was the fundamental principle of their
conftitution and of their ftate; all worfliip of inferior deities,
and of the true God by images, was moft exprefsly prohibitedjn
their laws^'^. If we examine their v/ritings, we may obferve,
that
* Lord Bollngbroke takes notice, that Mofes had made the deftruillon of idok'
tvous Vi/^orlhip a principal obje<n: of his laws : and the zeal againft images was great
an.Tong the Jews. But he pretends that it was only caived or embofied images that
vyeic held in horror : but a flat figure, either painted or embroidered, was allowed ;
as, he thinks, is very clear from a pafiage which he has read, quoted from Mai"
mo->ides. And he intimates, that " pifturc-worfhip came from the Jews to th'?
*' Chriftians, as did that of carved imp^'^s from the pagans," See vol. iv. p. Z'^'^^
If
to5 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVIIT.
that they every-where difcover the prpfoundeft veneration for
the Deity; they abound with the fublimefl fentiments of his
divine Majefty, his incomparable perfeftions, his fupreme do-
minion, and all-difpofing providence, and every-where exprefs
an utter deteftation of all idolatry and polytheifm. Nor is this
the fpirit of their moral and devotional writings only, but of their
hiflprical too; the principal dcfign of which is to promote the
great ends of religion, by reprefenting the happy {late of their
nation, when they adhered to the worfhip of God, and perfifted
in obedience to his laws, and the calairiities and miferies that
bsFel them as a punifhment for their defections and revolts. Their
very poetry was vaftly different from that of the heathen nations ;
not defrgned, like theirs, to celebrate the praifes, the amours,
i^nz exploits of their fiftitious deities, but fitted to infpire the
nobleft ideas of God, and containing the moll elevated defcrip-
tions of his glory and perfeftion.
It is natural therefore to inquire whence comes this amazing
difference between the Jews and the moft learned and civilize^
heathen nations in the knowledge and worfliip of the Deity. It
is his Lordlhip's own obfervation, that '* without revelation the
*' belief of the unity of God could not be the faith of any one
*' peaple, till obfervation and meditation, till a full and vigorous
If that were the cafniftryi as he ealls it, of the Jews, it is certainly not chargeable
on their law, which moft exprefsly prohibited the worlhipping not only of graven
images, but the likenefi of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth be-
neath. But this is one inftance, among many which might be produced, of the
"wrong tife his Lordfhip has made of his too fuperficial reading. He was ready to
take up with the fiighteft appearances in favour of any darling point he had in
Tiew. Ke has here confounded the making or drawing pictures or images with
the v/orfhipping them. Neither Maimonides, nor any other Jewifh author, ever
pretended that it was lawful for them to wordiip painted, any more than carved,
irragcs. But as to the lawfulnefs of making images, or of painting and embroider-
ing them, there were different opinions. Some carried it fo far, that they were
rot for allowing any figures at all, either painted or carved, not fo much as for
©rnament, for fear of giving ocsafion to idolatry. Others thought it lawful to
have the figures of animals either painted or carved, except thofe of men, which
were not allowed to be carved or emboffcd, though they might be painted, or
drawn upon a plane : but neither the one nor the other were to be worfhipped.
If his LordHiip had conluited Mr. Selden, whom he hath fometimes quoted, he
would have found all this diftincflly reprefcnted. Le jure nat. et gent, apid Hehr.
lib. si. cap. 6, 7, 8, 9. There is no foundation, therefore, for his new difcovery,
that piflure-'iYOiQiip came from the Jews to the Chriftians,
*' exercife
Let, XXVIII. LORD BOLINGBROKt:. IO7
•* exercife of reafon, made it fuch*." And again, Ke tells us,
ihat '* the rational, the orthodox belief, was not ellablifhed, nor
" could be fo, till the manhood of philofophy t." How comes
it then, that the public ackn »wlcdgment and adoration of the one
true God, free from polytheifm and idolatry, was the eftablifheti
religion of the Jews only? Were they the only people who
had reafon in a full and vigorous exercife, and among whom
philofophy was arrived at its manhood? If fo, it is wrong to
reprefent them, as the deillical writers have frequently done, ss
the moft ftupid of the human race, a people ignorant and harha^
roua, as he and Mr. Hume calls them. Nor had he a right to lau.o-h
at Mr. Abbadie, who, he fays, has reprefented them as a nation
cffages and philofophers\. It will be readily allowed, that the
Jews were not of themfelves more wife and knowing, or better
philofophers than other nations, or that they had made deeper
obfervations and refleftions ; on the contrary, they were infe-
rior to fome in feveral branches of fc^ence. We have all the
xeafon therefore in the world to conclude, that, if left to them-
felves, they would have been involved in the common polytheifm
and idolatry, as well as the nations round them: and that it was
owing only to their having had the advantage of an extraordinary
revelation, and to their peculiar conftitution^ which was of divine
original, and which had bv-en confirmed by the moft illuftrious
atteilations, that they became fo remarkably diflinguilhed.
Lord Bolingbroke was very fenfible how unfavourable this is
to his caufe, and therefore firids great fault with Mr. Locke for
affuming, that the belief and woriliip of the one true God was
the national religion of the liraelkes alone, and that it Vv'as their
particular priviledge and advantage to know the true God, and
his true worfhip, whilft the heathen nations were in a ilate of
darknefs and ignorance. To take off the force of this feems to
be the principal defign of his third Eflay, which is of the rife
and progrefs of monothefm^. But what he offers to this pur-
pofe is extremely trifling. He is forced quite to alter the true
Hate of the queition, and fuppofes Mr. Locke and the Chriftian
* BoHngbroke's V/orks, vol. iv. p. ?o. + Ibid. p. aa, %%,
X Ibid. vol. iii. p. 283. f Ibid. vol. ir. p. 187, etfeq.
divines
loB A VIEW OF THE DETCTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVIH.
Qivines to aflert, that there was not any knowledge or worfhip
oi the true God in the world at all beFore the erection oF the If-
raelitifh polity; and that all the nations, except the Ifraelites,
had been ignorant oF the true God from the beginning. And
then he argues, that " this implies that the Ifraelites were a na-
'/ tion from the beginning;" and gravely afks, " Were they fo,
*' if we reckon from Adam, or even from Noah, or even from
** the vocation of their father Abraham*^?" Thus he frames a
ridiculous hypothefis for his adverfaries, and then endeavours to
expofeit: whereas they maintain, what bethinks fit to deny,
that the knowledge and v/orfliip of the true God was the origi-
nal primitive religion ot mankind, derived from the firft parents
and anceftors of the humxan race: but that beFore the time of
Mofes, the nations were generally lapfed into polytheifm and
idolatry, which appears from his own acknowledgment to have
been the cafe.
He affirms indeed, " it is plain that the knowledge of the one
*' true God v/ould have been preferved in the world, if no fuch
*' people as the Jews had ever been. And nothing can be more
" impertinent than the hypothefis, that this people, the leaft fit
*' perhaps on many accounts that could have been chofsn, was
" chofen to preferve this knowledge. It was acquired, and it
" was preferved independently of them, among the heathen phi-
*' lofophers. And it might have become, and probably did be-
*' come, the national belief in countries unknown to us, or even
*' in thoie who were fallen back into ignorance, before they ap-
*' pear in the traditions we haver." What an extraordinary
vray of talking is this! Ke argues from the fuppofed national
belief of countries unknown to us, and of which he confefTes we
have no traditions extant, to fliew that religion would have been
preferved in the world, if no fuch people as the Jews had ever
been. As to the heathen philofophers, among whom, he fays,
the knowledge of the true God was preferved, it is certain, and
he himfelf frequently owns it, that whatever knowledge fome of
them had this way, it was of little ufe to hinder the polytheifm
and idolatry of the people ; and that, inllead of reclaiming them
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 233. f Ibid. p. 79.
from
Let. XXVIIt. LORD BOLINGEROKE. IC9
from it, they fell in it with themfelves, and cv&n encouraged and
advil'ed the people to a compliance with the public laws and cuT-
toms, by which polytheifm was eilabliflied.
Thus it appears, that after all the outcry and ridicule agairft
the Jews as the unfitteft people in the world to have the facred
depofit of the acknowledgrnent and adoration of the one true
God committed to them, they were the only people concerning
whom we have any proofs that they made a public national ac-
knowledgment of this great principle, and among whom it was
eftablifhed as the fundamental law of their Itate*. It is urged
indeed, that their conflitution had little efteft u^on them: that
*' their hiftory is little q\{q than a relation of their rebelling and
''repenting; and thefe rebellions, not thofe of particular men,
*' furprized and hurried into difobedience by their pairions, bnt
" national deliberate violations of the law, in defiance of the Sa-
*' preme Beingt." But if we compare the hiftory of the Je\v.?
W'ith that of the heathen nations, we (hall find a very remarkctbie
* His Lordfhip fnews a flrangc unwillingnefs, that the Jews /liould have
the honour of having had the knowledge and worrtiip of the true God
among them, in a degree far fuperior to other nations. Sometimes he in-
flnuateth, as fome others of the deiftical writers have done, that the Ifraeliies
borrowed it from the Egyptians (though according to his own reprefenta-
tion of the cafe, this was among the Egyptians part of their fecret doftriae,
not communicated to the vulgar), or from the Babylonians. And then the
wonder will be how it came to pafs, that the knowledge and wormip of the
one true God was preferved among the Jews, whiift the Egyptians and Ba-
bylonians wereimmerfed in the moll abfurd and ftupid idolatries. He thinks
he might venture to ajfirrn^ that Abraham himfelf learned the orthodox f-uthy
'vi'^. relating to the knowledge and worftiip of the one true God, in Egypt
and the 7ieighbo7truig countries*. And he had faid the fame thing before f.
There cannot be a greater proof of unreafonable prejudice than this. It is
furmifed not only without evidence, but againft it, fince nothing can be plain-
er from tiie account given us of Abraham, than that he knew and worfnipped
the one true God before he came into Canaan at all, and therefore long be-
fore he went into Egypt. Nor did he learn it from the Chaldeans, among
whom idolatry had then made a confiderabie progrefs, as appears from Jofli.
xxiv. 2. And agreeably to this is the univerfal tradition of the Eaft; that' he
was the great reilorer of the ancient true religion, which had been corrupted
V/ith idolatry.
t Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 136.
* Bolingbroke's Woiks, vol. iv. p. 403. f 1114- vol ill. p. 299.
difference
110 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVIII,
difference between them. Notwithftanding all the faults and de-
feftions ot the former, and though they too often fell into idola-
tries and vicious practices, in a conformity to the cuftoms of the
neighbouring countries, they again recovered from them, and
returned to the acknowledgment and adoration of the one true
God, and him only, and often continued for a confiderable num-
ber of years together in the profefTion and practice ot the true
religion, free from idolatry ; of which there are many proofs in
nil the ages of their nation, from the days of Mofes to the Baby-
lonifh captivity; during the time of their Judges, Kings, &.C. as
every one knows that is at all acquainted with their hillory.
This was owing to the revelation they enjoyed: they flill had
recourfe to their law, and by that reformed themfelves, and re-
turned to the pure worfhip of God according to that law ; to
which, after the Babylonilh captivity, in which they had fuffercd
fo much for their defections and revolts, they adhered more
clofely than ever. But among the heathen nations, even thofe
of them that were moft learned and civilized, fuch as the Gre-
cians and Romans, all was one continued courfe of polytheifm^
and the moft abfurd idolatries : nor can we name any period of
their hiftory, in which they laid afide the public polytheifm, and
returned to the acknowledgment and adoration of the one true
God, and of him only. It muft be faid, therefore, that the Jew-
ifli hiftory doth indeed furnifn plain proofs of what the author
obferves, the pronenefs of mankind in all ages to polytheifm and
idolatry; but it fhews at the fame time, that, by virtue of their
peculiar conftitution, the worfhip of God was maintained among
them in a manner in which it was not in any other nation : and
this affordeth a fignal proof of the benefit of revelation, and how
far fuperior it is to the efforts of the wifcft lawgivers and philo-
fophers.
It appears then, that the Mofaic conftitution did anfwer very
valuable ends. By this there was a people preferved, among
whom the knowledge and adoration of the one living and true
God was maintained, in a world over-run with fupeiftition and
idolatry, and to whom an admirable fyftem of laws was given.
And nowithftanding all that is faid about the people of Ifrael
being fhut up in a corner of the earth, they were placed in an
advantageous fitualion, in the centre of the then kr*own world,
between
Ltt. XXVlir. LORD BOLINGBROKE. Ill
between Egypt and Arabia on the one hand, and Syria, Chaldea,
and AfTyria on the other, among v/hom the firit great empires
were erefted, and from whence knov; ledge and learning feem to
have been derived to the weftern parts of the world. And they
were alfo in the neighbourhood of Sidon and Tyre, the greatell:
emporiums in the world, from whence fhips went to all parts,
even the moft diftant countries. Their peculiar conflitution,
whereby they were fo remarkably diftinguifhed from other na-
tions, together with the extraordinary things God had done for
them, had a natural tendency to put the neighbouring people
upon inquiring into the defign of ail this, which would be apt
to lead them to the adoration of the one true God, and into the
knowledge of the true religion in its moft necefiary and import-
ant principles, and to difcover to them the folly and unreafon-
ablenefs of their own fuperflition and idolatry. That this was
really part of the ^Q.{\gVL which the divine wifdom had in viev/
in this conftitution, and that therefore it was intended to be of
life to other nations befides the people of Ifrael, plainly appears
from many paffages of Scripture^. They were indeed kept dif-
tin61 from other people, and it was necelfary for wife ends they
Ihould be fo : but they were always ready to receive among them
thofe of other nations that worfhipped the one true God, thouc^h
they did not conform to the peculiar rites of their polity: and in
the moft flourifhing times of their ftate, particularly in the reig-ns
of David and Solomon, they had an extenlive dominion and cor-
refpondence; and afterv/ards they had frequent intercourfe with
Egypt, Syria, Affyria, Chaldea, and Perfia. And if vre confider
what is related concerning the Queen of Sheba, and Hiram,
King of Tyre, as well as the memorable decrees of Nebuchad-
nezzar, King of Babylon, Darius the Mede, Cyrus, Darius Hy-
ftafpes, and Artaxerxes, Kings of Perfia, the greateft monarchs
then upon earth, and who publiihed to the world the regard and
veneration they had for the Lord Jehovah, the God wliom the
Jews worfhipped; it is very probable that the fame of their laws,
and the remarkable interpofitions of providence on their behalf,
fpread far and v/ide among the nations, and contributed, in more
* See particularly Exod. vii. 15. ix. 16. xiv. 4. Numb. xir. 13, 14, ar.
Dsut. i\^. 6. I Kings viii. 4^? 42, 43' ?ial. ,xxvi. 3.
inflances
112 A VIEW OP THE CEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXVIlt.
inftances than is commonly imagined, to keep up fome know-
ledge of the true God, the Maker and Lord of the univerfe, and
to give fome check to the prevailing idolatry, and to preferve
the ancient patriarchal religion from being utterly extinguiflied.
To which it may be added, that, in the latter times of their (late,
vail numbers of the Jews were difperfed through Egypt, Baby-
lonia, Perfia, and other parts of the eaff ; and afterwards through
the LelTer Afia, and the feveral parts of the Roman empire:
and they every-whcre turned many of the Gentiles from the
common idolatry and polytheifm ; which the philofophers were
fcarce able to efFeft in a fingle inftance. It appears then, that
the fetting apart that people in fo extraordinary a manner, the
revelation that was given them, and the marvellous a£ts of di-
vine providence towards them, were fitted for having an exten-
five effeci for the advantage of other nations as well as their
own, and a6lually had that effe6l in multitudes of inllances. By
this conftitution, there was a light fet up, fliining in a dark place,
to which other nations might have recourfe. And if, inftead of
making ufe of it as they ought to have done, they generally ne-
glefted it, and even hated and defpifed the Jews for having a re-
ligion fo oppoiite to their own, and condemning their fuperfli-
tions and idolatries ; the fault is to be charged upon themfelves,
\vho neglefted thofe means and helps, as they had done before
the difcoveries made to them by ancient tradition, and which
had been originally derived from revelation, and by the light of
nature, and the works of creation and providence. Befides this,
what farther fhews the great propriety and ufefulnefs of this pe-
culiar conftitution, and the revelation given to the people of If-
racl, is, that it had a great tendency to prepare the world for re-
ceiving that more perfeft difpenfation which was to fucceed it,
and which was to be of a more general extent, and to be more
univerfally diffufed. The firfl harveft of converts to Chrillianity
was among the Jews and their profclytes, of whom great num-
bers were brought over to the Chriftian faith. The Jewifli
Scriptures were generally difperfed, and had fpread the know-
ledge of God, and had raifed an expeftation of a glorious and
divine perfon, by whom a new and moft excellent difpenfation
was to be introduced, and the Gentiles were to be brought over,,
more generally than had hitherto been done, from their fuperffi-
tions
*tM. XXVin. LORD BOLINCEROKE. H'^
tions and idolatries, from their abominable vices and corruptions,
to the pure worfhlp of God, and the knowledge and prafticc of
true religion. This glorious perfon was faVetold and defer Ibed
in the Jewifh prophecies by many rem.arkable charafters, which
being accompiifhed in our Saviour gave a moft illufliions at-
teftation to his divine miffion. And thefe prophecies v/ere kept
more clear and dillin6l, by being in the hands of a peculiar peo-
ple as the depofitaries of them: whereas if they had been, like
other traditions, left merely at large among the nations, they
would probably in procefs of time have been corrupted and loft,
and the teftimony arifing from them rauft have fallen.
Taking all thefe confiderations together, it appears, that the
peculiar Jewifh ceconomy anfwered many valuable and import-
ant ends: and that therefore it was no vray unworthy of the
divine wifdom to interpofe in an extraordinary manner to give a
divine atteHatlon to it. And that the miraculous fa£ts, if really
done, were every way fufficient for this parpofe, our author
him.felf does net deny. On the contrary, he looks upon them to
have been fo ilrong and convincing, that it would have been
impoiTible to refill: them; and he thinks they mud have been
fuihcient, if they had been really done, to have brought over all
mankind to the belief and acknowledgment of the one true God,
not only in that age, but in all fucceeding ages. His manner of
exprelTmg him.felf is rem.arkable. He fays, that " the reviving and
*'" continuing the primitive faith and worlhip by fuch a feries of
*' r<fveIations and miracles among ore people, would have made
" any revival of them unnecefTary among any other; becaufe
•• they would have been more than fufficient to continue them
*' uncorrupted over the Vv^hole v/orld; not only till the vocation
*' of Abraham, four hundred years after tlie deluge; not only till
*' the coming of the MeGah, two thoufand years after that, but
*' even to this hour, and to the confumniaLion of all things*."
Not to infill upon the great abfurdity of his fappoHng, that the
miracles wroudit among: the Ifraelites fo lonf^ after the vocation
of Abraham, v/ould have been fuihcient to have kept the true
religion uncorrupted till the vocation of x'lbraham, a blunder
which could onlv have been owinff to the molh inexcu fable ne-
* Bolingbrokc's Works, vol. iv. p. :.r4.
r1,\
VOL. ;i. X • gugence
114 A VIEW OF THE CIIGTICAL WP.ITERS. Ld. XXVnr.
gligence In writing; I think it fellows from his own concefrions,
that the miracles and other e?;traordinary methods made ufe of
for the eftablifliment of the Mofaic cEConomy, were of fuch a
nature as to be well fitted to the end for which they were defign-
ed, the revival and eftablifliment of the worfhip of the one true
God, in oppofition to idolatry and polytheifm. And though it
be wrong to fuppofe, as he moft abfurdly does, that thqy mull
have eftabliflied it among all mankind, and have prevented all
deviatiuns from it in ail ages and nations; yet it will be acknow-
ledged, that thofe fafts were of fuch a kind as to have been fuf-
£cient to convince all thofe to whom they were known, that the
laws, in atteftation to which they were wrought, were of a di-
vine original. Accordingly the people of Ifrael, notwitbftand-
ing their pronenefs to idolatry, and their obllinatc prejudices,
were brought to fubmit to thofe laws, as of divine authority, and
to receive them as the rule of their polity. And though they
fell off on feveral occaftons to a compliance with the idolatries
of the neighbouring nations, which they mixed with their own
rites, yet the remembrance and belief of thofe fa£ls, udiich al-
v/ays continued among them, had mighty efFefls, in every age of
their ftate. to bring them back to the true woriliip of God, and
to an obedience to their laws. And they have had a great efFecl
evtr lince, wlierever they have been believed, to fill men with a
holy fear of God, and with the moft adoring thoughts of his di-
vine unequalled majcfty and glory. This efFe£l they continue
to have among Cln-iflians, and are like to have to the end of the
world.
It is no iuft objc8:ion againft the truth of the fafts, that they
come to us through the hands of the jews : for what other tefti-
mony can be reafonably defired, or can the nature of the thing
admit of, than the concurrent tcftimcny of that people, to wliom
the laws were given, and among v/hom the fafts were done? A
teftimcny continued throughout all the ages of their nation, and
appearing in all their records and monuments. The fa61s were
done among themfelves, and therefore in the nature of things
could only be witneffed by themfelves. If thofe of any other
nation had recorded them, they muft have had their accounts
from the people of Ifrael: and if they had declared their belief
of thofe fatts, and of the divine authority cf thoI"c lav/s, there
would
Let. XnVIIt. tORD BOLINGBROKE. 'i\^
would have been an equal pretence for reje6ling their teftimony,-
as for rcjcfting that ot the Jev/s. But it is in truth very abfurd
to make it an objeflion, that the accounts of thefe fa61s are tranf-
mitted to us by thofc who were the only proper perfons to give
an account of thofe fa6}s, and by whom alone tliofe accounts
could have been originally given, if they had been true. If \i
be pretended, that the fafts were feigned by them to do honour
to their nation, it mufl be confidered, that, as was before hinted,
they are fo circuirillanced, and mixed wath fucli difadvantageous
accounts of the temper and conduft of that people, as no man
VvTould have feigned wl»o had their honour in view, or who had
not a greater regard to the truth of the fatls, than to the hu-
inouring and flattering that people. For it is plain, that the
fafts miglit have been io contrived, if they had been fiftitious, as
to have'faved the honour of their nation, and not to have givcri
occalion to the fevere ccnfurcs and reproaches which have been
cdft upon them in all ages on that account. And what farther
derives great credit to the relations of thofe extraordinary and
miraculous fafts, is, tiiat the books in v/bich they are contained
not only appear to have been wrritten with an unaiFe^led funpli-
city, and a fmcere impartial regard to truth, mixed with a pro-
found venerahon for the Deity, but they contain the moil re-
markable prediclions of future events, which it was impoiTible
for any human faga city to forefee; particularly relating to the'
future fates of that nation ; the furprifuig revolutions they (houM
undergo; the calamities, captivities, and defolations, that fiiould
befal them; their beincr fcattered and difperfed all over the face
of the earth, and every-where exnofed to hatred, contempt, and
reproach, and yet ilill wonderfully preferved as a diRin6t -peo-
ple, as we fee they are at this day; notwlthdanding they have
for fo many ages loil their genealogies, and been deprived of
their molf valued privileges, and rendered incapable of exercif-
ing their moil folemn facred rite's as prefcribcd in their law, and
v,-ithout any prophets raif(^d*'ap a^nong them, and acknov/ledgcd
by themfelves as fuch, to fupport their hopes. Thefe are things
for vrhich no parallel can be fo.nnd in any other, nation upon
earth. So that the prefent ftate of tliat people, in all refpsEls fo
extraordinary, is a living proof of the truth and divinity ot thofe
writings which contain an account of the laws that were origi-
I 2 nally
•11 6 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld. XXVllU
nally given them, and of the wonderful fafts by which thofe
laws were enforced and eftabliflied. This is a proof flili ftronger
to us, than it could have been in the ages foon after thofe books
were written, and affurdeth one inilance in which the evidence
of thofe fafts, inftead of being diminifhed by time, has acquired
new ftrength and force.
You will forgive the length of this letter, as I was willing to
lay together in one view ail that I thought neceflary for clear-
ing and efiabliliiing the truth of the Mofaic hiffory againft our
author's objeftions, and which, if it be well fupported, the divi«
nity of thofe laws, and of that conftitutionvr^llows with invin-
cible evidence.
LE
1-
ttt. XXIX. I.ORD BOLINGBKCKE, fLl/
LETTER XXIX.
Nature and Tendency of the Mofaic Writings and
the Scriptures of the Old Teflament — Lord Bolingbroke treats
it as Bld/phemy to fay that they are divinely infpired — A Sum^
?nary of his Objections againfl their divine Original and Au-
thority— His Charge againfl the Scriptures, as giving rnean
and unworthy Ideas of God, confdercd at large — The Repre-
■J'entations he him fdf gives of God, and of his Prcvidence^Jliewn
to be unworthy, and of the zoorjl Confequence — Concerning
Cod's being reprefented in Scripture as entering into Covenant
zoith Man — The Pretence of his being defcribcd as a tutelary
God to AbraJiani, and to the People of Ifrael, and of his being
degraded to the ineanefl Offices and Employments, difliuElly
examined — The Paffages in which bodily Parts feem to bs.
afcribed to God, not defigned to be taken in a literal Senfe—^
The Scripture itfelf fufficiently guards againfl a wrong Int^V'
pretatioti of thoje Pafjages — In what Senje human Pajjions
and A/fc&ions are attributed to the Supreme Btincr — A rs-*
■mar liable Paffage of Mr. Collins to this Purpof'e,
SIR,
THE defign of my lafl letter was to vindicate the truth and
credit of the Mofaic hiHory, and of the extraordinary fa6f s
there related. And if that hiftory be admitted as true, the divine
original and authority oi: the Mofaic conilitution is ei'iabliilied,
But befides the external proofs arifmg from the extraordinary
and miraculous facts, whofoever with an unprejudiced mind
looks into the revelation itfelf as contained in the facred writings'
of the Old Teflament, may obferve remarkable internalcharafters,
v/hich demonllrate its excellent nature and tendency. At pre-
fent I fhali obferve, that we are there taught to form, the worthiefl
notions of God, of his incomparable perfections, and of his go-
verning providence, as extending over all his works, particu-
larly towards mankind. We arc at the fam.e time inllrufted in
the true ftate of our own cafe, as we are weak, dependent, guilty
creatures, and ^re direPucd to place cur whole hope and truif in
1 3 GpQ'i
Il8 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld, XXIX.
God alone, and to rei'er all to him, as our chieFffl: good, and
highell end; to be thankfLil to him for all the good things wc
.enjoy, and to be patient and refigncd to his will under all the
artli6iive events lliat befal us. Our moral duty is there fet be-
fore us in its juft extent. The particulars of it are laid down in
plain and exprefs precepts, eniorced upon us in the nanie and by
the authority of God himfeli, whofe love of righteoufnefs, good-
r.efs, and purity, and jufi deteftation of vice and wickedneX'^, are
reprefented in the (Irongert manner. Thofe facred writings
every-where abound \yith the moft encouraging declarations of
his grace and mercy towards the truly penitent, and with the
mod awful denunciations of his juft difpleafure againft obllinate
prefumptuous tranfgre/Tors. And the important leiTon which
runs through the whole is this, that we are to make the pleafing
and ferving, God the chief bufmefs of our lives, and that our
happinefs confifteth in his favour, which is only to be obtained
in the uniform, praftice of piety and virtue.
Such evidently is the- nature and tendency of the facred writ-
ings of the Old Tcftament. But very different is the reprcfcn-
tation made of them by Lord Bolingbrokc. Not content with,
■endeavouring to deilrov the credit of the hiftory, he hath, by ar-
gmncnts drawn from the nature of the revelation itfelf contained
<^
in the Jewilli Scriptures, ufed his utmoft efforts to iliew, that it is^
abfolutely unworthy of God: That ** there are marks of an hu-
*' man original in tliofe books, which point out plainly the fraud
*' and the impoRure*:" And that " it is no leis than blafphemy
*' to affert them to be divinely infpircdt."
The obje6:ions he has advanced againfl the Scriptures of the
Old Tcilamcnt, and efpecially againlt the Mofaic writings, are
principally thefe that follow:
1. That they give the moft unworthy ideas of the Supreme
Being: they degrade him to the raeaneu oihces and emp]o}'raents,
and attribute to him human pailions, and even ih^ worft of hu-
man imperfections.
2. Some of the laws there given are abfolutely contrary to the
law of nature, which is the lav/ of God, and thereh>rc cannot be
of divine original. Pic inftanccth parlicubily in the command
* r-oling'oroke'o Works, vol, iii.p. 288. f Ibid. p. 299.
Z<f/. XXIX. LORD EOLIMGEROKE. II9
for extirpating the Canaanites, and for pimiiliing idolaters with
death.
3. The iirft principle of the law of Mofes is infociability ; and
it took the Jews out 01 all moral obligations to the reft of man-
kind.
4. There are feveral palTages in the Mofaic writings, which are
falfe, abfnrd, and unphilofophical : as particularly tlie account
there given of the creation of the world, and the fall of man.
5. The fanftions of the law of Mofes were wholly of a tem-
poral nature, and were contrived and fitted to humour and gra-
tify the appetites and paffions ; without any regard to a future
ilate of revv'ards and punilhrnents.
Thefe are the principal objeftions urged by Lord Bolingbroke
againft the divine authority of the Scriptures of the Old Tefta-
ment, and particularly of the books of Mofes. There are fome
other fmaller exceptions, which I fliali take notice of as they
come in my way.
1. The nrft clafs of objeftions relateth to the mean and un-
worthy reprefentations that are made to us in Scripture of the
Supreme Being. It hath always been accounted one oi the dif-
tinguifhing excellencies of the facrcd writings, that they abound
with the raofl juft and fublime defcriptions of the Deity, which
have a manifeft tendency to raife our minds to the moll Worthy
and exalted conceptions of his divine majelly, and his incom-
l^arable excellencies and perfetlions. Oar author hinifeif thinks
jFxt to acknowledge, that '* there are many paffages in Scripture,
'* which give moil fublime ideas of the majelly of the Supreme
*' Being:'"' And that " the conceptions which the Jews enter-
*' tained of the Supreme Being were very orthodox in the eye
** oi reafon; and their pialmills, and their prophets, ftrained
** their imaginations to exprefs the moll elevated fentimcnts of
** God, and of his works, and of the methods of his providence"^."
If therefore there be any palTagcs which, literally taken, feem
to. be unworthy of God, they ought, by all the rules of candour
and fair criticifm., to be interpreted in a conliftency with thefe;
fince it cannot be reafonably fuppofed, that thofe who enter-
tained fuch noble and fublime fentiments of the D:vinity, fhould
* Bolingbroke*s Worksj ^'X)k iii. p. 99. vol. i'f. p. /63.
1 4
lf.!lO A VIEW OF THE DEISTiCAL WRITERS. LcL XXIX,
at the fame time, as he would per£uade us they did, form the
ineaneft and unworthieft conceptions of him.
But let us confider the parnculars of his charge; and it amounts
in elTecl to this : That the fcriptures degrade the Supreme Being,
by reprefenting him as defcending to the meaneft oHices and
employments: and that they attribute tp him human paiTions,
and even the woril of human imperfeftions.
As to the firft part of the charge, the degrading the Divine Ma-
jefly to the meaneil, the unworthieft, ofBces and employmenfSj
lie obferves, that, according to the Mofaic account, " the Supreme
" Being condefcendedto be the tutelary God of Abraham, Ifaac,
*' and Jacob, and under this charaQer he afted a part which a fen-
*' (ible heathen, not tranfported by prefumptuous notions of his
*' own importance, nor by the impudence of enthnuafm, would
•*' have thought too mean and too lovv'' for any of his inferior gods
*' or demons'"." This objeftion he frequently repeats in various
forms. He introduces one of the heathen fages as alleging, that
*' among the Mofaic fuperftitions there v/as one, which could be
*' charged neither on the Egyptians, nor any other heathen nation,
*' and which fiirpaffed the moft extravagant of theirs; and this
" was, that the Supreme Being is reprcfented as having taken
•* upon him a name, which was a very magnificent one indeed,
*' and fuch as m.ight denote the Supreme Being, but ftili a nam.e
" by which he might be diflinguifhed as the tutelar Gcd of one
*' family firil, and then of one nation particularly, and almoil
*' exclufively of all others t." But there is no paffage where he
puRies this objection more llrongly, than in p. 463 of vol. iv.
where he obferves, that " the eternal and infinite Being is reprc-
*' fented in the Jewiih hillorics, and in the \vhoie fyflem of their
*' religion, as a local tutelar deity, cavried abouUJn a trunk, or
*' rending in a. temple; as an ally, who had entered into covenant
*' with their fathers; as a king, who had a£lually held the reins
" of their government ; and as an induftrious magiHrate, who
" defcended into all the particulars of religious and civil admi-
*' niflration, even into the mofi minute and meaneil. Thus were
" the Jews accuftomed to familiarize themfelves Vvith the Su-
** prcme Being, and to imagine that he familiarized v/ith them,
* Do!ii^£,broke's Wcrks, vol. ili. p. 504. f Ibid. voL iv. p. 34.
"and
Let, XXIX. LORD BOLINGBRCKjE. 12 1
** and to figure him to themfelves receiving their facrlfices, and
** liRening to their prayers, fometlmes at lead:, as grofsly as Lu-
'*' ciaii rcprefents Jupiter." He feems to think the heathens were
m the right, when they blamed the Jews for *' bringing the firlfc
*' and only God too near to man, and making him an a6lor im-
" mediately, and perfonaliy as it were, in the creation and govern-
** ment of the world*." And he had before obferved, that, ac-
cording to the fcripture, ** the correfpondence betv/een God and
*' man w^as often immediate, and even intimate and familiar witlx
*' his eleft, and with fuch purified fouls as were prepared for it.
*' And that the w-hole tenor of the facred writings reprefentcd the
" Supreme Being in frequent conferences with his creatures:
'' God covenanting and making bargains with man, and man.
*' with God: God holding the language of man, reafoning, ar-
*' guing, expoftulating;, in a very human manner, animated by
" human afFeclions, and appealing to human knowledge+."
Before I enter on a particular difcuffion of what his Lordihip
hath here offered, it is proper to obferve, that though, in a pafTage-
jiift ncv/ cited, the Jews feem to be blamed for bringing the Su-
preme Being too near to man^ and fuppofinghim to be an ajlor
i in mediately, and as it tue re perfonaliy, in the gcvernvient of tk:
zcorld; yet he elfewhere finds fault w^ith the heathen plril^jfo-
phers for excluding the Monad, or fupreme uniiy, from the crea-
tion and government of the world, and hanifdng him alr/wjl in^
tirelyfrom the fy ft em of his works, whereby he became in fame
fort a non-entity, an ahjlratl. or notional being \. A.nd l:e cen-
fures them for " imaging a divine monarchy, on a human plan,
*' the adminiftration of Vv'hich v/as not carried on by the irnme-
*' diate agency of God himfelf, but mediately, as in terreflrial
*' monarchies, by that of inferior agents, according to the ranks
"^and provinces allotted themv)." And to this notion he think?;
a confiderable " part of the heathen idolatry is to be afcribed."
It is hard to know what idea this writer would have uz form of
the divine governmeni:. On the one hand, he feems to think it
a demeaning the majefty of the Supreme Being to fuppofe him to
aci immediately, and perfonaliy, as it were, in the government of
* BC'lingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 463, f Ibid. p. 155.
% Ibid. p. 466. § Ibid. p. 7j.
the
122 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL VvTJTERS. Liit. XXIX.
the world: and on the other hand, he will not allow, that the
divine adminiflration is carried on mediatdy by the miniflry of
inferior agents. And it God docs not govern the world, either
by his own perfonal immediate agency, or by that of fubordinate
agents and inflruments, it cannot eafily be conceived in what
lenfe he can be faid to govern the world at all.
Indeed any one that impartially confiders the fcveral pafTages
above mentioned, relating to the Jewilh fcriptures, and many
others of the like kind, which occur in Lord Bolingbroke's v.-ri-
tings, and compares them with the fcheme which he himfell hath
advanced, and of which an account was given in the eighth letter,
will be apt to think that the real original ground of his prejudices
againll the facred writings is this: That they every- where repre-
sent'God as intereftinghirafeif in the affairs of men : v/hereas he
looks upon it to be unworthy of the divine majefty to fuppofe
tliat he now concerneth hi-mfelf about them, or exercifeth any
care with refpefl to the individuals of the human race. And
fince he alTerts, that *' the mod elevated of finite intelligent
" beings are not a jot nearer to the Suprem.e Intelligence than the
" loweil*," he muft, upon his fcheme, think it as unbecoming
the majeily of God to exercife any fpecial care towards the
higheft of angelical beings, or whatever inhabitants there may be
ill any part of this vaft univerfe, as towards the individuals of
mankind. This fcheme is not only, as was fliewn before, of a
moil pernicious tendency, and maniteftly fubverfive of all religion
and the fear of God, but at the bottom ari^ueth, notwithftandingr
all ics glorious pretences, very dillionourable 2^vA unworthy con-
csotions of the Supreme Being. For either it fuppofeth him not
to be prefent to the creatures he hath made, which is to deny the
immenfity of his efTence, or that, if he be prefent, he hath not a
certain knowledge of them, and of their a£tions and affairs, and
confequcntly is not omnifcient : though our author himfeif fays,
*' It may be demonftrated, that the Ali-perfe8; Being muri be
*' om-nifcient, as well as feif-exiilent t." Or that if he hath a
perfc61 knowledge of the aftions and affairs of his reafonable crea-
tures, yet he is abfolutely indifferent about them, whether they
obey his laws or not; v.'hether good or evil, virtue or vice, hap-
voh ir. p. i8j. f Ibid. vol. 7. p. z^.
pincfs
X^.^. XXIX. LORD BOLIKGBROKE. 1^3
pincfs or mifery, prevail in the moral world. This muO; he
owned to be very well fuited to the charafter of an Epicurean
deity, whofe happincfs conlifleth in an eternal indolence, and
who'is fuppofed to he oi' a nice and delicate condimcicn, unable to
bear the noife, the clamours, and confiifion, of this lower world,
but is no way confillent with the idea of the iniiiiite!y-perfc6^
Being. How much nobler is the idea that is given ns of thj;
Deity in the holy Icriptures! where he is reprefented as filling
heaven and earth with his prefence, and exerci^ng a conftant
infpeftion over all his creatures, and all their actions, as difijofing
and ordering all events, without diftraclion or confufion, in fuch
2 manner, as in the final iiTue of things to provide for the happi-
ncfs of tliofe that fincerely obey him, and go on in the pra6lice of
righteoufnefs and virtue, and to m-anileil a hi?i difpleafure again 11
thofe who obftinately perfiR in an impertinent ccurfe of vice
and wickednefs; and in a word, as governing the v/cr!d, and all
the orders of beinq"s in it, witii infinite wifdom, rifflitco a fnefs, and
equity, and with the fame almighty facility with which he created
them ! Such an idea of God is not only of the greatcd confequence
to the interefls of religion and virtue in the v/orld, but is infinitely
more auffuft and noble in itfclf, and more conformable to the
higheft notions we can form of infinite perfeftion, than that which
th.is v/riter would fubflitutc in its ifcad.
I fhall not add any thing here to v/hat v/as oucred in my
eighth Letter, concerning a particular providence, as extendic':^
even to the individuals of the human race. If providence dotii
not interpofe in human affairs at all, it cannot be expecled tliat
God fhould at any time communicate extraordinary difcoverics
and revelations of his will to mankind. But if, as hath been
ihcwn, providence doth concern itfelf even for individuals, and
for promoting human happinefs, in a way conriftent with moral
agency, it is very reafonable to fuppofe, that it may pleale God
to make difcoverics and revelations of his v/iil, for promoting
the knowledge and praftice of religion and virtue in the world,
and that he may communicate fuch difcoverics to particular per-
fons, or to larger communities, in fuch a way as may heft an-
fwer the intentions of his wife and holy providence, oi v/hich
he muft be allowed .to be the propereft judge. And if he feeth-
fit to make fuch revelations of his will, they muR be commuai-
caied
124 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXi:t,
cated ill fuch a manner as is accommodated to human under-
standings, and fitted to work upon human aiTeftions: and there-
fore, if they be addrefTed to men in a way of reafoning^ arguing,
and expojliilating, it would be abfurd to make this an objeclion,
as this writer fcems to do, fmce there is nothing in this, but what
is wifely fuited to the end we may fuppofc the Supreme Wifdom
and Good nefs to have had in view in giving fuch revelations.
He reprefents it as altogether unworthy of the Si:preme Being
to fuppofe him to enter into covenant with m-an: and in order
to expofe this, he is pleafed to reprefent it under the mean idea
oi God's 77irJnng bargains with man^ or man vnth God. But
if we confider what- is really intended by it, we fhall find, that a
covenant in this cafe is properly to be underllood of a con-
ditional promife, whereby bleaings and benefits are promifed
o-i\ God's part, and duties required on ours : it is a law of God
enjoining obedience, with a promife or prom.ifes annexed^to it,
by which God condefcendeth to oblige himfelf to confer certaiit
benefits upon his creatures, the fubjecls of his m.oral government,
if they fulfil and obey the injuntTtions he hath laid upon them,
and comply v/ith the terms which he hath appointed. And con-
lidered in this view, it is fo far from being a juil objeftion againfl:
the facred writings, that it may be. regarded as their great ex-
cellence, and what fhould mightily recommend them to our
efteem, that God is there reprefented as dealing with man in a
way ot covenant; that is, in a way admirably fuited to us as we
are reafonable creatures, moral agents. By this God doth not
di\'ell himfelf of his charafter and authority as our fupreme uni-
verfal Lord. lie hath an undoubted right to give laws to his
creatures, and lay v^'hat commands or injunftions upon them
he feeth fit, in a v/ay of abfolute fovereignty, without bringing
himfelf under any prom.ifes and engagemicnts ; but he conde-
fcendeth, in his marvellous v>^Ildom and goodnefs, to encourage
and anim.ate our obedience by exprefs promifcs and afTurances
of his grace and favour; and v/e on our parts bring ourfelves
under the mofc folcmn engagements, which bind us more ffriftly
to our duty, by our own exprefs confent ; than which no way of
dealing with us can have a greater tendency to promote our com-
fort, and the interefts of religion and virtue in the world.
As to the particular covenant ir.ade with Abraham, and God's
Let. XXIX. LORD BOLINGBROKE. t2
-o
engaging, as lie loves to exprefs it, to be a tutdary God to him;
this put into othtr words fignifies no more than this, that it pleafed
God to grant to this excellent pcrfon exprefs promifes of his
fpecial grace and favour, Aipon condition of his faith and obedi-
ence; and particularly, that he promifed to give the land of Ca-
naan to his defcendants; and that from him fliould proceed that
glorious perfon, who had been prom-ifed from the beginning,
and who was aftually to come into the world in the fulnefs oF
time, and in Vvhom all the families of the earth were to be blciTed.
This covenant made with Abraham was not only proper, as it
was a dillinguilhing mark of the divine favour and goodnefs to a
perfon, w^ho was an eminent example of piety and virtue, and
the fame of whofe excellent qualities is fprcad all over the eaft,
even to this day, but as it made a part of a glorious fcherae which
the divine wifdom had in viev/, and v;hich was to be accompli(hed
in the fitted feafon, and to be of extenfive benefit to mankind.
So that this particular covenant was really intended in a fubfer-
viency to the general good.
With regard to the covenant made with the people of Ifrael
at Horeb, the defign of it was to ereci a facred polity, the funda-
mental article of which was the acknowledgment and adoration
of the one true God, the Maker and Governor of the world,
free from all idolatry and polytheirm. This tranfaclion was car-
ried on with a majeHy and folcmnity becoming the great Lord
of the univerfe, and which tended to infpire the proFcundeft:
veneration for him, and for the lav/s he was pleafed to promul-
gate. A.nd at the fame time it was wifely ordered, that the people
Hiould bind thcmfelvcs by their own exprefs confent, and folcmii
fiipulation, to receive that conilitution, and obey thofe laws.
The moral laws given to that people were excellent: the judicial
laws juft and equitable: the ceremonial laws vvcre inftituted for
v/ife reafons, fome of which we are able to aiTign at this difiance;
and there is no doubt to be made, that if v/e were well acquainted
with the circumftance? of that time and people, we fliould be
convinced of the great propriety of m.any oi thofe ceremonious
injunftions, which now we are not able particukirly to account
for. Oar author talks of the pried 's zodaring; a ridiculous cap
and hreaJi-ploAe, fringes, and hells, and thinks it abfurd io fop-,
pofe, ih-dt fiich trifics as theft were the irifHiutions of divine zuf
dora.
3 26 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXIX,
{lofii^. But it v/as ^vi^ely ordered under that conflitution, that
nothing relating to divine wcrlhip lliould be left to their ov/n. in-
vention. It was judged proper to give them rules defcending
even to miniue particulars, and to confine tliem to thofe rales,
the more efFeftually to, hinder them from deviating into endlefs-
faperilitions. The particulars referred to, contributed to promote
order and decency in the externals of reiigious fervice; nor was
there any thing in the Jewifn iailituted rites abfurd, indecent,
lidiculous, or impure, as were many of the riies in ufe among
the pagan nations.
As to God's being a tutelary Deity to the people of Ifrael, this,
if ftripped of the form ot expreflion which he has chofen in order
to ridicule it, only ngniHes, that God was pleafed to make fpccial
revelations and difcoveries of his will to that people, and to give
them holy and excellent laws,, at the famie time prom.ihng, if they
obeyed thofe lav.'s, to grant them his fpecial protection, to honour
them, with great privileges and advantages, and to make them
happy in the cffctts of his grace and favour; and threatening, it
they proved obllinate and difobeaient, to intlift upon them awful
puniihments, the tokens oi his rigiiteous difpleafure. And that
there is any thing in this unbecomiing the wife and righteous
Lord and Governor of the world, fuppofing him to concern
felf in human affairs, this writer has not proved, except confid
aHertions muft pafs for proofs. And as to his being the King of
Ifrael, this is not be underfiood as if he did not flill continue to
be the univcrfal Sovereign and Lord of ail mankind. He v.'as
never recrarded as havinfi diveiled himfelf of that charafler. No-
o o
where is his univerfal dominion and governing providence, as
extending to all his creatures, and efpecially to the wliole human
race, more firongly allerted, or more nobly defcribed, than in
the Jewifli Scriptures. But it pleafed him, for wife purpoles,
to ereft a peculiar conllitution among the people of L^'rael, ac-
cording to which he condefcended to be, in a fpecial hnit^, their
King and Sovereign. And what v/c are to uhdcrftand by it is
properly this : that he gave them laws at the firfl edablilhment of
their polity, which were to be the rule of their ftate, and by which
they were to be governed; and upon their obfervance of which
* Bolingbrojie's Works, vol. v. p. 9S,
the
nmi-
cnl
Let. XXIX, LORD, BOLIXCBr.OKE. ic?7
the preferv'dtioR of their natior.al privileges dcpcndecl ; and that
he raifed up judges and governors, who were to rule them iji liis
name, and as by his authority, and to be the leaders and generals
of ^heir armies, for deUvering them froni their enemies and op-
preflbrs: and he was pleafed ah'^o to give them direction in mat-
ters of great and public momeii;., by the oracle of Urim and
Thummim, which was by his appointment cftablifhed among
them for that purpofe. There was nothing in all this but what
was wifely fuited to the nature and defign of that particular con-
flitution, and tended to confirm and ellabli{h that people in the
belief and adoration of the one true God, and to exhibit ^ glo-
rious fenfiblc proof of his governing providence among them.
But the theocracy was never deiigned to fuperfede the office
and authority of the ordinary magiilrates, as this writer feems to
inlinuate, by telling us, that under that conititution God " a£led
*' as an induilrious magiftrate, who defcended into all the par-
*' ticulars of relioious and civil adrainiftration, even into the
o
*' moft minute and rneancll." For thoutrhuhe laws were oria'i-
nally given by God, the execution of thofe laws was ordinarily
veiled in the magiilrates appointed for that purpofe, and chofcii
by the people in their feveral tribes. So they were in the days of
Tvlofes, and under the judges, when the people were more pro-
perly and immediately under the adminillration of tlie theocracy.
But it is farther urged, that God is reprefented in the Jewifii
Scriptures as a local Deity, refiding and dwelling in a temp\k^
or carried about by the Levites in a wooden chejl or trunk. The
author feems fond of this obfervation, for he has it over three or
four times on different occafions. But by this refieftion he has
expofed himfelf rather than the Jews. That people, inilrufted by
their Scriptures, had nobler notions of the Deity than to be ca-
pable of imagining, that the Lord of the univerfe, who, they
v/ere taught to believe, made and govcrneth the v/orld, and fiileth
heaven and earth, v/as fliut up and confined in a wooden cheil;.
It is true, that the more effcclually to prcx'^erve that people from
idolatry, and to imprefs and alRxl their minds with a lively fenfe
of God's fpeeial prefence among them, there Avas one facred
place appointed, the tabernacle firrt, and the temple afterwards,
which was peculiarly dedicated to his folemn worfnip and fer-
vice, There their mod fokmh afts of devotion v/cre to be per-
formed :
128 A VIEW OF THE DEISTlCAL WRITERS. Let. XXIX,
formed : and there was the ark 6r fticred cheft he fpeaks of, in
which were depofited the tables of the original covenant between
God and them: there alfo was a cloud of g\orY, the rnajeflic
fymbol of God's imm^ediatc prefence. It cannot be reafonably
denied, that God may, if he thinks fit, give illuftrious exhibi-
tions of his divine prefence and majefiy by a vifible external
glory and fplendour, in certain places, or on certain occafions.
JBut it dt)th not follow, that he is therefore a limited Being, or
that his efTence is circumfcrioed, or confined to that particular
place, where it pleafeth him tlms peculiarly to maniieiu his fpe-
cial prefence. How far the IiVaelites were from forming fucli
mean notions of the Divinity as this v/riter is pleafedto infinuate,
we have an authentic proof in the admirable prayer offered up by
Solomon at the dedication of the temiple, in the name and pre-
fence of all the people; in which he addrefTeth himfelf to God
in that noble manner: But will God indeed dwell on the earth?
Behold^ the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee !
l/ozo viuch lefs this houfe which I have builded! i Kings viii. 27.
See alfo Ifa. Ixvi. 1.
It has often given me great pleafure torenefl upon what every
one that impartially confiders the fcriptures of the Old TeOa-
nient muft be fenfible of, that the Jews, if they governed them-
felves by their facred writings, were inflrufted, in their ideas of
God, to unite the moft incomprehenfible greatnefs and majelly,
and tliemofl marveljous grace and condefcenfion : to regard him
ss filling heaven and earth Vi^ith the immenfity of his prefence,
and yet as vouchfaling to grant vifible tokens and fymbols of
his fpecial, prefence among them by his ark and temple: as hum-
bling him.felf even in beholding the things that are done in hea-
ven, and yet as regarding the things that are done, in the earth.
They acknowledged the glorious hoils of angels as the attendants
of the divine majcPcy, the blefled niinifters of his power and
Vvrifdora: but (fill as infinitely inferior, and even chargeable with
felly before him: and inflead of erefling them into deities, and
adoring them, as the heathens did, they called upon them to join
with them in worfljipping and adoring the fupreme univerfal
Lord. Th.cy were ready to cry out, v/ith a devout admiration in
the contemplation of God's unequalled dignity and glory, Who
in the heavens can be compared unio the Lord f IVhat is man, that
than
Let, IVIX^. LOrlD B0LINGB2
J29
thoii art mindful of hi ?n? But they did not under this pretence
reprefent him as taking no notice of men, or their concern-
ments. They confidered him as infinitely raifed above the high-
eft of his creatures, yet not neglefting.or defpihng the meanellr
That his name is exalted above all hlejjing and praife, and yet
he hath a gracious regard to our prayers and praifes, if offered
up from fincere and upright hearts. Thus they were taurht in
Scripture to celebrate and adore his matchlcfs grace and eondef-
cending goodnefs, without impairing the fplcndour and glory of
his infinite maje{l:y. And accordingly, in the patterns of devo-
tion that are fet before us in Scripture, we may obferve the moft
adoring thoughts, the mofl fublime conceptions, of God's un-
fearchable greatnefs, and fupreme dominion, and fpotlefs purity;
and the moil; humbling fenfe of human weaknefs, guilt, and un-
worthinefs, mixed with an ingenuous confidence in his infinite
grace and fovereign mercy.
Thus I have confidered pretty largely that part of the objec-
tion, which chargeth the Scriptures with degrading the Deity to
mean and unworthy offices and employments, and fhall now take
fome notice of the other part of the charge, viz, that the Scrip-
tures afcribe to him bodily parts, and human paffioiis and affec-
tions, and even thofe of the v/orfl kind.
With refpcft to the former, he obferveth, that the Jewifn
Scriptures afcribe to God " not only corporeal appearances, but
*' corporeal aftion, and all the inftruments of it, eyes, esrs^
*' mouth, hands, and feet.— And that they are apt in many places
*' to make thofe who read them reprefent the Supreme Being to
*' themfelves like an old man locking out of the clouds*." He
fays, " the literal fignification of fuch exprefTions is abomina-
*' ble." And he ridicules thofe vv'ho throvv what he calls a fUm-
fy allegorical veil over them, as hdiv'mg floUn it from the zvard-
robe of Epicurus. But the ridicule lights upon himfelf, who I
believe was the firft man that would have thought of having re-
courfe to Epicurus to interpret the fenfe of Mofes. There
needs no more than com.mon attention, and a comparing the
Scripture with itfelf, to be convinced that u is incapable of tfitr
abfurd reprefentation he would put upon thofe paffages. He
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. ;2o.
VOL. n. K obferve^
130 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXIX.
obferves indeed, that *' images taken from corporeal fubftance,
•' from corporeal action, and from the inftruments of it, cannot
*' give us notions in any degree proper, of God's manner of be-
" ing, nor of that divine inconceivable energy in which the ac-
** tion of God confifts." Nor are thofe exprefiions of hands,
feet, eyes, and ears, when afcribed to God in fcrlpture, dcfigned
to hgnify either the manner of his being, or of his divine ener-
gy, concerning which there are many noble exprefiions in the
lacred writings, which have an admirable fublimity in them; but
by an eafy metaphor, undcrltood by all the world, hands fjgnify
power, eyes and ears fignify knowledge. And w^hereas he adds,
that " they cannot exalt, they muft debafe our conceptions, and
*' accuftom the mind inreniToly to confound divine with human
*' ideas and notions, God with man :" the anfv/er is obvious : That
fufticient care is taken in the holy fcriptures to prevent this, by
furnilhing us with the moft fublime ideas of the Divinity that can
poilibly enter into the human mind. God's incomprehenfible ma-
jefly, his im^menfe greatnefs, his almighty power, the infinitenefs
of hisunderftanding, his omniprerence,are frequently reprefented
and defcribed in fo admirable a manner, as fhews, with the lall
degree of evidence, that the expreiTions which feem to afcribe
bodily parts and members to him cannot be underftood in a
grofs literal fenfe. Our author himfelf, afcribing motives to
God, obferves, that " we muil fpeak of God after the manner
*' of men*." And indeed we mud either not fpeak of God at
all, or vre m.uft fpeak of him in ways of exprellion, originally
derived from fomething relating to our own bodies or minds.
This writer elfewhere infinuatcs, that we refemble God no more
in our fouls than we do in our bodies; and that to fay his intel-
lect is like ours, is as bad as the anthropomorphites +. So that,
according to him, expreffions drawn from the faculties of the
foul, are as im.proper as thofe drawn from the members of the
body. Thus, under pretence of a profound veneration for the
Deity, we muft not fpeak of God at all, as forae of the ancient
philofophers thought it unlawful to name him, or to worjfhip
him, except in filence. Yea, we muft not fo much as think of
him ; for our ideas of God fall, no doubt, infinitely fliort of his
* Bolingbroks'i V/orks, voL v. p. 468. f Ibid. p. 35.
rcil
Lei, XXIX. lOUD EOLINGBROKE. i'^i
real majelly and glor}', as well as our exprcfTions. But it may-
be obferved, that this forward cenfurer falls into that way of
talking himfelf ^vhich he finds fault with in the holy fciiptures.
He reprefents God 2l% f peaking to men by the law of nature: he
calls it tlie voice oj God, and the word of God. He fpeaks of
the hands cf God*, and of his feeing ail things. And though
he reprefents the afcribing ideas to God as no lefs improper, and
even profane, than the afcribing hands and feet to him, yet on
feveral occafions he talks of the divine ideas.
But he farther urges, that the fcriptures attribute to God human
affeftions and paflions, and even thofe of the Avorft hind: that
*' they impute fuch things to the Divinity as would be a difgrace
*' to humanity t:" That *' the Jewifh fyflem contained fuch
*' inftances of partiality in love and hatred, of furious anger, and
*' unrelenting vengeance, in a long feries of arbitrary judgments,
" as no people on earth but this would have afcribed, I do not
*' fay to God, but to the worft of thofe monilers, who are fui-
*' fered or fentby God, for a fhort time, to puniih the iniquities
*' of men 4:." To the fame purpofe he afterwards obferves, that
according to the reprefentations made in fcripture, God *' loves
*' with partiality, his mercy is arbitrary, and depends on mere
*' will — And towards m.ankind his anger is often furious, his
*' hatred inveterate, his vengreance unrelentinij: but when the
*' wicked repent of their fins, he repents fometimes oi his fevc-
*' rity." And then he afks, " What a:, defcription is this of the
*' All-perfe8: Being?" But this defcription is his own, and is
founded on a grofs mifreprefentation of the true intention and
defign of the facred writings. 'As to loving with partiality, it
by that be meant his favouring and diftinguiihing fome with
greater privileges and advantages, and giving them more valua-
ble means of improvement than others ; nothing can be more
evident, than that this has been often and ftill is done in the
courfe of his providence. Nor is this any more to be found
fault with, than his making different fpecles of beings, fome vafl-
]y tranfcending others in their faculties, and capacities for iiap-
pinefs. He is the abfolute Lord and difpenfer of his own gifts,
and his goodnefs is that of a free and fovereign Benefailor; and
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 395. f Ibid, voh iil. p. 299.
% Ibid. vol. V. p. 515.
K 2 ' -
132 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let, XXIJT*
it would be the height of abfurdity and profanenefs to pretend
to tie him down to give to all men precifely the fame capacities,
the fame advantages and opportunities, and to limit him fc, that
he (hall not difpenfe liis gifts in fuch meafures and proportions
as he thinks fit, nor fhall have it in his power to do any thing
for any one perfon or people, but what he does precifely for every
perfon and for all people. But if by partiality be meant par-
tiality in judgment, and in the diftribution of rewards and pu-
nifiiments, it is very unjuft to charge the holy fcriptures as at-
tributing fuch partiality to the Supreme Being. There is no-
thing more llrongly and exprefsly afferted there, than that God
accepteik not the perfons of men ^ and that hcjudgeth without ref-
peB of perfons. It is evident, not merely from a fmgle pafTage,
but from the whole tenor of the facred writings, that the right-
eous Lord loveth righteoufnefs : that he extendeth his favour to
all thofe of the hum.an race, of whatever family or nation, who
fincerely love and obey him, and go on in a courfe of real piety
and virtue: that fuch perfons alone can hope for an intereft in
jiis favour, and to obtain the divine acceptance and approbation:
find that all wicked and prefumptuous finners, of whatfoever na-
tion or profefiion, fliall be expofed to his juft difpleafure. Nor
are there any fuch things afcribed to God in fcripture as arbi-
trary judg?nents. And whereas. this author charges it as un-
worthy of God to reprefent him as repenting of his fever ity v;hen
x\\^ wicked repent of their fins; the thing really intended by this
inuft be acknowledged to be agreeable to the bed ideas we can
form of his governing wifdom, righteoufnefs, and goodnefs : for
it only figniiies, that when finners forfake their evil -ways, God
is gracioully pleafed to change the methods of his dealings to-
wards them, and is willing to receive them to his grace and fa-
vour. But in reality there is no change in the divine purpofes
or counfels. The change that is wrought is in the mind and
temper of the finner: God atls uniformly according to the Rated
rules of his adminiflrations; and nothing has happened but what
he perfeftly foreknew ^. But repenting, in a fl:ri61; and proper
* His Lordfliip feems to think it an unanfwerable obje6tion againfl the
Tvlofaic writings, that in the account there given of the flood, God is repre-
fsnccd as having " repented that he made man.';
But
Ltt. XXI X» LORD BOLINGBROKE. I33
fenfe, as it Is a mark of human im-perFe6lion and mutability, is
exprefsly denied of God in the holy fcripturc; where we are af-
fured, that God is not as the/on of man that hejkould repent.
As to the exprefiions of anger, wrath, fury, hatred, vengeance,
as afcribed to God in the facred writings, it is a thing fo obvious
that it can fcarce be millaken, that thefe are only ftrong expref-
fions, defigned to imprefs the hearts of men with a more lively
fenfe ot God's righteous difpleafure againft fm and wickednefs,
and refolution to punifh it; which it is of the higheft importance
to mankind to confider and believe. Any one that allows him-
felf to think impartially, muft be fenhble, that fuch ways of re-
prefenting things are abfolutely neceflary in a revelation defigned
for comm.on ufe ; and that it is far more for the good of the
world in general, and for promoting the interefts of virtue, and
reftraining vice and wickednefs, that men fhould conceive of
God as loving and taking pleafure in the good and righteous,
and as full of juft refentment againft evil-doers, than as utterly
unconcerned about the aftions and affairs of men, or alike af-
fefted tov/ards the righteous and the wicked. Yea, the former
notions are not only more ufetul, and of better influence, but
jnore juft and rational in themfelves, arid more worthy of the
But it is manifeft, that this is only an emphatlcal way of exprefTion, to fig-
nify God's jufl difpleafure at the great and univerfd wickednefs of mankind,
and at their having fo far fallen from the noble end of their creation; and
that therefore, after having tried the methods of indulgence towards them,
he faw fit to fend a deftruclive deluge for exterminating that Incorrigibis
race. And it is plain, that according to the dodtrine of the facred writings,
which every-where reprefent God as foreknowing the afllons of men, this cor-
ruption of mankind was what he forefaw from the beginning; and the puniilr-
ing them in this manner made a part of the original fcheme of divine provi-
dence, though it did not a<^ually take effcd till the proper time came for
executing it. As to what he mentions in a fneering way, concerning God's
fmelllng the fzueet fci'uour of Noah^s burnt-offering, it is fufficient to cbfcrve,
that the defign of the expreffion is plain and eafily intelligible, viz. to lignify
God's gracious acceptance of the acl of devotion performed by that good
man, to acknowledge his gratitude, and implore the divine mercy; and that
on that occafion God was pleafed, after having made £0 fignal a difplay of
his juflice, to allay and diffipate the fears which might be apt to arife in the
hearts of men, and to afllire them of his merciful intentions towards them,
r-nd that he would not any more fend an univerfal deluge upon the earth j of
which the rainbow in the clouds Ihouid be a cscltant memoiial.
K 3 All.
i34
A VIEW OF THE DE!STI€AL WRITERS, Lff. XXIX,
Ail-perfecl Being. For what idea is this of God, to reprefent
him as neither delighting in order and virtue, nor dirplca{ed with
vice and wickednefs, but folacing himfelf in an eternal indo-
lence, and no-way concerned about the good or ill behaviour,
the happinefs or mifery of his reafonable creatures! A God def-
titute of ail affections, or of any thing correfpondcnt to them,
would not be the moft perfect Being. There are fpiritual affec-
tions, which have nothing to do with body, and which as pro-
perly belong to fpirits or minds, as intellect or v/ill ; and I can
as eafily fuppofe them deftitute of the latter as of the form.er.
Our affe6lions indeed have ufually a great mixture of bodily
paffions, and confequently of imperfeftion : but there are affec-
tions of a nobler kind, and which we may conceive in pure fpi-
lits; yea, they cannot be conceived without them: nor can we
avoid afcribing fome affections, or v/hat is analagous or equiva-
lent to them, to God, provided we remove from them all thcfe
imperfections and defefts with which they arc attended in us.
A love of order, goodnefs, purity, virtue, and ajuff deteftation
of moral evil, is abfolutely infeparable from the idea of the In-
iinitely-perfc£l Being, the moft wife and righteous Governor of
the v/orld.
I lliall conclude my obfervations on this part of Lord Boling-
brcke's book with a paffage from an author whom no man will
fuppofe to have been prejudiced in favour of th'e Scriptures: it
is Mr. Anthony Collins, in an Effay, which he publiOied in 1707,
concerning the Ufe of Re a fen in Propojitions, the Evidence where"
of depends upon Hmiian Teflimony. After having obfervcd, that
" one ufe of reafcn in things which by the teflimony of men are
*' fuppofed to come from God, is to endeavour to find out fucli
•' a fenfe of a fuppofed divine revelation as is agreeable to the
*' difcoveries of our rcafon, if the words under any kind of con-
*' flruBion will bear it, though at iirll viev^ they mzy feem re-
•' pugnant to reafon, and to one another;" he adds, *' this is
*' certainly a great piece of juilice, and what is due to words
*' that upon the leall evidence can be- fuppofed to come from
*' God, efpecially fince expreiTions that do literally quadrate
*' vrith the maxims of reafon and philofophy, are neceffary to
*' make a revelation have any effect upon common people's minds.
*• For \yas not God to be reprefcnted by expreffions, which, li-
" terally
Let, XXIX. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 135
*' terally underftootl, attribute to him human pafTions and anions,
*' thev who by their occupations in the world are incapable oi
*' thofe more juft ideas which men of thought know to belong to
*' that Being, would perhaps think him incapable of taking cog-
*' nizance of their aftions : and therefore to make a revelation
*' ufeful and credible in itjelf, it muft confifl of words whofe
*' literal meaning is falfe, but whofe real meaning is con (i {lent
*' with the jullelt notions of reafon and philofophy. And there-
•' fore we ought to exam.ine whether the words under any con-
** Oruftion will bear a reafonable fenfe," p. 17, 18. Mr. Collins
then applies this obfervation to the revelation which we acknow-
ledge, and confiders thofe pafTages of fcripture where God is faid
to refly repent, be angry, &c. It mull be owned, that this gentle-
man judges much more reafonably and equitably in this matter
than Lord Bolingbroke has done.
This may fuffice at prefent. In my next I iliall confider the
other objeclions which his Lordfhip hath urged again ft the divine
authority of the Scriptures of the Old Teltament, efpecially of
$he Mofaic writings.
K^ LET.
1'?.6 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. LcL XXX.
LETTER XXX.
Farther Objeclions agairifi the Mofaic IFrititigs and the Scrip-
tures of the Old Tejiament confidcred — The Laws of Mofes not
contrary to the Law of Nature — This particularly fhewn with
regard to the Command for exterminating the Canaamtes, and
the Law for pumfhing thofe among the Ifraelites that fnould
revolt to Idolatry with Death — The Law of Mofes not account-
Me for the Fury of the Zealots — The Lnfiances of Pkineas and
24attathias confidered — Infociahility not the firft. Principle of
the Law of Mcfes, nor did that Law take the Jews out of all
Moral Obligations to the reji of Mankind — There is nothing
fa ft or abfard in the Mofaical Account of the Creation of the
: World and the Fall of Man — Concerning the Sanciions of the
Law cf Mojes — The not inaking exprefs Mention of future Re-
tear as and P amfiments in that Law, no Argument againfl. its
divine Original — Seme other Objections againfl the Scriptures
obviated,
' . SIR,
I NOW proceed to another fet of objeflions, which are de-
f'gned to ih^w that fome of the laws of Mofes are abfolutely
contrary to the law of nature, which is the law of God, and
therefore cannot coir.e from him. Ke inftances particularly in
the command for exterminating^ the Canaanites, and the law for
punifning idolaters among the Ifraelites witii death. '* In both
" which," he fays, *' it is fuppofed impioufly, againft principles
*' as feif-evident as any of thofe neceflary truths which are fuch
" or ail knowledge, that the Supreme Being commands by one
*' law what he forbids by another*:" and that *' he approved
*' and commanded on particular occaficns the moif abominable
*' violations of the general laws of nature t." I fhali confider
what he has oITered with regard to each of thefe.
As to the command, for exterminating the Canaanites, it is
v.-hat he frequently inveighs againft, as thegreatcft piece of in-
* Eclingbroke's Wtrks, vol. v. p. i8o. f Ibid. p. iSi.
iuRice
Let, XXX. LORD EOLTNCEROKE. 1 37
juillce and cruelty that ever was committed^''. And he has pro-
nounced, that " the men who juftity fuch cruelties upon any
"' hypothefis v/hatfocver, mull have very ill hearts as wcli as
"heads:" And tliat " he who imputes them to the Supreme
*' Being is worfe than an athcift, though he pafs for a faint t."
1 fhall venture however to examine what this rigid cenfurer has
ofFered on this fubjc^L -
He firll layeth it down as a principle, that " God cannot com-
*' mand in particular what he forbids in general. He who has
" made benevolence to all rational beings the fundamental law
*' of our nature, can never command fonie to rob or to murder
"others; to ufurp on the rights of their fellow-creatures, and
*' to exterminate whole nations:}:." The force of his argument
here lies wholly in the words rob and murder, both which carry
the idea of depriving others of their lives and properties, without
a juft caufe, and without lawful authority. But though God
has forbidden us, both in the law of nature and in the decalogue,
to murder, he can command fome to put others to death for j nil
caufes, in which cafe it is not murder. He never, by giving this
3av/ to mankind, divefted himfelf of the dominion he hath over
the lives of his creatures. He can alfo commifTion, for wife end:,
fome to deprive others of their properties. For the law oi na-,
ture is always to be underftood with this limitation, except in
cafes where God himfelf fhall otherwife appoint. It is no prin-
ciple of that law, that God can never without injuftice exter-
minate nations. That he can do it in a way of immediate judg-
ment, by fending deflruftive calamities, fam.ines, peftilences,
earthquakes, deluges, and the like, cannot be denied by any
theift who believes a providence governing mankind, and inter-
pofing in the affairs of rnen. And if he can do it immediately
himfelf, he can commiuion men to do it, provided he gives fuf-
ficient credentials of that commifiion: and fuch the Ifraelites
had, according to the accounts given in the books of Mofes. And
in judging of the cafe, how far it is juftifiable, we muft take it
in all its circum.ftances as there reprefented. Our author him-
felf fuppofes the miracles done among them, if really done, to be
* See particularly vol. ili. p. 305. yoh v. p. 99- 146.
f Vol. iii. p. 506, ' J Vol. y. p. ^9.
Sufficient
,138 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld. XXX.
fiifficient to convince all mankind, not only at that time, but in
all facceeding generations to the end of the world, of the divine
authority of that law and conilitution; and therefore fufficient
to convince the people of Ifrael. All therefore that remained
was, that they (hould be fatisfied of the truth of the fafts, and
of this they could not doubt, as they were done before their
eves. And the fame books which give an account of the ta6ls,
give an account of the divine commiiTion to the Ifraelites, and
the reafons and ends of it. And v/hereas it is urged, that " the
" Canaanites were obnoxious to the divine vengeance in no other
" refpe6lthan that which was common to them with all the hea-
*' then nations, viz. their idolatry ^," this is not true according
to the account given by Mofes, Lev. xviii. 24, 25. 27. v^hereby
it appears, that it was not merely for their idolatry, but for their
inonftrous vices and wickednefs of all kmds, that they were
ordered to be exterminated ; and that never was there upon
earth a more profligate and abandoned race of men. And fup-
pofing this to be true, and that God had determined to fignalize
liis righteous vengeance againil them in the fevereft manner, he
might, without any pretence for arraigning the juftice of his pro-
ceedings, have confumed them by lire from heaven, as he did
part of them at Sodom and Gomorrah, or have overwhelmed
them with an inundation, or have fwallowed them up by an
earthquake, and thereby utterly deilroyed that people, their little
ones as well as the adult. Nor could it have been faid in fuch
a cafe, that this was contrary to the law of nature. But then it
would not have been fo apparent, that this calamity was inflifted
in a way of punilhment for their idolatry and deteftable wicked-
nefs. It might have been polTibly attributed to feme natural
caufe, or have been regarded as an unaccountable and fortuitous
event : but when they v/cre ordered to be exterminated for their
abom.inable crimes by an exprefs command of God, attelled by
a feries of the moil amazing miracles and divine interpofitions,
and this appointed to be executed by another nation, who were
peculiarly fet apart by their original confiitution to the acknow-
Icdrrment and adoration of the one true God, and of him only,
and to whom God had given the moft holy and excellent laws ;
* Bolingbrcke's Works, vol. v. p. 184.
at
T.XK, LORD BOLINGEROKE.
^39
at the fame time threatening them with the like puninmicnts i£
tliey committed the hke crimes : in this cafe the reafon of the
judgment was as apparent, as when a malefaftor is put to death
by an officer of juftice for a crime, in execution of the fentence
of a juft maglftrate. Nor is there any thing in fuch a procedure
that can be proved to be inconfiftent with the wifdom and rigiit-
eoufnefs of the Supreme Being, or contradi6fory to his owu
laws ; fmce there is no law of nature that debars God from exe-
cuting judgments on particular perfons, or guilty nations, for
their crimes and vices, even to extermination, or from employing,
if he thinks fit, one or more nations to execute his judgments
upon others. Nor has this confident and afTuming writer broup-ht
any proof that it is fo. As to his comparing the invafion of Ca-
naan by the Ifraelites, and what they did there, to the cruelties
exercifed by the Spaniards in Am^erica*, and to the ravages of
the Huns under Attila, who, he fays, were much more merciful
than they f, there is this vaft difference between the cafes, that
the latter had no m.otive or pretence, but their own ambition,
avarice, and cruelty, whereas the former did it in execution of
the exprefs command of God, and by a commilTion from him,
the truth of which was confirmed by a fcries of the mofl extra-
ordinary divine atteflations that ever the world faw. This tliere-
fore can be no precedent to any other nation to do the like, ex-
cept they can produce the fame or equal proofs of a divine com-
miOion ; which no other fmce have been able to do, and probabK''
never will. This mav fuffice with regard to the command for
the extermination of the Canaanites : which I have elfewhere
confidered more largely. See Anjzuer to Chrijlianity as old a?
the Creation^ vol. ii. p. 429. 437.; and i\\t Arifwer to Morgan,
vol. ii. p. 07, effeq.
The other comm.and produced by this auihor to prove that (he
law ol Mofes is contrary to the law of nature, and therefore
cannot be of divine original, is the law for putting a falfe prophet
to death that fiiould attem^pt to feduce the people to idolatrv, and
for the inflicting a capital punifhment upon any particular pcr-
fon among the Ifraelites that fiiould revolt to idolatry, and even
deftroying a city that fhculd do fo. Concerning this he very
* Eclingbrcke's Works; YcL iii. p. 305. f Ibid. vol. v. p. 148.
dng-iiiatica:lv
140 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXX.
dogmatically prortourxces — " I fay, that the law of nature is the
*' law of God. Of this I have the fame demonftrative know-
*' ledge that I have of the exiftence of God, the all-perfe6f Being.
*' I fav, that the all-periefi; Being cannot contradift himfelf :
•' that he would contradift himfelf, if the laws contained in the
*' thirteenth chapter oi Deuteronomy were his laws, fince they
*' contradift thofe of nature: and therefore that they are not his
" laws. Of all this I have as, certain, as intuitive a knowledge,
♦' as I have that two and two are equal to four, or that the whole
*' is bigger than a part*." A very fhort and decifive determina-
tion of the controverfy! but we are by this time too well ac-
quainted with his Lordihip's manner, to lay any great ftrefs on
his pofitive afTeitions, though delivered with the moft affuming
air.
The argument he makes ufe of here is the fame that he had ufed
before, viz. that the law of nature forbids m.urder. This will
be eafily allowed. But it is not inconfifLent with that law which
forbids murder, to put perfons to death who are guilty oi crimes
that by the fundamental laws of the community deferve death.
If Gcd fliould have cna61ed a general law obligatory on all man-
kind, that wiiofoever fliould commit idolatry, or worfiiip any other
god, fhould be put to death, as well as that any man that (hould
filed the blood of another without caufe fliould be put to death ;
this author might be challenged with all his confidence to prove,
that fuch a divine law would be contradiftory to the law ot na-
ture. Idolatry, by his own acknowledgment, is forbidden in the
law of nature, and is a breacli of the firfl; and great article of that
law; and he reprefents is as one of tkc greatejl of crimes t. But
God has not thought fit to enaci: a general law obligatory on all
mankind for puniTning idolaters with death, and v/ithout his ap-
pointment it ought not to be executed. But when it pleafcd
him for wile ends to feleft a particular nation, and among them
toere6la peculiar facred polity, and to appoint that the adoration
of the one true God, and of him only, (hould be the very bafis
of their conflitution, on which all their privileges, their national
properties, and their right to their country, depended, it is evi-
dent that under fuch a conftitution to revolt to idolatry and poly^
* ^olingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 191, f Ibid. p. 195.
theiftHj
Let. XXX. LORD BOLINGBROKE. J <^ a
theifm, W3S in the moll criminal fenfe to be traitors to the com-
munity; and to arraign a law for inflifting a capital puniih-
ment upon idolaters under that particular conftitution is highly
abfurd. Nor could any thing be more juH in fuch a cafe, than to
order that a falfe prophet, who fhould endeavour to feduce the
people to idolatry, fhould be put to death: though this writer
objects againft it as unjuft, for this ftrange rcafon, that '* miracles
** were daily and almoll hourly wrought in the fight of all Ifrael ^•.'*
This is abfolutely falfe, if underftood of miracles ftriRly fo call-
ed; or if it were true, it is an odd thing to urge, that which
made the crime of the falfe prophet the greater, to be a reafon
for exempting him from puniOiment.
But what he chietly finds fault with, is the law for deflroying
any Ifraelitifh city, that fhould fall off to the worfhip of idols,
Deut. xiii. 13, 14, 15, 16. He urges, that " the innocent were
*' to be involved in the fame punifhment with the guilty; neither
** man, nor woman, nor beail, neither the brother, the daughter,
*' the wife nor the friend, was to be fpared : and that the whole
"chapter is fuch an edi^l as could not be imputed to Attila with-
** out injaftice." — And after exclaiming againfl the obftinacv
of thofe that pretend to juflify the law of Mofes in this inflance,
he obferves, that " by that law the undiflinguifhing extermination
*' of colleftive bodies, and efpccially for matters of opinion, is
** allowed f." And afterwards, arguing againfl Mr. Locke, he
adds, that '* even fuppohng God to be their King, the obje6lions
*' of injuffice and cruelty in thofe laws will remain in their full
** force: and th.at to fnppofe him to have given thcfe laws would
*' be to degrade the All-perfe6l Being to the character of an un-
*' juft and cruel tyrant, who authorized and even commanded
*' his miniflers exprefsly, to punifh without meafiire, without
** difcernment, and without forms of julticei." And he infi-
nuates, that there are precepts in that chapter, " from which the
*' inquifition copied the inflru6Hons fhe gives to her familiars §./*
But this is a grofs mifreprefentation. He himfelf elfewhere
obferves, that " the cruel principle of perfecution for opinions
*' was never known till Chriitians introduced it into the world || ;"'
* Bolingbrpke'sWork?, vol.v. p. 183. f Ibid. p. 184.
X Ibid. p. 194. J Ibid. p. 183, 1] ibid. p. 313-
thoii'^h
1^2 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXr.
though contrary, as he owns, to the true fpirit of the Gofpel.
And it is manii'efl, that the puniihrnents referred to, Deut. xiii.
•«,vere not to be inflicted for matters of opinion but oi praftice,
for open afts of idolatry, in fubverfion of the fundamental con-
ilitution of their Hate; and great care was to be taken, that the
puniumient fhould not be executed without due inquiry, and
full proof. They were to inquire^ and make fear cJi, and ajk di-
ligently, fo as to be afTured that it was truth, and the thing cer-
tain. Great deliberation was to be ufed: and except the whole
city was obflinately addifted to idolatry, and determined to per-
iift in it, they were not to be exterminated. And confidering
the defign and nature of that peculiar conllitution, a decree or
law, for exterminating a city among them.felves that fhould revolt
to theworOiip of falfe gods, feemed neceffary, and was like the
cutting otT a corrupt or gangrened limb, which was requifite to
fave the v/hoie. If God had, at the original eftabliOiment of that
polity, declared that he himfeif would in an immediate way by
peftilence, or fire from heaven, or fome other extraordinary judg-
2!ient, exterminate or deftroy any city among them that fiiould
revolt to the v/orfhip of idols, it could not be pretended that this
would have been unjuH, though children as well as adult would
be involved in it. But he chofe that the punifliment fliould be in-
flitted in a judicial v/ay by the hands of the magiilrates, and by
the authority of the nation or whole community, purfuant to a
law for that purpofe. And the punifliment was both ordered to
be executed with great folcmnity, and to be attended with cir-
cumftanccs of peculiar feverity, fo as to proceed to utter exter-
mination, the more effeftually to create a horror and detefiation
of the crime, and to fiiew that fo wicked a race was to be entirely
deftroycd. To. which it mud be added, that this punifliment was
denounced in confequence of the original contraft or covenant
between God and that people. By coming into that covenant
for themfelvesand their children, they voluntarily fubje6ted them-
felves and them to the feverefl: penalties in cafe of a revolt. And
Gonfidering the mighty advantages they had as a nation by the
theocracy, and by their peculiar conftitution, and the fignal blef-
fmgs that would have followed upon their obedience, it was a
condition which could not be reafonably objcfted againft, fince
they migh.t lo ealiiy avoid the threatened calamities, by obedience
to
J^eJ. XX^. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 14^
to a law fo jufi: and agreeable to reafon, as is that of the worfhip
of the one true God, the Lord of the univerfe, and of him only.
And to have legaiiy tolerated any among them, whether parti-
cular perfons or communities, that (hould openly revolt to ido-
latry, would have been manifelliy abuird, and abfolutely fubver-
iive^ of their whole polity.
This writer takes particular notice of " the right the zealots
" affuraed to affaflinate any Jew that fliould fcem to them to vio-
*' late, by public and ftrong appearances, the fanftity of the Di-
*' vinity, of the temple, and Oi the nation:" and that " this pro-
** duced fuch fcenes of horror among the Jews as no other nation.
*' ever produced." It will be owned, that the zealots in the lat-
ter times of the Jewilli flate carried this to an excefs of madnefs
and fury; but the law is not accountable for it. It is evident
from the thirteenth chapter of Deuteronomy, which orders the
punifliment of thofe that (hould revolt to idolatry, that the whole
was to be tranfafted in an orderly and legal way, with great de-
liberation, and by public authority. And the fame thing is re-
peated, Dcul. xvii. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. where it is ordained, that with
regard to any particular perfon that had ferved other gods, they
lliould, before they puniihed him, inquire ^nd Jearck diligently.
And it is exprefsly appointed, thrdt at the mouth of two or three
zoitiuffes he (Iiould be put to death, but that at the mouth of one
witiufs he fliould not be put to death. Nor does Lord Boling-
broke pretend to produce any la^7 to authorize the madnefs of
the zealots. He only mentions two inllanc'es, v/hich, bethinks,
countenanced it, viz. that of Phineas, and that of Mattathlas.
As to the former, he fays, " Pluneas murdered Zimri and Cofbi
*' in the acf of fornication." But this Vv^as not a firnple a61; of
fornication. It was joined with avowed idolatry, and, as it was
cifcumRanceQ, was a moft infolent defiance of all law and au-
thority, one of the mofl fl;igrant crimes, in open oppofition to God
and man, that could be committed. Tlie perfon v/ho infiicced
the puniiliment was himfeif a chief m.agiftrate, of high authority,
and in a cafe which needed no proof, and admitted of no delay,
when a plague from God v/ar, broke out among the people, on
the account of that very crime which thefe perfous fo nnpu-
dently avowed: and it was alfo in confcquence ot an order
which Mofes had given by th$. command of God to the Judges
144 ^ ^^''^^'•^' ^^ '^^^- DEISTICAL WRITERS. ZcL XX^.
of Ifrael, to flay thofe that were joined to Baal Peor — Numbers
XXV. 4, 5. So that Phineas had full legal authority for what he
did. And therefore this wa^ no warrant to thofe who without
any authority afTaffinated any man they thought fit, under pre-
tence of his violating the law, of which they fet up themfelves for
judges. As to the inltance of Mattathias, our author obferves,
that " in the fury of his holy zeal he rufhed on the Jew that was
*' about to facrifice in obedience to the edift of Antiochus, and
*' on the officer appointed to take care of the execution of the
" edi61, and murdered them both"^." That we may judge of
this, it is to be confidered, that never was there a greater tyrant
than Antiochus. He had entirely fub verted the whole Jewifh
conftitution, abolifhed the ancient laws, and maflacred the peo-
ple. If ever there was a juft foundation for rifmg up in defence
of religion, law, and liberty, here was an occafion that loudly
called for it. In thefe circumftances Mattathias, who was not a
mere private perfon, but a ruler, and a great and honourable
man in the city of Modin where he dwelt, flew a Jew, who was
then openly committing a crime, for which by the fundamental
laws of his country he ought to have fuffered death, but at a
time when no legal juftice in the ufual forms could be had. He
alfo killed the King's ofHcer, who was then compelling the peo-
ple to fubvert the lavv's. This he defigned as a fignal to the in-
furreclion which he immediately began: an infurreflion fully
juflifiable, if ever any was fo, and which was carried on with a
noble fpirit and fortitude, and with a fuccefs that ended in the
fubverhon oi the horrid tyranny, and the happy refloration oi
their liberties and laws. Such an atlion, fo circumflanced as
that of Mattathias, if it had been performed by a Greek or Ro-
man, in oppofition to horrid barefaced tyranny and cruelty, and
in vindication of the cfTcntial laws and liberties of his country,
would have been highly celebrated, and tranfm.itted to all fuc-
ceeding ages as a mofl glorious aft of heroilm.
The only thing farther that I fhall m.ention is, what he cb-
fervcs concerning *' the mafiacre which the Levitcs made of
•' three thoufand men in one day, when they were commanded,
•' without any other form of proceeding, to take every man his
* Bolingbrokc's Works, vp], v. p. 180.
*' fvv'ord,
Let. XX3J. LORD EOLINGBROKE.
14,:
*' fword, and to flay his neighbour*." This muft be owncd-ta
be an extraordinary punifhment, and the occafion was extraordi-
nary. The revolt of the people was the moft inexcufable^ by
this writer's own acknowledgment, that could be fuppofed. It
happened when the law had been juf.. pronuilgated with the moil
amazing folemnity, and the conftitution eftablilhed, to which
they had given their own confent. The body of the people had
thereby expofed themfeives to deflrutlion : and if they had been
Gonfumed in an immediate way by a plague, or fire, or fome ex-
traordinary judgment from heaven, it was no more than they
deferved. It was neceflary that fo open, fo public, fo aggravated
a revolt and infurre6lion againft the majeily and authority of the
fupreme univcrfal Lord, to whom they themfeives had fo lately
in the moft folemn manner vowed fubjcftion and obedience,
fliould be diftinguifhed with marks of great feverirty. In cafes of
crimes v/hers great numbers have been concerned, it has fomc-
times been thought juft to decimate them, to make on? in tc:i
i'uffer the death they all deferved. But here of above fix hundred
thoufandj three thoufand only fuffered, not above tlie two hun-
dredth part of the whole. The numbers that were- concerned
rendered the trying each of them in a formal procefs, which is
what he feems to require, impraclicable. Nor was there any
need of it. The fa6l was public and notorious: and the perfons
that fuffered were undoubtedly fuch as were knov/n to be moll
guilty, and to have been moft aflive in promoting the defeftion
and revolt. And the immediate punifliment of thefe was the
iTioft fpeedy way of quelling the inrurre6iion, and bringing the
whole body to a fenfe of their guilt and of their duty*;
The third objection I propofed to take notice of, as raifed by
this writer againft the Mofaic ceconomy, is this: That " thefirll
" principles, and the whole tenor of the Jewifti laws, took that
•' people out of ail moral obligations to the reft of m^anbind:
*' That they were taught to think them.felves a chofen race, dif-
*' tinft from the reft of mankind, and Vv^ho were far from owing
" to other men, v\4iat other men owed to them, and \.o one ano-
*' ther. This produced a legal injuftice and cruelty in their
" whole condu6f, authorized by their law, and prcffcd upon them
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. i4''5i
VOL. II, L '' by
146 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXlCl
" by their prieHs arid prophets'^." And he elfewhere obferves,
that " the firll principle of their polity, ecclefiaftical and civil,
" was infociability : and accordingly their manners were rendered
" imfuitable to the common nature and genius of mankind i."
This is a heavy charge; but, if clofely examined, this infocia-
bility aniounteth to no more than this: That they had not a com-
munitv of religion and rites with the heathens, as the heathens
had with one anotlier, and which they could not have without
abfolutely deftroying and defeating the end of their moft excel-
lent conltitution ; that they were not to intermarry witli idolaters,
and were obliged to keep clofe to the obfervation of their own
peculiar laws and culloms; feveral of which were defigned to
preferve them as a diftinfl body from mixing and incorporating
wnth other nations. And confiderlng how different their con-
ilitution was from that which obtained in other countries; that
all the world about them was immerfed in idolatry and poly-
theifm, and that they themfelves were very apt to fall in with
the idolatrous cufloms of the neighbouring nations, and to which
mankind in all ages have been very prone : confidering thefe
things, if great care had not been taken to keep them diftinB, by
feveral peculiar rites and cuHoms, and to hinder them from in-
termarrying \y\i\-\ their idolatrous neighbours, they could not
poiTibly have preferved their conHitution : they mull have been
foon mixed and confounded with ether nations : the confequence
of wlrich would have been, that they would have fallen into a con-
formity to their religion and v/orihip, and have loft their own.
And fo the whole defign of that admirable polity, fo well fitted
to preferve the knowledge and worfhip of the one true God,
and of him only, in oppofition to the univerfally-prevailing
poiytheifm and idolatry, would have been defeated; and all
nations would Irave been involved in the fame comilion idolatry,
and perhaps have continued in it to tliis day. For, according
to the plan laid by the divine wifdcm, Judaifm prepared the
way for Chriftianity : and all that is good in Mahomctanilm
is derived from tlie one or the other of thefe. But though tlic
people of Ifrael were obliged thus to keep themfelves dif-
tin6f, and though none were regarded as flrittly and properly
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iii. p. 290. Sec alio ibid. p. 233.
f Ibid. vo!. V. p. 14S. See dfo ibid. p. 198.
incorporated
Ld. XXX. LORD B0LING2RCKE. I47
incorporated into their body who did not conform to tiie pecu-
liar laws of their polity, they were not obliged to confine their be-
nevolence tothofe of their own nation. They were direftcd, by
many exprefs precepts in their law, to fhew great kindnefs to thofe
of other nations, to the ftrangers that pafTcd through their land, or
that fojourned among them : to exercife great humanity towards
them, and ferve them in all friendly offices. This is not only allow-
ed, but llrongly prelFed upon them in their law, as any one will be
convinced that impartially confiders the pafTages referred to at the
bottom of the page■^^ And the Jews themfelves obferve, that the ,
precepts prefcribing a kind condufl: towards Grangers are incul-
cated one-and-twenty times in the law.
It is mere calumny and abufeto fay, that the Jews were aullio-
rized by their law, and prelTed by their prophets, to exercife cru-
elty and injuilice towards the reft of m.ankind ; and that they
Were abfolved from all moral obligations, and from all rules of
juftice, equity, and fidelity v/ith regard to them. Nor v/as there
any thing in their law to oblige thera to perfecute others for tlieir
opinions in religion, or to compel them to conform to their pecu-
liar rites. On the contrary, they allowed thofe of any other n?.-
tion to dwell among them, and to v/orfliip at the temple, where
there was a court provided for them who worlhippcd the one
true God, the maker and preferver of all thingSj'though tliev did
not obferve the rites which were peculiarly prefcribed to thofe
of their own body. And how happy v/ould it have been, if tlie
principles of toleration had been always carried thus far among
thofe of other profeffions [
Their looking upon themfelves to be God's chofcn people"
oucrht to have engaged them to great thankful nefs to God for
fuch eminent advantages, and to have put them upon diftinguid-i-
ing themfelves by the purep.raftice of religioh and every virtue,
that they might walk worthy of their charafter and privileges : if
they abufed this to pride and infoience, the fault was not in their
law, but in them.felves. Mankind haye been always too prone
toabuTe their real or fuppofed advantages. The Greeks regard-
ed the reft of the world as barbarians. And Socrates is intro-
duced oy Plato, in his fifth book of laws, as du-eding the Greeks
* Lev. xix. 24. xxr. ZS' Numb. xxvl. 11.. Deut. x. 17, 18, 19. xxiv.
59, ^0, ziy ?,:••
L 2 to
14^ A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITER5. Let. XXZT.
to regard the barbarians as by nature their enemies, and as
prefcribing a conduft towards them which is little reconcile-
able to the common rules of humanity. Chriflians cannot but
look upon it as their great advantage, that they are diilinguirned
from many other nations which are funk in the groilell ignorance
andbarbarifm. And it would argue the moft inexcufable flupi-
dity and ingratitude not to be very thankful to providence on this
account. But this is no juil reafon for treating thofe nations
with contempt and cruelty.
The fourth objeftion which was mentioned w^as, that there
are feveral pafTages in the fcriptures which are falfe, abfurd, and
unphilofophical. And he particulaj'ly inffances in the account
there given of the creation of the world, and the fall of man.
With refpe£l to the former, he fays, " It is impofhble to read
*' v/hat Mofes writ on that fubjeft, without feeling contempt for
*• him as a philofopher, and horror as a divine. For he is to be
" confidered under both thefe characters^." And he takes upon
him to pronounce, that " we cannot admit Mofes's teftimony
" concerning tlie beginning of the world for divine, v/ithout
*' abfurdityand blafphemyi."
There cannot in my opinion be a greater inftance of the moft
tmreafonabie prejudice, than the objections that have been raifed
againft the authority of Mofes, from the account he gives, of the
creation. Whofoever will take the pains impartially to compare
it with the accounts left us in the traditions of the moft ancient
nations, concerning which the reader may fee the introduction to
the Univerfdl Ihjlory , relating to the CoJmo(rony, or the Creation
cf the World, will lind the account given by Mofes fo vaftiy fu-
perior, as will naturally lead him to regard it as of an higher ori-
ginal. There is a majeriy and fublimiiy, as w^ell as fimplicity and
plainncfs in it, vrhich hath greatly recommended it to the beft
judges. Nothing could be fo proper to anfwer the defign he had
in view, as to begin his book with an account of the creation of
the world. If he had merely afterted in general, that God creat-
ed the world, and all things that are therein, this would not have
iDade fuch an imprciFion upon the people as. was proper and ne-
ceftary in a matter of fuch vaft importance, and whiclj, according
* Bolingbroke's Work?, vol. iii. p. 2:1. 28 j. f Ibid. p. 30S.
Let. XXX. LORD BOLIXGEROKE. I49
to the anther's own obfervaticn, " leads to the acknowledgment
*' of the Supreme Being, by a proof levelled to the meanefl iin-
** derftanding*." And therelore it was proper to give them
more diftinct notions of the formation of things by the divine
power and wifdom. Accordingly he diftinctly mentions the
light, the firmament, the fun, the moon, and liars, the earth, the
fea, the plants, and vegetable prodii6ls of the earth, the various
kinds of animals, and laflly, man himfelf ; and aflurcs thcin,
that thefe various appearances were not oV/ing to a variety of
caufes, which, according to Lord Bolingbroke, the firft men in
the rude uncultivated ages v.'ould be naturally led to believe, but
were all owing to one and the fame glorious original caufe and
author. It is evident, that v/hat was principally defigncd was to
give an account of the formation of our fyftem, as far as relates
particularly to our earth : at the fame time alluring them, that
the fun, moon, and flars, all the heavenly bodies, which the na-
tions were apt to adore, were created by God. The v/hole is re-
prefented as having been effe61ed with an Almighty facility. That
God only fpoke or commanded, and it was done. All things
were created by the word of his power, which tends to give a
noble idea of the power and majefty of the great Creator. Yet
this great work, according to Mofes, was carried on in an orderly
progreflive way. There is a general account given of the vifible
and fuccefhve changes wrought each day upon the face of the
earth till it Vv-as completed. Eut our author, who is determined
on every fuppofition to find fault with the Mofaic account,
blames Mofes for reprefenting the folar fyftem., or even this our
planet, jis having been the work of fix days. He thinks " fuch
*' precipitation feems repugnant to that general order of nature
*' which God eifablifhed, and which he obferves in his produc-
*' ti'onst." As if the firft formation of things maft neceirarily have
been carried on in the flov/ way which is now obrerved, after the
order and courfe of nature is once eftabliflied. It is perfectly
aiireeable toreafort to believe that the firft f'^/rnation of the world,
and the feveral fpecies of things in it, did not tal:c up a long
fpacc of time : and yet there is no reafon to think that it was all
perfefted in an inilant, without any intervals, though it would
* Bolingbroke's Works, yol. Hi. p. 253. f Ibid. p. ^^z.
L3 . te-a
i5^
A VIEW CF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXX.
have been eafy to th^ divine power to have done fo. And this
writer, who feeras here to think the creation as reprefented.by
Mofes to have been too much precipitated, and accomplifhed in
too (hort a time, fcems elfewhere to think that it was too ilowiV
carried on. Fftr he fays, " we muft not conceive the world to
*' have been made by a laborious progrcfTion — God willed it to
*' exift, and it exifted*."
As to the particular order in which the creation v/as carried
icn, according to the account given by Mofes, this writer, with
all his confidence, has not.been able to prove, that there is any
thing in it inccnhilent with reafon or with true philofophy:
-though he has paffed a fevere cenfure on thofe who have en-
deavoured to " reconcile the Mofaic account to reafon and na-
*' ture, and to wreft natural philofophy into an agreement with
*' itf." Heinftances in ivlofcs's faying, that " liglit was created,
*' and the di{lin61ion cf night and day, ot evening and .morning,
*' was made, before the fun, the moon, and the {i;ars:|:." But
we know fo little of the real nature of light, that no man can
pretend pofitively to determine, that it could not have made its
appearance before the fun and moon and planets v.'ere completed
in their prefent form and order. As it feems to be the ncblefl
iubftance in the m.aterial world, it is reafonable to believe, that
at the firft formation of things it was nrft created, or at leafl fe-
parated from the chaotic m^afs-, and put in m.otion, fo as to make
a diftinftion between light and darknefs, and fome kind of fuc-
cciTion and vicifhtude of the one and the other, anfweringto d:iy
and night, evening and morning: though it is evident, from the
account given of the work of the fourth day, that it was not till
then that the fun, m.ocn, and flars, were rendered ccnfpicuous to
the earth, and the order and courfeof things fully fettled, fo as to
caufe the proper diilinftion of times and feafons, days, months,
years; for which> reafon no notice is taken of the formation of
thofe heaven'fy bodies till that day. It is to little purpofe to fay,
as his Loidihip has done, that " Mofes was as ignorant of the
■*' true fyftem of the univerfe as any of the people of his age.'*
This is more than he can prove. But if it v/ere fo, it was not
* Bollngbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. iii. f Ibid. p. i8i.
'I Ibid. vol. iii. p. 301.
neceiTary,
Ld. XXX. LORD BOLINGBROKE* JJl
necefTary, fuppofing him infpired as a prvopbet or a lawgiver",
that he fhoiild be inTpired alfo with a knowledge oi:' the true fyflem
of philofophy and adronomy. Or, ii' he had been ever fo well
acquainted with it, it vv^ould have been altogether improper to
have given an exaQly pliilufophical account of the creation: nor
could any fuch account of it have been given, confidering the
different fyftems of philofophy that have obtained, but what
would have been as much found fault with, and perhaps more,
than that which he has given. The truth is, fuch an account
would have been no way accommodated to the capacities of the
people: it would have perplexed and confounded, inftead of
inflrufting them. It was proper, for many reafons, that the ac-
count fliould be drawn up in a popular way, and yet in a way
that is at the bottom agreeable to the real truth of things. So
the moon is very fitly called a great light, and it may be truly
called fo, becaufe it yields great light to us, though, ftri6lly and
philofophically fpeaking, it has no light of its own at all. And
now, after all our improvements in philofophy and aftronomy,
we ilill fpeak of the light of the moon, of the fun's motion, rifing,
and fettin?. — And the man that in^a moral or theolocrical, or in
an hiftorical difcourfe, would ufe a different language, would
only render himfelf ridiculous.
Lord Bolingbroke farther objetls, that though Mofcs afcribes
the creation to God, *' yet when God. proceeds to the creation
*' of man, he calls in other beings to co-operate with him, and
*' make man in his and their image. This feems to lay a ioun-
*' dation for polytheifm, which is inconfiflent with that unity o^
*' God which my reafon (hews me, and v/hich the general tenor
*' even of the Mofaic hillory attefts*." And fmceby his own ac-
knowiedjrment the general tenor of the Mofaic writings leads us to
aflert the unity of God, this plainly Ihews that the paffage he re-
fers to was not defigned to infer polytheifm. And if there be
fomething unufual in the manner of exprefHon, it muil be in-
terpreted in a confiftency with the whole Mofaic law ; nor can'
it be fuppo'fed that Mofes intended it otherwife. And this plain-
ly appears from the very paffage itfelf, confidercd in its con'.iex-
ion. For after having told us, Gen. i. ver. 26. that Godjaid,
J.ct lis make 'man in our image, after our hkenfjs: he adds,
f ]3a]iii2^->^"okc's Works, vol. iii. p. joo.
L 4 ■ ver.
t^2 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld. XXX*
ver, 27. And God created man in his imager in the image of God
created he him : where it is plain, that what is expreffed pliira-Ily
in one verfe is fingular in the other: and that the deOgn of thofe
exprcflions, Let us make ynan in our image, was not to figniFy
that other beings joined with God in the formation of in?.n, and in
iiiakinghim in their as well as God's image; fmce it is exprefsly
declared in the words immediately following, that God created
7r.an in his own image, and for the greater emphafis, and as it
v.'ere on purpofe to prevent fnch a ccnftrufticn, it is a^ain re-
peated, 171 the image of God created ke him. I would cbferve
by the way, how much nobler the account is, that is siven by
Mofes Oi the formation of man, than that v/hich was given by
the 'ancient Egyptians, of whofe wifdom and philofophy our
author fpeaks in fuch high term.s, and from whom, he v/ould have
us believe Mofes derived all his v/ifdcm and icnowledgs. Thev
taught, as he obferves from Diodorus Siculus, that " the firil of
*"hum-an kind were quickened into ]ife*by the fun, and were ani-
" mated fyftems of mud." And he thinks, that " if we are per-
•' fuaded that this world had a beginning in time, w^e muft of
*' neceiTity affume, that the iirft m.an and the firfl woman, or that
*' one m.an and one woman at leaft, w^cre produced in full
*' iliength and vigour of body and mind*." This is agreeable
to the Mofaic account, which is perfectly confident with reafon,
though there is no great likelihood that reafon alone could have
anured us of it ; for, as his Lcrdihip there obferves, " how men
" came into the world, reafon will tell us no better than hif-
*' tcry or tradition docs." This therefore is a proper fubje£t of
divine revelation.
It argues a ftrange difpontion to find fault, to lay fuch a ilrefs
as Lord Bolingbrcke has done, upon that particular manner of
expreffion Tvlofes rr.akes ufe of, that God rcjled the Jcventh day
from all his work, as if it were alone fufiicient to deftroy the
authority of the Mofaic waitings. No man that impartially con-
fjders the noble account there given of the creation, that God is
reprefented as having only fpoke and it was done, can reafon-
ably imagine, that the defign of thofe cxprelfions was io fignify,
that God v/as wearied with the laborious zvork of creation, as
^ PpIiDgbrcke's Works, vol. y. p. 107, 108.
our
Let, XXX. LORD BOLINGBROKE. i c,%
our author expreffcs it, and needed reft after it, as men do who
are tired with their work. Hajl thou not known, faith the pr.c/-
phet Ifaiah, Haft thou not heard, that the everlaft.ing God, ikt
Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faintetk not, neither
is weary? Ifaiah xi. 28. All therefore that can be underllood
by that manner of expreflion, is only this, that God had then
finiOied the work of tlie creation, and had a divine ccmplarccncy
in it.
As to the Mofaic account of the fall of man, it is what his
Lorafnip has frequently endeavoured to expofe. And it has
hz^n a conftant fubjecl of ridicule to the deiftical writers in every
age. But if it be candidly and impartially examined, as it {lands
conneSed'with the account given by Mofes of man's original
dignity, it will appear to be of great importance, and to lurnifli
inJlruHions of excelient ufe.
The-account given by Mofes of the fiate in which man was at
£rft created, is fhort, but fuch as tends to give a noble idea of his
ciignitv; as having been created in the image ot God, m a ftate
of purity and innocence, and invefted with a dominion over all
the other creatures in this lower world. 'His Lordfnip, itl a paf-
fage cited above, fays, that " fuppofing the world to have had a
*' beginning in time, we mud of neceffity affume, that the firft
*' man and the firft woman, or that one man and one woman at
*' lead, were produced in full ftrength and vigour of body and
** mind." And indeed- man caimot reafonably be fuppofed to
have h^tn at firft created in a ftate of infancy, for then he mull
foon have perifhed. He was therefore formed in a ftate of ma-
turity, as were the other animals, and undoubtedly in a found
and happy conditution of body ; and it is equally reafonable to
fuppofe that he was created in an anfwcrable perfeftion of mind :
and that confequently there was in man at his nrd creation a
perfetl harmony and jufl balance in the fcveral faculties of Ins
nature, that his intelle6lual and moral powers were found and
clear, and uncorrupt, his appetites and pafTions in a date of jud
fubjection to reafon and the law of the mind, and his affeftions-
rightly difpofed. Here then is a date of moral reftitude, in
v/hich, according to all the ditlates of reafon and good itn^Q, man
mud be fuppofed to have been created. Nor can any thing be
inore abfuid than to fuppofe, 'that this noble creature, who was
condituted
S54 ^^ "^'^^"^V C>F THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXX,
conftituted lord of this inferior creation, the crown and ornament
of God's works here below, made his firfl appearance in the
world, as a huge over-grown infant, in full vigour indeed and
beauty of body, but a mere child in underflanding, and with a
foul utterly unfurniflied. It is reafonable to believe, that he
that made him would" not turn him out into tl^ world abfolutely
dePiltute of knowledge and ideas, but that he immediately endued
, him with fo much knowledge of things, efpecially of his Maker,
of the creation of the world, and of his duty, as qualified him
tor anfwering the ends of his being. Mofes informs us, that
great things were done for him by the beneficent Creator: that
he was pleafed, in his great goodnefs, to provide a peculiarly de-
lightful feat for the entertainment of his innocent creature, a
hlifsful paradife, where he was placed amidfl a profufion of joys.
And as there was none among the inferior animals that were put
under his dominion, with whom he could cultivate that fociety
and friendiliip for which his nature was formed, it pleafed God
to make another creature of his own kind, bone of his bone, and
flefii of his fiefii, adorned with all the charms of beauty and in-
nocence, to whom he was to be united in the deareftties of love.
And from them was to proceed a race of creatures of the fame
fpecies.
In this ftate man was undoubtedly obliged by the law of his
creation to obey and adore his Creator and Sovereign Lord and
Bcnefaftor, and to yield a ready obedience to all his known
cammands. But though univerfal obedience was his duty,
Mofes acquaints us, that there was a particular command given
hnn by way of trial. Nor was there any thing in this unbecom-
ing the Supreme Wifdom and Goodnefs. Since God was pleafed
to conftitLit^ him lord of this inferior creation, and had given
Inm fo large a grant, and fo many advantages, it was manifeflly
^proper, in the nature of things, that he fhould require fome par-
ticular inflance of homage and fealty, to put him in mnnd that
he was under the dominion of a higher Lord, on whom he de-
pended, and to whom he owed an unreferved fubjeftion. And
what properer inftance could there be, in the circumilances man
was then in, than his being obliged, in obedience to the divine
command, to abftain from one or more of the delicious fruits oi
paradife? It pleafed God to infift only upon his abftaining from
^ one,
Let. XXX. LORD BOLINGBROKE.
'55
one, at the fame time that he indulged him a full liberty as to all
the re,{l. And this fcrved hoth as an aft of homage to the Su-
preme Lord, from whofe bountiful grant he held paradife, and
till its enjoyments, and it was alfo fitted to teach him a noble
iind ufeful lefTon of abilinence and felf-denial, one of the moi!:
important lelTons in a flate of probation, and aifo of unrefcrved
lubmillion to God's authority and v/i'il, and an implicit refjgna-
tion to his fovereign wifdom and goodnefs. It tended to ha-
bituate him to keep his fenfitive appetite in a perfect fubjeftion
to the law of reafon, in which confifts the proper order and har-
mony of the human nature, and to take him otF from too clofe
an attachment to fenhble good, and alfo to keep his defire after
knowledge within juft bounds, fo as to be content ^vith kno\^/-
ing what is good and ufefui, and not to pry with an unwarrant-
able curiofity into things that it did not belong to him to know.
Mofes farther informs us, that our firfl parents tranfgreffed the
command given them for the trial of their obedience, by eating
the lorbidden fruit. How they cam.e to do this, when they were
created innocent and uprigiit, may feero firange, and really is fo.
But the fame objeftion might have been made with regard to the
firft fm, or tranfgreffion of the divine law, whenever it happened,
%vhether among men or angels. For, Oycept we fuppofe them
to have been created actually depraved, or under a necelhty of
finning, which would be to make God himfelf the author of hn,
they mull have been formed in a flate of purity and rectitude,
arid capable of keeping the law of God, which v/as given them as
the rule of their obedience: and then the difficulty would recur,
hew came they to fall and difobey, when they might fo eafiiy have
ilood and continued in their obedience? AH that can be faid, is,
that man, though created upright, and v/ithout any wrong affec-
tions or difpofitions, yet was a free agent, and therefore had it
in his power to difobey. The account given by Mofcs of the firih
fin is very fhort. There were probably feveral circumftancef;
attending it, which we are not informed of. But from w^hat is
faid of it, we may gather, that the tempter, who, by the con-
fcnt of the Jcwidi and Chriftian church, was an evil fpirit
making ufe of the fcrpCnt as an inlfrument, endeavoured both
to work upon the fenfitive appetite, and upon that defire of
knowledge and pre-eminence fo natural to the human mind, and
which
150 A VILW OF THE DEISTICAL WPJTERS. Let. XSS.
"which is of great advantage when kept within proper bounds,
Ke might probably pretend, that the tree had a hidden excel-
lent virtue in it, of which he might plead his own experience as
s proof; and that therefore they had fome way mifunderflond
the command, or at lead God would not be fevere upon them if
they tranfgrelicd it. If they had exercifed their thinking pow-
ersj as they might and ought to have dor.t, they might eafily
have feen through thefe fpecious illufions. But this' they ne-
glecled, and were inexcufable in doing f o ; (ince'they ought not
to have hearkened to any pretences or infmuations whatfoever,
iigainft an exprefs divine command, 10 plainly given, and which
was particularly dcfigned as a trial of their obedience, and was
fo eafy to be obferved. Their difobeying in fuch circumfrances
was in effeft an attem.pt to throv/ off the allegiance they owed to
God, an infurre6lion againft his fovereign authority, and an ar-
raigning his governing wifdom, and the bafefl ingratitude to his
iniinite gocdnefs^ which had placed them in fuch a noble and
happy ftation, and had heaped fo m.any favours and benefits upon
them. And now they had nothing but diur.al profpe£ls before
them : there was an unhappy change in the face of things : they
were expelled out ofparadife : the earth left much cf its beauty
and fertility : and. they became fubjeft to many pains, difeafes,
?.r\A death. Yet God did not utterly caft them off. He gave
them tokens of his readinefs to receive them to his grace and fa-
vour upon their fmcere repentance : and by the original promife,
the true nature and defign of which was probably more dif-
tinccly explained to our firft parents than is mentioned in that
fliort account, lie gave them to underftand, that lie vrould not
leave them to perilh without' remedy under the curfe and mifery
brought upon them by means of the tempter ♦, and that he
v/Quld raife up for them a glorious Deliverer, who was to pro-
ceed from the woman's feed, and to refcue them from the nnfc-
I'ics and ruin to v/hich they had expofed themfelves by their fm
iird apoflacy. And there is reafon to think, that they had hopes
given them, that though they v/ere ftill to be fubjecx to many-
evils, and to temporal death, as the efFe£rs and punifhment of
fm, yet upon their repentance, and fmcere, though imperfet^
obedience, tliey were to be raifed to a better life. And accordingly
the hopes of pardoning mercy, and the cxpetlation cf a future
life,
Let. xx:s:. loPvD bolingeroke.
ic57
life, feem to have obtained from the beginning, and to have
fpread generally among mankind, and made a part of the primi-
tive religion derived from the firft parents and anceftors of the
human race.
I have laid thefe things together, that we may the better fonn
a judgment concerning the Mofaic account. The fum of it is
this : That man was originally created pure and upright, conRi-
tuted foon after his creation in a happy paradife, and admitted
to many tokens of the divine love and favour ; but that he fell
from that ilate, by finning againft God, and violating the com-
mand given him as a ted of his obedience; and that he thereby
brought death and mifery into the world, with all the penal evils
to which the human nature is -nov>r obnoxious. And thefe arc
excellent inftru£lions. What can be more agreeable to right
reafon, or have a better efFeci:, when really believed, than that
God made man at firft upright and happy, in a ftate of moral
re£litude : that fin,' which was owing to his wilful defeftion
from God, was the fource of all the evils to which the human
nature is new expofed, and which therefore are not chargeable
on God, or on his original conilituticn, but on man hinifcif :
that mankind are now in a lapfed ilate, but not forfaken of God,
who hath in his great goodnefs provided a proper remedy, and
hath been pleafed to aiTure them of his readinefs to receive them
to his grace and favour, and to accept and reward their repent-
ance and fmcere obedience.
And nov.^ upon this, view of things it will be no hard matter
to anfwer the objections wliich Lord Eolingbroke hath urged
againft the Mofaic account of the fall.
He reprefents it as abfurd to fuppofe, that *^ this moral fyftem
*' was deilroyed by the wiles of a ferpent, and by the eating of
*' an apple, almofl as foon as it began, againfl the intention as
" well as comm/and of tlie Creator "*." As to the command given
to our fail parents to abftain from the fruit of a particular tree,
at the fame time that they had a full grant made to them of all the
other delicious fruits of paradife> it had nothing in it inconfiilcnt
with the divine goodnefs, and it Iiath been (liewn, that in the
circumf.ances man was then in, it was a command very proper
* Bolingbroke's V/orks, vol. iii. p, 301.
to
1q2 a view of the deistical writers. LeL xxx;
to be given; and the tranfgreiTmg this command, at the folicita-
lions of any tempter whatfoever, was an inexcufable aft of dif-
obedience : that this fm was committed againft the intentioit
as well as command of the Creator^ is very true, if by its being
again fl his intention be underftood that it was what he did not en-
courage or approve ; though it was what he forefaw, and thought
iit in his wife providence to permit. He urges indeed, that
*' God might have prevented man's tali by a little lefs indulgence
*' to what is called fpee-will *.'"' And he eliewhere'mentions the
*' feventy with which God punifhed our firil parents, for a fault
*' which he foreknew they would commit, when he abandoned
*' their free-will to the temptation of committing it t." This, if
it proved any thing, would prove that it is unjuft in God ever to
puniOi any man for any fni at all : for whenever men ku, it may
be faid that he leaves them to their own free-will, and that it is
what he foreknew. No doubt God might, by an exertion of his
abfolutc om.nipotency, have hindered our firft parents from fin-
ning; and he might have hindered either men or angels from
ever finning at all. But we fee, that in fa6l he chufes, as a
moral governor, to deal with men as moral agents, and leaves
them to the liberty of their own wills. And in the cafe here
referred to, man had full power to have ftood, and to have refifted
the temptation; and his not fo doing was his own fault, and not
owing to any dcfe61 of goodnefs in God. He himfelf furnifhes
a proper anfwer to his own objcftion, when he ob{"erves, that
" it may be truly faid that God, when he gave us our reafon, left
*' us to our free-will, to make a proper or improper ufe of it ;
*' fo that Vv^c are obliged to our Creator for a certain rule and
*' fufficient means of arriving at happinefs, and have none to
"blame but ourfelves when we fail of it:^." And to the fame
purpofe he faith, that " God has given to his human creatures the
*' materials of phyfical and moral happinefs, and has given theja
*' [acuities and powers to recoileft and apply thefe materials.
*' What v.-e (hall do for ourfelves, he has left to the freedom of
*' our eleclions^."
He urges, that " the dcftrine oj tv.'o independent principles,
* Bo'ingbrokc's Works, vol. Hi. p. 301*
X Ibid. p. 388.
+
Ibid.
vo]
1. V.
p.
321.
<}
IbiJ.
?.
474
((
the
Let. XXX". LORD BOLIXGEROKE. IJ9
** the one good, the other evil, is not fo abfurd as the doctrine
*' of an inferior dependent being, who is aflumed to be the autlior
*' of all evil; and that to affirm, that a God fovereignly good,
*' fuffers an inferior dependent being to deface his work in any
*' fort, and to make his otiier creatures both criminal and mifer-
*' able, is ftili more injurious to the Supreme Being ^." And
* Ibid. vol. iv. p. 20. The fcripture do<flrine of evil angels, of whonn
Satan is reprefented as the head, hath been fo often found fault with, that it
may not be improper on this occasion to offer fomething for obviating the
prejudices which fome have conceived againft the fiicred writings on this
account. That God made creatures of a nobler order, and of fubiime ca-
pacities and powders vaflly fuperior to man, is what Lord Bolingbroke him-
felf allows to be very probable *. And as it is reafonable to bcliere that they
were made free agents, why may it not be fnppofed that fome of them made
a wrong ufe of their liberty, and became depraved and corrupt? And if or.e
of them, of diu:ingui(hed power and dignity above the refl, by a perveruon of
his great abilities, became eminent in evil and wickednefs, and particularly
inllrumental to draw others to fm and difobedience, it cannot be pretended
that this fappofition carrjeth any abfurdity in it. And in fuch a cafe it might
be expelled, that Ii^ and his affociates would prove enemies to all goodnefs
and virtue, and that having fallen from their ov/n felicity ard glory, they
would envy the happinefs of others, and endeavour to dravv" them into guilt
and m.ifery. This is what wc often lee bad men do, who are arrived to a
great degree of corruption and depravity. His Lordfhip indeed pretendeth,
that the fuppofition of an inferior dependetit being ivho is ajpiimedto be the author
ofallevilyis more abfurd than the dodrine of t^uo independent principles^ the
one goody the other evil. If by being the atithor of all evil, be undeiilood that
there is any one inferior dependent being, who is the fole univerfil caufe of
all evil, and that there is no evil but what he is the author of, it.is v^rcng to
charge the fcrlpturcs or chriftian divines with afiuming it: but to pafs by this
mifreprefentation, it is evident to the common fenfe of mankind, that there
is a vail difference between the fuppofition of an Almighty and independent
evil being, a fappofition full of abfurdity and horror, and that of an inferior
dependent being, who was made originally pure and upright, but fell by his
own voluntary defciftion into vice and v/ickednefs, and whoj though permit-
ted in many inftances to do mifchief, and to a(5l according to his evil incli-
" rations, as wicked men are often permitted to do in this prefent ffate, yet \z
ftill under the fovereign controul of the moft holy, wife, and powerful gover-
nor of the world. For in this cafe we may be fare, from the divine wifdom,
juftlce and goodnefs, that God will in the f.tteft feafon inflidt a puniHiment
upon that evil being, and' his affociates, proportionable to their crimes; and
*' Bolingbroke's Works, vol. i\\ p. 177. Vol. v. p. 3:9, 330*
that
i6o A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. let. XXX.
again he repeats it, that " it is inconfiftent with the goodnefs and
" wifdom of God, to fuffer an inferior being, his creature, and a
** creature in aftual rebellion, to baflle his defigns-'." And if
he fuffered this evil being to compel them to be criminal and
miferable, it would be fo: but not, ;if he fufFered him only to
tempt and to feduce, and at the fame time made them every-way
able to withlland the temptation, and provided them with fuffi-
cient means to that purpofe ; which was the cafe of our firft
parents. God had done all that was proper for him to do as a
moral governor, to prevent the defection. Pie had formed them
in a ftate of moral reftitude, and endued them w^ith good dif-
pofnions. The creation was frefli about them, and the glorious
evidences of the divine wifdom, power, and goodnefs! They
knew that he was the Author of their beings, and that from him
flowed all the bleflings they enjoyed. He had given them the
mod exprefs injunftion in the plaineft terms, and ftrongly in-
forced, to prevent their difobedicnce. I fee not therefore why
God fhould exert his own omnipotency to hinder fatan from
tempting them, fince he could only tempt but not compel : and
they were fufficiently armed and provided againll every temp-
tation that could befal them, if they would but ufe the ftrength
and advantages they had ; v^-hich, all things confidered, were
fuperior to thofe that any of their pofterity have been fince
poffefTed of.
His Lordfiiip takes notice of *' the feverity which had been
*' excrcifed on the whole race of mankind, who (hare in the
*' punifhment, though not in the crime i." And again he charges
the divines for fuppofing ,'* that all mankind were puniOied for
that in the mean time he fetteth bounds to their malice and rage, and provid-
eth fufiicient afliftance for thofe whom they endeavour to feduce to evil,
whereby they may be enabled to repel their temptations, if it be not their
ov/n faults; and that he will in his fuperior wifdom bring good out of their
evil, and overrule even their malice and wickednefs, for promoting the great
ends of his government. This is the reprefentation made tons of this mat-
ter in the holy fcripture; nor is there any thing in this that can be proved to
be contrary to found reafon. And we may juftly conclude, that in the final
iflue of things, the wifdom, as well as righteoufncfs, of this part of the divine
adminiilration, will moil illuftrioufly appear.
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. y. p. 331. f ^^id. vol. v. p. jar.
't3
the]
Let. XXX. LORD BOLINGBROKE. l6l
•• the fin of one *." That mankind are now fubjefl: to the evils
Mofes mentions as the confeqiience of the {a\\, barrennefs of the
ground, pains and ficknefs in child-bearing, difeafes and death, is
undeniable. The only difference between the Mofaic account^
and that of thofe who ridicule it, is, that they fuppofe all thefe
evils to be the necelfary effefts of the original conftitution and ap-
pointment of G.)d, at the firfl formation of man and of the world;
but Mofes fuppofes the original conftitution of th- gs to have
been much more happy ; and that all thefe evils were brought in-
to the world in confcquence of man's voluntary defection from
God. And which of thefe fuppofitions is mod honourable to
God, and mofl likely, if believed, to have a good eiFeft upon the
minds of men, may be left to any impartial and thinking perfon
to determine. And it feems very odd, that it fhould be repre-
fented as uajufl ni God, to lay thofe evils upon men in confc-
quence of the fin of our firft parents, which they miglit edfily
liave avoided, when it is accounted no reflection upon the jufticc
and goodnefs of God to lay thofe evils upon men by the original
conflitution, without any regard to fin, either of their firil parents,
or their own.
On fuppofition that Adam and Eve were the fountains and
protoplafts of the human race, it feems evident, that their poile-
rity muff fuffer under the confequences of their defettion. If
they were banifiied from paradifcj and it was jufl they fhould
be fo, their poflerity could not expeft to be continued in it. If
their natures became tainted, and fubjeft to difeafes and death,
they could only convey tainted and mortal natures to their ofi-
fpring* It cannot be denied, that, in the ordinary courfe of pro-
vidence, children often fuffer evils that vv'ere originally ov^^ing to
the crimes of their parents and anceftors. Wicked parents of-
ten by their bad conduct forfeit advantages for their children as
well as themfelves, and not only propagate didempered bodies
to them, but, confidering the great influence tiiat the bod'ly crafis
■ and temperament hath upon the difpofitions of the minri, they
are frequently inflrumental in conveying bodily conflitutions,
which incline them to vicious affeftions and diforderly pafhons,
though they do not bring them under an abfolute neceflity of
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 485.— See alfo ibid. p. 284.
VOL^ II. M finning,
iSz A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. LfL XXX.
fuming, or imitating their father's vices. Since it is appointed
that mankind fhould be propagated in a way of fuccefTive gene-
ration, it is evident that children muft in many cafes be greatly
dependent on their parents, and derive great bleffings or evils
from them. And this may on many accounts be fuppofed to hold
much more ilrongly with refpe6l to the firll parents of the human
race, than any others.
As to the exceptions our author makes againfl; fome particular
cxprcfTions made ufe of,and circiimflances related, in the Mofaic
account of the fall, they are no other than what have been fre-
quently repeated and anfwered. Dr. Tindal had urged the fame
objeftions, and feveral others, more diftin6lly,'and with greater
force ; and I have confidered them largely and particularly in my
aiifwer to that writer : to which therefore I beg leave to refer,
having already infilled longer on this fubjeft than I intended*.
1 would only farther obferve, that fome remarkable traces of the
primitive paradifiacal flat e of man, and a fall from that ftate, are
obfcrvable in the traditions of the ancient fages, in different parts
of the world. And there is great reafon to think, that at the time
■when Mofes writ, thofe traditions were more diffinftly known.
Lord Bolingbroke pronounces the account of the fall to be a
7norai, philofophiccJ, Egyptian allegory, defigned to account for
the introduft ion of evil t. And if he had looked upon it in that
light, he had no right to urge the literal fenfe of it as an obje61ion
agamll the authority of the Mofaic writings.
I proceed in the laif place to confider what his Lordfhip has
cffercd with regard to the fanftions of the law of Mofes. He
oblervcs, that " in the twenty-eighth chapter of Deuteronomy,
*' Mofes, on the renewal of the covenant between God and the
*' people, employs no argument to induce the latter to a flr!6l ob-
" fervation of it, of an higher nature than promifes of immediate
" good, and threatcnings of immediate evil. They are exhorted
" to keep the law, not for the fake of the law, nor for the fake
*' of God, but for conhderations of another kind, and where
** not only their wants were to be fupplied, but all their appetites
*' and paffions to be gratified — their avarice, and all their other
*' appetites and palhcjns. God purchafed, as it were, their obe-
* See Anfwer to Chriil:ianity as old as the Creation, vol. ii. chap. xir.
'\ Bclirgbroke's Works, vol. v. p.^jo.
*' dicncc
Ldo XZr.. LORD B0LINX3R0KE. 163
*' dience with tlils mercenary bargain*." That v/e may judge
of the confiftency of this writer, it is to be obferved, that he him-
felf, when fpeaking in high terms of the law of nature, as hav-
ing fufficient proofs of a divine fanBion, and a divine original,
amrms the fanftions of that law to be ouly temporal, and th^r they
are fuch as affefcl: nations colle&ively, not men individually. And
he proves thefe divine faitlions, as he calls them, to be fufficient,
becaufe fuch as thefe were the fanftions of the law of Mjfest.
He often infifts upon it, that the only fanclion of the natural law
appointed by divine providence is this, that national virtue fliall
produce national happinefs, and national vice fhall produce na-
tional mifery. If therefore national bleflings were promifed in
the Mofaic conftitution as rewards of their obedience, and nation-
al evils and calamities denounced as the punifhment of theu wick-
ednefs and difobedience, there was nothing in this, according to
his fcheme,'but what was highly proper, and perfectly agree-
able to the law of nature. Yet he thinks fit to reprefent it as a
mercenary bargain ; as if it were v/rong to annex any fancfions
at all to that law ; for if any were annexed, they mufl, upon his
fcheme of principles, be only of a temporal nature. As to what
he obferves, tliat *' the Ifraelites were exhorted to keep the law,
*' not for the fake of the law, nor for the fake of God, but for
*' conGderations of another kind, in which all their appetites and
" paffions, their ambitit)h, avarice, &c. were to be gratified," this
is very unfairly reprefented. The bleffings promifed in the paf.
fage he refers to, Deut. xxviii. 1 — 14. are indeed chiefly of a na-
tional kind. But there is no promife made to them of extcnfive
conquefl and univerial empire; and it is evident, as I have elfe-
where fliewn+, that their conflitution was not defigned or fitted
for it. If they obeyed the laws given them, they were to have
fruitful and healthful feafons, to enjr>y peace, plenty, and many
blefTmgs, in their own land. And it v/as promifed them., that if
they were invaded by their enemies, they fliould be protected
againft them, and prove victorious over them : That they (hould
be happy and honourable above all other nations : And that God
would eftablifh them an holy people to himfeii", which included
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iii. p. 291, 29^. f Ibid. vol. v. p. 90, 91.
\ See anrwer to Morgan, vol. i. p. i34> i35»
M 2 a promife
164 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXX.
a promife of having their fpiritual privileges continued to them,
with the tokens of God's fpeclal favour and gracious prefcnce
among tliem, which was their happinefs and their giory. Any-
one that impartially confidersthe Mofalc writings, will find, that
the laws there given to the Ifraelites are enforced upon them by
a great variety of important confiderations. The excellency of
the laws themfelvcs is reprefented ; as particularly Deut. iv. 6,
7,8. And frequently is that fhort but comprehenfive decla-
ration fubjoined to their laws, I am the Lord, Jehovah. They are
urf^ed to obedience by the confideration of God's fovereign au-
thority and fupreme dominion, of his infinite righteoufnefs and
goodnefs, of the great things he hath done for them, and the fpe-
cial relation he flood in towards them, by the gratitude they ow-
ed to him for all his benefits, by the hope of his favour, and fear
of his difplcafure. For they were taught that noble lefTon, that
in and from him alone they were to look for happinefs, whether
relating to tlie people in general, or to particular perfons. — And
they were inftrufted to regard him as exercifinga conftant infpec-
tion over them, and taking cognizance both of their outward ac-
tions, and of the inward affeftions and difpofitions of their hearts.
It may not be improper on this occafion to obferve, that his
Lordfiilp has taken upon him to affirm, that " there cannot be
*' any thing fo im.piouOy interelled and craving, as the fentiments
•* afcribed by Mofes to the patriarchs." And he inllances *' in
** Jacob's vow, and the conditional engagement he took with
** God," Gen. xxviii. 20, 21, 22*. But to fet this matter in a pro-
per light, of which he has been plcafed to make a moft unjuft re-
prefentation, it rauft be confidered, that immediately before the
account which is given of Jacob's vow, we are informed of a vi-
fionhe had when he was fettingout upon his journey to Padan-A-
ram, in which God renewed the promifes to him, which had been
made to Abraham, concerning the giving the land of Canaan to
his pofterity, and that in his feed all the families of the earth
fhould be blcfied : at the fame time aifuring him, that he would
be with him in all places whither he went, and \'/ould bring him
again into that land, ver. 12 — 15. It was in confequence of
this vifion that Jacob made his vow the next morning; the dc-
* BolLngbroke's Works, vol. iii. p. 291, 292.
fign
Let. XXX. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 165
fign of which was to exprefs the fenfe he had of the divine good-
nefs, and his confidence in God's gracious proteftion ; and to
declare his folemn refolution, that ii God would be with him,
and keep him in his way, and would give him bread to eat, and
raiment to put on [which Ihews the moderation oi his deHrcs],
fo that he fhould come again to his father's houfe in peace, he
would after his return make an open pubhc acknowledgment of
his gratitude and devotion to the Lord as his God, fet apart that
place where God had appeared to him to his worfhip, and would
devote the tenth of all the fublfance God fiiould give him to his
fervice. This, inftead of being impioujly interefled and cravings
will appear to every perfon that judges candidly and impartially
to be a great argument of the fimplicity and goodnefs of Jacob's
heart, and of a pious and well-difpofed mind : though undoubt-
edly it mull appear abfurd to our author, v/ho does not believe
that God concerneth himfelf with the individuals of the human
race.
His Lordfliip frequently obferves, that in the law of Mofes
there is no mention made of future rewards and punifliments.
He fometimes pofitively alTerts, that Mofes did not believe the
immortality of the foul, nor the rewards and punilhments ot ano-
ther life ; for if he had, he would have tauglit it to that people ;
and that Solomon, the wifefl of their kings, decides againft it*.
But in other pafTages he infinuates, that Mofes might poflibly
believe it himfelf, though he did not think proper to mention it
to the people : and reprefents it as a moft furprizing thing, that
** a doctrine fo ufeful to all religions, and therefore incorporated
*' into all the fyftems ol Paganifm, fhould be left wholly out of
*' that of the Jews t." And he endeavours to draw an argument
from this againft the divine original ol this conftitution. This
is what he particularly urgeth in the conclufion of the twenty-
firft of his Fragments and EiTays in his fikh volume, where he in-
troduces it ina very pompous manner, " as an obfcrvation, v/hich
** he does not remember to have feen or heard urged on one fide,
*' or anticipated on the other, and wliich he thinks evidently
*' fhews how abfurd as well as improper it is to afcribe thefc Mo-
" faical laws to God." The obfervation is this : That " neither
* Bolingbroke's V/crks, vol. lii. p. 290. f Ibid. vol. 7. p. 238, 239'
M 3 '* thq
l66 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. let. XXX»
*' the people of Ifrael, nor their Icgiflator perhaps, knew any
*' thing of another life, wherein the crimes committed in this
** life are to be punifhed. — Although he might have learned this
*' doftrine, which was not fo much a fecrct doftrine, as it may
*' be prefumed the unity of the Supreme God was, among the
** Egyptians. Whether Mofes had learned this am.ong their
** fchools, cannot be determined; but this maybe advanced with
*' aifurance: I;'" Mofes knew that crimes, and therefore idolatry,
*' one ot the greateil, were to be punifhed in another life, he de-
*' ceived the people, in the covenant they made by his interven-
*' tion with God. If he did not know it, I fay it with horror,
^' the confequence, according to the hypothefis I oppofe, muft
*' be, that God deceived both him and them. In either cafe, a
'' covenant or bargain was made, wherein the conditions of obe-
" dience or difobedience were not fully, nor by confequence
^' fairly flated. The Ifraelites had better things to hope, and
*' worfe to fear, than thofe that were exprelfcd in it. And their
** whole hillory feems to fhew how much need they had of thefe
*' additional motives to rcilrain them from polytheifm and ido-
*' latry, and to anfwer the affumed purpofe of divine provi-
*' dence*." This is his boafted argument ; and what fecms
mightily to recommend it to him, he looks upon it to be nev/,
and what no man had infirted on before.
My firfl remark upon it is this : That he could not with any
confiftency urge the not m.aking exprefs mention of a future
ffate, as an argument to prove, that ti is abfurd and impious to
ojcribe the Mojaical law to God, fince it appears from feveral
parts of his boc^k, that he himfclf did not believe the rewards and
punifiiments of a future flate. He ought rather, upon his hy-
pothefis, to have conceived a high opinion of Mofes's ftrift re-
gard to truth, fince he chofe not to make ufe of a pious fraud,
or of faifc and deceitful motives, when it would have been his
intereil, aiul for the advantage of his laws, to have done To. If
it be faid, that this is only urged as an argument ad hommem^
which, though falfe and inconclufive in itfeif, yet is conciuiive
upon the hypothehs of his adverfaries, and proper to diftrefs and
embanals them, they will perhaps find it no difficult matter to
f £olingbrokc's Works, ycI. v. p. 195.
defend
Let. XXX. LORD BOUNGBROKE. 167
defend themfelvcs againft this clilemma: for if it (hould be al-
lowed, that neither Mofes, npr any of the people, had any affur-
ance of a future ftate, it would not follow, that God in not re-
vealing it had deceived him or them. If indeed he had exprefsly
told them, that the notion of a future ftate was falfe, and. that
they had no rewards or punifhments to fear after this life is at
an end, then fuppofing there were future rewards and punifli-
ments, this would have been a deceiving them, in the ftriftcfl:,
propereft fenfe. But merely not to reveal it to them, was not
to deceive them. And whereas he urges, that on that fuppofi-
tion there w^as a covenant or bargain made, in which the condi-
tions of obedience and difobedience were not fullv, nor by con-
fequence fairly ftated; this proceeds upon the fuppofuion, that
if God m.ade a covenant with them, he would not deal fairly, if
he did not lay before them all the rewards and punifhm.ents o£
their obedience and difobedience; which is certainly a conclu-
fion that cannot be juftified. If God had only affured them iu
general, that, if they kept his commandments, they fhould be en-
titled to his favour, and, if they difobeycd, they (hould feel the
awful effefts of his difpleafure, this ought to have been enough
to have engaged them : and it could not be faid in that cafe that
he dealt unfairly by them ; efpecially fince he might have com-
manded their obedience, and demanded their fubjeftion to his
laws, in a way of abfolute authority, without any exprefs ftipu-
iations on his part at all. Whatever particular promifes or
threatenings he added, depended upon his fovereign good plea-
fure, and he might reveal thofe things, in what meafurc or de-
gree he in his wifdom fhould think fit. Our author himfelf has
found out a reafon for it, viz. that the doftrine of future rewards
and punifhments " was dreffed up with fo.many fabulous cir-
** cumftances among the Egyptians, that it was hard to teach or
" renew this doftrine in the minds of the Ifraelites, without giv-
*' ing an occafion the more to recal the polytheiilical fables, and
" pra6fife the idolatrous rites, they had learned during tlieir cap-
*' tivity in Egypt*."
But let us put the other fuppofition, and which I take to be
the true one, viz. that Mofcs and the Ilraeiites did believe a fu-.
* Eolingbroke's Works, vol. v, 240? «4i«
IvI ^ ture
l68 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let, XXX*
ture ilate of rewards and punifhments. This writer himfelf fre-
quently intimates, that it was believed among the Egyptians, and
that it was not a part of the fecret doftrine, confined only to a
few, but \yas fpread and propagated among the vulgar. It is
therefore reafonable to believe, that this doctrine obtained among
i\\^, Ifiaelites too, efpccially as, by his owm acknowledgment, it
obtained among the Bdbylonians, and indeed among all the an-
cient nations, as far as we have any accounts left us of their fen-
timents. And it cannot with the leall probability be fuppofed,
that the Ifraelites were the only people that were ignorant of it,
and had no notions of that kind among them at all: except we
imagine that they were taught to believe the contrary ; of which
there is not the leaft proof: nor is there any thing in the writ-
ings of Mofes to contradift that notion. On the contrary, there
are feveral things in thofe writings which by a fair conltruftion
imply it. Our author feems to think, that the Mofaical account
oi tile formation of man implies that his foul v/as a particle of
the divinity-. There is no reafon to fuppofe this. But it cer-
tainly leads us to acknowledge a remarkable diftinftion of the
foul trom the body: that it is a nobler fubifance, more nearly re-
fembling the divmity, and not, like the body, formed of the
duft of the ground. What Mofes faith of God's gracious ac-
ceptance of Abel's facrrfice, v/ho yet was murdered, and met
with no reward of his piety, no good efire6f s of God's acceptance
of him, except we take in the confideration of a future ftate: The
account he, gives of the tranflation of Enoch, that he walked
xvith God, and tliat he was not, for God took kim, which, in the
mod natural conflru6iion, implies the taking him out of this
world to a better ftate: His reprefenting the patriarchs, as calling
this their prefent life ih^fezo and evil days oj their pilgrimage,
which {hewed they looked for a better country, that is, an hea-
vcnly : To which may be added, the accounts there given of the
appearances of angels, which naturally led the Ifraelites to ac-
knowledge an invihble world of fpints : nor can any inftancebe
brought of any nation, who believed the exiflence of angels and
feparate intelligences, and yc t did not believe the immortality of
the foul, and a future ftate: Tlie exprefs declarations of Solo-
5 Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 480.
men,
let. XXX. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 169
mon, that the righteous hath hope in his death; the clear dillinc-
tioii he makes berw'en the foul and body, tliat at death the lat-
ter fhall return to the earth as 7t was, and the former, the fpinf,
JJiall return to God that gave it; and that there fnall be a tuturc
account, in which every work JJuill be brought 'into judgment,
with every pcret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil:
The aiTuniption oi Eiias into heaven, wliich naturally led i\\z
thoughts of all that heard of it to another world, where good
men fliali be eminently rewarded: All thefe things, not to men-
tion feveral paiTages in the Pfalms and in the Prophets which
plainly look this way, convince me, that a future ftatc v/as all
along believed among that people*. And indeed it does not
appear, that, at the time of Mofes, any man had arifen, as there
did in tlie latter ages, who, through the vain deceit and falfc re-
finements of philofophy, denied it. As to the promifes and
threatenings addrelTed to the people of Ifrael as a collective body,
of which kind thofe feem to be which are mentioned. Lev. xxvi.
and Deut. xxviii. thefe no doubt were direftly and immediately
of a temporal nature: and the ilriking reprefentations that arc;
there made of the confequences of their obedience or difobedi-.
€nce in this prefent world, feem very v/eli fitted to make flrong
and vigorous impreflions upon them, and to give them a livel)r
fenfe of the conilant interpofition of divine providence. But
befides this, the tenor of their hw led them to think that the
happinefs of every individual perfon among them, and his inte-
reil in the favour of God, depended upon his obedience to the
divine commands, and the Dratlice of righteoufneis. This el"pc-
cially feems to have been the dehgn of ihat general declaration
in the law, that the man that did the precepts there enjoined
ihould live by them. And chere is no reafon to think that thej
looked upon this as wholly confined to this prefent world. That
it was underftood to have a more extenfive view, m,ay be rcafon-
ably concluded from what is faid in the eighteenth chapter of
Ezek-iel, where the equity of the divine proceedings is vindicat-
ed, and where it is exprefsly declared, with the greateft folem-
nity, concerning every particular perfon that ihould forfake his
* See this more fully proved in the Anfwer to Dr. Morgan, vol. i. p. :399
evil
lyO A VIEW O? THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXX,
evil ways, and turn to the praftice of ri^hteournefs, that he
fliould not die, but ihould furely live, i. e. be happy ; and con-
cerning every wicked and impenitent fmner, that he (hould fure-
ly die, i. e. be miferable; which mull have its principal effeft in.
a future ftate of rewards and punifnments : fmce even under that
conlHtution it often happened, that particular good m^en were
expofed to many outward evils and calamities, and that bad men
had great outward profperity. What made it more neceflarv to
infift explicitly and fuily upon the doftrine of a future ftate in
the gofpcl, was, that through the corruption of mankind the an-
cient belief ot the im.raortality of the foul and a future ftate was
very much cbfcured and defaced. As to the heathens, there
were many among thofe who made great pretenfions to learning
and philofophy that abfolutely rejected it, and rnxoit of thofe who
did not pofuively reject it, yet treated it as a thing doubtful and
uncertain. And it had been fo much blended with fables, that
at lall it feemed to have little hold even on vulgar opinion ;
as his Lordmip obferves, in a paffage cited above. To which
it may be added, that there was at that time a confiderable
party even among the Jews themfelves, confiderable for their
power and quality, though not for their numbers, who denied it.
On ail thefe accounts, it became the divine wifdom to interpofe
by a more exprefs revelation, containing clearer difcoveries, and
fuller proofs of it, than had been ever given to mankind before.
And this revelation was very properly brought by the moft il-
hiftrious meiTenger that could be fent from heaven, the Son of
God himfelf, that glorious and divine perfon whofe coming had
been fo long promifed and foretold. To which it may be added,
that as the gofpel did not contain a fyflem of laws immediately
addreffed to any particular nation, as the Mofaical was, fo none
ot the promifes or threatenings there delivered relate direclly and
immediately to national bleHings or calamities, but are fuch in
which every individual of the human race fhould look upon him-
fclf as nearly interefted.
Thus I have confidercd the principal objeBions advanced by
Lord Bolingbroke againft the holy fcriptures of the Old Tefta-
inent, and efpecially againft the Mofaic writings. There are
fomc other obje£lions interfpcrfcd, and which he rather briefly
hints at than purfucs, and which fcarce deferve a diftinft con-
fideration.
Let, XXX. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 174
:fideration. He thinks that a divine law ought always to have the
efFeft. ** Human laws may be e^luded, and mifs of the effete.
** But if God gives a law, it may be prefumed, that efFcftual care
*^ fhould be taken to make that law obferved; whereas there ne-
** ver was a law that lefs had the defigned effeft than that of
** Mofes, from which the people were continually revolting*."
This argument would hold equally againft the law of nature,
which he himfelf affirms to be the law of God, and yet owns
that men have revolted from it in all ages. But it has been
fliewn, that the law of Mofes had aftually a great effeft, and that
by virtue of it the worfhip of the one true God was maintained
among the Jews, in a manner which eminently diflinguifhed them
above the heathen nations : and that polity was furprizlngly pre-
ferved in all the revolutions of their ftate till the coming of our
Saviour, for which it remarkably prepared the way, and thus
anfwered the ends the divine wifdom had in view in inftituting if.
He feems to blame Mofes for not having taken the proper
Hieafures to make his laws obferved, as Ezra and Nehemiah did
afterwards. But if the direftions which Mofes gave had been
purfued, never were there better and wifer precautions taken to
engage the people to make themfelves acquainted with their law,
and oblige them to a careful obfervation of it. And all that Ezra
and Nehemiah did was to bring things back as near as poffible to
the original inftitution and dehgn. The fignal calamities Inflifted
upon the Jews in the time of the Babyloniih captivity, the great-
eft that had ever befallen them, the utter defolation oi their
country, and their having been fo long banifhed from it, which
calamities had been originally threatened in the law itfelf, and
were regarded by them as fignal punifliments from heaven for
their violation of it: this, together with their wonderful refto-
ration at the time that had been fixed for it by the prophets,
awakened in them a zeal againft idolatry, and an attachment to
their law, greater than ever they had fhewn before.
He urges farther, that " a divine law fhould have fuch aclear-
** nefs and precifion in its terms, that it may not be in the power
*.*■ of perfons to elude and perplex tiie meaning of it. And that
** if It be not fo, all that is faid about marks of divinity in any
* Balingbroke's Works, vol. iil. p. 393*
172 A VIEW OF TI-IE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXX.'
*• law that pretends to be revealed by God is mere cant^." This
is particalariy intended againft the law of Mofes. And yet cer-
tain it is, that if the people frequently fell off into idolatrous
practices, and perhaps endeavoured to reconcile thefe their prac-
tices with the worfliip of God as there prefcribed, this could not
be JLiftly charged upon any want of precifion in the terms of the
law. For what can be clearer and more precife than the com-
mands there given againft polytheifm and idolatry? Nothing can
be more unreafonable, than what he fometimes infinuates, that if
a revelation be given at all, it mAift be fuch as it fiiould not be in
the power of m.an to mifapprehend or mifreprefentf . It may be
offignal ufe to perfons of honeft and candid minds, though it be
not abfolutely incapable of being perverted and abufed; which
it could not be, it delivered in human language; except God
fhould, by an omnipotent energy, and by a conftant miracle, over-
rule ail the palTions, inclinations, and prejudices of the human
nature: the absurdity of which fuppohtion, though it be what
this writer feems fometimes to infift upon, I need not takQ
pains to expofe.
He thinks, " the fcriptures ought to be more perfeft, according
** to our ideas oi human perieftion, whether we confider them as
*' books oi law or of hiftory, than any other books that are avow-
*' edly human J." I fuppofe he means that there fhould be
greater elegance of compofition, beauty of language, exaftnefs
of m.ethod, or that they fiiould be more flriftly philofophical.
But perhaps what feems elegant to one nation would not appear
fo to another. The notions of elegance in flyle and compofition
were different among the Greeks and P^.omians, from what they
were in the Eaftern nations. And what might render the fcrip-
tures more pcrfeft m the eyes of fome perfons, might render them
lefs perfe6f in other refpe^ls, and lefs fitted to anfwer the end
for which they were defigned. To talk of elegance of com.po-
fition in human laws, or to blame aft s of parliament for not being
oratorical, would bethought a very odd obje6lion. But it is the
great excellency of the facred writings, that there is in the differ-
ent parts of fcripture what may pleafe perfons of all talles. There
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. ill. p. 292, 293. 296.
-j;- Ibid. vol. v. p. 545' vol. iy. p. ii6i. ^67. J Ibid. vol. iii. p. 290.
is
Let. XXX. LORD BOLINGBROKE«
^n
is a fimplicity and plainnefs accommodated to the vulgar: and
yet there is in many paffages a fublimity and majcfty not to be
equalled, and which has gained the admiration of the ableft judges.
As to what he fometimes mentions concerning the multiplicity
of copies, various readings, interpolations, I had occafion fully
to conGder thefe things in the ReflzSions on Lord Bolingbrokes
Letters on the Study and life ofHiftory, p. 65, et feq. and fnall
not repeat what is there offered. He has flirts here and there
againft fome particular paffages of fcripture, a diftincl examina-
tion of which would carry me too far. And they are only fuch
as Dr. Tindal had urged before him, and which have been con-
fidered and obviated intheanfwers that were made to that writer.
See particularly Aiijwer to Chrijli unity as eld as the Creation,
voL ji. chap, xi, xii.
LET^
1/4 A VIEW or THE BEISTICAL WRITERS. Let, XXXt*
LETTER XXXr.
The. favour ahU Reprefuntation made by Lord Bolivghroke ofthi
excellent Nature and Def?gn of the anginal Chnfhan Revela^
tion — He gives upfeveral of the DeiJhcalObjeBions, and even
fcenis to acknowledge its divine Onginal — Yet he endeavours
to expofe lis Dotlrines, and to invalidate its Proofs and Evi~
dences — The Law of Nature and Chriflianity not to be oppofcd
to one another — The Gofpel not a Republication of the Doclnne
of Plato — The pretended Oppofetion between the Gofpel of Chriji
and that of St. Paul confidered — This Apo/lle vindicated againf
the Cenfures and Reproaches caft upon hi?n — The Miracles of
Chriflianity, if really wrought, owned by Lord Bolingbroke to
be a fiifficient Proof— The Gofpels, by his own Acknowledg-
7nent, give a jufl Account of the Dfcourfes and A&ions of
Jefus — Yet he has attempted to deflroy their Credit — His Pre-
tence, that it would be necejfary to have the Originals of the
Go/pels in our hands, or attejled Copies of thofe Originals^
examined — The feveral Ways he takes to Account for the Prp^
pagation of Chri Jlianity fhewn to be infiifficient — What he offers
concerning the little Effecl Chrifiamty has had in the Rejorrn-
ation of Mankind, confidered — Want of Univerfality no Ar-
gument again fl the Divinity of the Chriflian Revelation — Its
being founded on Faith not mconfiftent with its being Joundtd
on rational Evidence^
SIR,
I NOW come, according to the method I propofed, to con-
fider what relates to the Chriftian revelation, flriftly and pro-
perly fo called, as it was taught by Chrift and his apoOles, and
is contained in the facred writings of the New Teftament, In-
deed whofoever carefully confidcrs and compares the feveral
parts of Lord Bolingbroke's fcheme, muft be fenfible, that the
whole of it may juflly be regarded as an attempt againft Chrif-
lianity. If the principles he has laid down with regard to the
moral attributes of God, divine providence, the immortality of
the foulj and a future flate, fliould take place, the Chrifiian re-
ligiort
Let. xxxr. lord bolingbroke. 175
liglon would be fubverted at the very foundations. This is aifo
the niaiiiFcIt intention of the account he gives of the lav/ of
nature. And onereafonof the extreme virulence with which he
hath attacked the law of Mofes and the Scriptures of the Old
Teftament, feems to be, the near connexion there is between this
and the religion of Jefus, which he reprefents to have been ori-
ginally intended by our Saviour as a fyftem of Judaifm, and
defigned for no other nation but the Jews only,*. But though
all he hath offered againft the Scriptures of the Old Teftament
may be regarded as defigned to ftrike at the authority of the Chrif-
tian revelation, yet there are fome parts of his work which appear
to be more particularly intended for that purpofe, which there-
fore it will be necefiary to take a diftinft notice of.
But firll it will be proper to make fome obfervations on feve-
ral paffages in his writings, in which he feems to make very
remarkable conceflions in favour of pure genuine Chriftianity^ as
taught by our Saviour and his apoftles in the New Teit^sment,
and to make an advantageous reprefentation of its excellent na«
ture and tendency.
After having obferved, that fome reprefent all religion found-
ed on divine revelation as inconfiilent with civil fovereignty, and
erecting a private confcience that may and often is inconfiftent
with the public confcience of the flate, and after inveighing
againft the fpirit of Judaifm, and Mahcmetanifin, he undertakes
to defend Chriftianity againft this objection, and ailerts, that
" no religion ever appeared in the world whofe natural tendency
** was fo much dire6led to promote the peace and happinefs of
*' mankind." See the fourth feftion of his fourth Effay t. He
declares, that " no fyftem can be more fimpie and plain than that
*' of natural religion, as it flands in the gofpel:^:." And after
having obferved, that " befidcs natural religion, there are two
*' other parts into which Chriftianity may be analyzed — Duties
*' fuperadded to thofe of the former, and articles of belief that
*' reafon neither could difcover, nor can comprehend;" he ac-
knowledges, that " both the duties required to be pra61ifed, and
*' the propofitions required to be believed, are concifely and
* Bollngbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 305. 328. 350.
f Jbid. p. 5^8t, %%%. X Ibid. p. 290. if^x.
" plainly
iyG A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. LeL XXXU
*' plainly enough exprefTed in the original gofpel, properly fo
"called, which. Chrift taught, and which his four evangelifts
" recorded. But they have been alike corrupted hy theology*."
Speaking of the Chriflian facraments of Baptifm and the Lord's
Supper, he fays, " no inftitutions can be imagined more fimple,
•* nor more void of all thofe pompous rites and theatrical repre^
•* fentations that abounded in the religious worlhip of the heathens
*• and Jews, than thefe two were in their origin. They were
'• not only innocent but profitable ceremonies, becaufe they Vv^erc
•' extremely proper to keep up the fpirit of true natural religion,
*' by keeping up that of Chriftianity, and to promote the obfer-
*' vation of moral duties, by maintaining a refpeft for the reve-
*' lation which confirmed them.+." He declares, that *' he will
" not fay, that the belief that Jefus was the Meffiah is the only
*' article of belief neceffary to make men Chriftians. There are
•' other things doubtlefs contained in the revelation he m.ade of
*' hnnfelf, dependent on ai^d relative to this article, without the
*' belief of which, I fuppofe, our Chriftianity would be very de-
*' fcftive. But this 1 fay, that the fyftem of religion which Chrift
•* publi{hed,and his evangelifts recorded, is a coxmplete fyftem, to
" all the purpofes of religion natural and revealed. It contains
** all the duties of the former; it enforces them by afferting the
*' divine miftion of the Publiftier, who proved his aftertions at
*' the fame time by his miracles; and it enforces the whole law
*' of faith by promifing rewards, and threatening punifhments,
** which he declares he will diftribute when he comes to judge
•' the world :t.',' And he afterwards repeats it, that " Chriftianity,
•' as it ftands in the gofpel, contains not only a complete but a
«* very plain fyftem of religion* It is in truth the fyftem of na-
** tural religion, and fuch it might have continued, to the un^
" fpeakable advantage of mankind, if it had been propagated with
*' the fame fimplicity with which it was originally tavight by
** Clirift himfelf§." He fays, that *' fuppofmg Chriftianity to
*' have been a human invention, it had been the moft amiable
*' and the moft ufeful invention that was ever impofed on man-
•' kind lor their good : And that Chriftianity, as it came out of
* Rolingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 294. f Ibid. p. 301, 301.
t Ibid. p. 314. § Ibid. p. 316.
Let, XXXI. LORD EOLnXSROllE.
vV
*' the hands of God, if I may ufe i.he exprelTion, was a moll
" firaple and intelHglble rule of belief, worfliip, and manners,
*' which is the true notion of a religion. As foon as men pre-
*' fumed ^to add any thing of their own to it, the human alloy
** corrupted the divine mafs, and it became an objcft of vain,
*' intricate, and contentious fcience*." After having obferved,
lliat '• the political views of Conitantine, in the cRabUfliment of
•' Chriliianity, were to attach the fubjefts of the empire more
*' firmly to himfelf and his fucceiTors, and the feveral nations
*' which compofed it to one another, by the bonds of a religion
*' common to all of them; to foftcn the ferocity of the armies;
*' to relorm. t!ie licentioufnefs of the provinces; and by infufing
*' a fpirit of moderation, and fubm.ifiion to government, to ex-
** tinguifh thofe principles of avarice and ambition, of injuftice
•* and violence, by v/hich fo many faftions were formed, and the
" peace of the empire fo often and fo fatally broken ;" he de-
clares, that " no religion was ever fo well proportioned, nor fo
*' well direSled, as that of Chriftianity feenied to be, to all thefe
•* purpofes." Ke adds, that " it had no tendency to infpire that
*' love of the country t, nor that zeal for the glory and grandeur
*' of it, which glowed in the heart of every Roman citizen in
*' the time of the commonwealth: but it recommended what
•* Conllantine liked better, benevolence, patience, humility, and
** all the fofter virtues J." He allov/eth, th::t " the gofpel is in
*' all cafes one continued leaon of the f!.ri6lelt morality, of juf-
*' tice, of benevolence, and ofuniverfal charity." He mentions
*' Chrid's blaming his difciples for being willing to call for fire
** from heaven againft the Samaritans: And v'tdt the miracles
*' v/rought by him, in the mild and beneficent fpfrit of Chrifti-
** anity, tended to the good of mankind §." He obferves, that
*' the theology contained'in the gofpel lies in a narrow compafs.
*' It is marvellous indeed, but it is plain, and it is employed
*' throughout to enforce natural religion Ij/' After having faid,
that '• the articles of faith have furmihed matter of contention in,
* BoHngbrokc's Works, vol. iv. p. 394, 395.
t TiiAt ChrJClianity tends to produce and promote a true Im-^ to our
country, in that fenfe in which it is properly a virtue, fee above, vol. i. p.
jifo, 60, marg. note.
% Soliagbroke's Vforks, yoI. iy. p. 4-r^. § lb. p. j88, 189. i[ lb. p. c6r.
VOL. IL N ii-^
ly& A VIEW or THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let, XX:f#
*' as well as from the apoftolical age, and have added a motive to
** that cruel principle, which was never known till Chrillians
*' introduced it into the world, to perfecution even for opinions ;"
he adds, that " the charge which the enemies of religion bring
*' againft Chriftianity on this account is unjuftly brought. Thefe
" effects have not been caufed by the Gofpel, but by the fyftem
*' raifed upon it; not by the revelations of God, but by the in-
*' ventions of men *." He profefTes a great concern for true
Chriftianity in oppofition to theology, and fays, that " genuine
*' Chriftianity was taught of Godt." And not to multiply paf-
fages for this purpofe, he pronounces, that '* the Chriftian fyftem
*' of faith and practice was revealed by God himfelf, and it is
*' abfurd and impious to affert, that the divine Logos revealed it
*' incompletely or imperfeftly. Its fimplicity and plainnefs
*' {hewed, that it was defigned to be the religion of mankind, and
*' manifefted likewife the divinity of its original:};."
I have chofen to lay together thefe feveral paiTages relating to
Chriftianity in one view. And if we were to look no farther,
we (hould certainly entertain a very favourable opinion of Lord
Bolingbroke's fentiments with regard to the truth, the excellen-
cy, and divine original, of the gofpel of Jefus.
I fhall here fubjoin fome reflections which have occurred to
me in reviewing thefe paflages, and others of the like import,
which are to be found in his Lordfhip's writings.
The firft refte6lion is this: That there muft certainly be a won-
derful beauty and excellency in the religion of Jefus, -confider-
ed in its original purity and fimplicity, which could force fuch
acknowledgments from a perfon (o ftrongly prejudiced againft
it, as his Lordfhip appears to have been. According to the re-
prefentation he himfelf has been pleafed to make of it, it was a
moji amiable and ?nq/t ujeful inftitution, whofe natural tendency
was ^n^Qizdi to promote the peace and happinefs of mankind. It
contains all the duties of natural religion, and teaches them in
the moft plain and fimple jnanner. It is one continued lejjon oj
tiie Jlritleji- morality, of jujlicc, of benevolence, and of univerfal
charity : and tends to extinguilh t\io{^ principles of avarice and
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 313.
t Ibid. p. 349. See alfo vol. iii. p. 339* % Ibid. p. 451*
ambition.
Ld. XXXl. ' LORD BOLINGBROKfi. I79
ambition, of injiijlice and violence, which have done fo much
mifchief in the world, and difturbed the peace and order of fo-
ciety. As its moral precepts are excellent, fo its pofitive infti-
tutions are not onXy innocent hut pro ftULhU, diudi extremely proper
to keep zip thefpirit oj religion. He acknowledges, that, confider-
ed in its original fimplicity, it was a mofl fim.ple and intelligible
rule of bell ej, worfliip, and praBice : that the theology contained
in the Gofpel is marvellous, but plain ; and that the fyflem of
religion there taught is a complete fyflem, to all the purpofes
of religion natural and revealed, and might have continued {o,'to
the unfpeakable advantage of mankind, if it had been propagated
with the fame fimplicity with which it was taught by Chrifl htm-
felf 1 think it plainly follows from this reprefentation of the
nature and tendency of the Chriftian religion as taught by our
Saviour and his apoftles, that thofe can in no fenfe be regarded
as real friends to mankind, who do what they can to fubvert its
authority, and thereby deilroy its influence on the minds of men,
and who by artful infmuations, or even open attempts, endeavour
to bring true original Chriftianity into contempt ; as it \\n\i
appear this writer, notv/itliRanding all his fair profeUions, hath
done.
Another reflexion that may be made on Lord Bolingbroke's
concellions is this : that he has in effeft given up feverai objec-
tions which have been urged by the deiftical writers, and on
which great ftrefs has been laid, and has acknowledged thero to
be of no force againft the religion of Jefus as laid down in the
gofpel. It has been pretended, that Chriftianity, or revealed iQ-
ligion, is not friendly to civil fovereignty, or government ; but
he treats thofe that make this objeftion, if defigned againft Chrif-
tianity as revealed in the Gofpel, and not merely againft the du-
ties that have been fuperadded to it, d^s falling bdow notice, and
fcarce deferving an anfwer *; And praifes the policy of Con-
ftantine in endeavouring to eftabUrn Chriftianity as the religion
of the empire, as being the beft fitted of all religions to promote
the public peace and order,, to reform licentioufnefs, to curb fac-
tions, and to infafea fpirit of moderation, and fubrnifTion to go-
vernment. See the pafTages cited above from vol. iv. p. 282. 433.
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. h. p. 300, 30 1*
N 2 Again,
160 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ltt. XXXt.
Again, Chriflianity or revealed religion hath been often ob-
je6led againft on account of its pofitive precepts, or inftitutions,
added to the law of nature. But his Lordfhip thinks " it maybe
*' admitted, that things entirely and exaftly confiftent with the
*' law of our nature, may be fuperadded to it by the fame divine
*' authority, and that pofitive precepts may be given about things
** which are indifferent by the law of our nature, and which
" becom.e obligatory as foon as they are enjoined by fuch pofitive
*' precepts*." And particularly with regard to the pofitive in-
flitutions of Chrillianity, or the Chriftian facraments, as enjoined
in the gofpel, in their primitive fimplicity, he acknowledges, in a
paffage above produced, that they were extremely proper to keep
lip the fpirit of true religion, and to promote the obfervation of
moral duties t.
Another objection which hath been urged againft Chriflianity,
is drawn from that fpirit of perfecution which hath obtained
amongit Chrillians on account of opinions in religion. But he
faith, that " the charge which the enemies of Chriflianity bring
*• againft it on this account is unjuftly brought : that thefe ef-
*' fe£ls have not been caufed by the gofpel, but by the fyftem
*' raifed upon it ; not by the revelations of God, but by the in-
*' ventions of men." And he mentions Chrift's blaming his dif-
ciples for being willing to call for fire from heaven upon the Sa-
maritans ; and that all he inftrufted his apoftles to do, even in
cafes of the moft enormous crimes, was to fcparate fmners frcm
the comm.union of the faithful :§:.
There is no objeclion which hath been m.ore frequently urged
againft the Chriftian religion, than its teaching do6irines or ar-
ticles of belief that rcafon neither could difcover, nor can com^
prehend. Ke alferts that there are articles or doftrines of this
kind in the gofpel ; but that they are ccncijely and plainly enough
cxprcjfed in the original gofpel properly fo called ^ which Chnji
taught, and which his four Evangelijls recorded ; though they
have been fmce corrupted by theology §. And fpeaking of '* rea-
*' fonable men who have received tlie Chriftian revelaiion for
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 547.
\ Ibid. vol. iv. p. 301. — See alfo ibid, p. 310, 311. 591.
% ibid* vol. iv. p. 1S8, 109. 515. § Ibid. p. ai)-!.
*' genuine.
2i?/. XXXI. LORD bolingehoke. i8i
** genuine, after a fufficient examination of the external and
*' internal proofs ;" he fays, " fuch men having found nothing
*' that makes it inconfiftent with itfclf, nor tirat is repugnant to
" any of the divine truths which rcafon and the works of God
" demonftrate to them, will never fet up reafon in contradiftion
" to it, on account of things plainly taught, but incomprehen-
*' fible as to their manner of being. If they did, their reafon
*' would be falfe and deceitful ; they Tvnuld ccafe to be reafonable
*' men-." It is true that heelfewherc faith, that ** if the things
• ' contained in any revelation be above reafon, i, e. incom.pre-
** henfible, I do not fay in their manner of being, for that alone
*' would not make them liable to objeclion, but in themfelves,
"and according to the terms in which they are communicated,
*' there is no criterion left by which to judge whether they are
" agreeable or repugnant to the religion of nature and of reafon.
*' They are not therefore to be received f." But it is to be con-
fidered, that when divines talk of things above reafon in the
Chriftian fyftem, all that they mean by it is, that they are things not
contrary to reafon, but as to the manner of them inconceivable,
and according to his own conceffion, it can be no obje6tion againft
the truth or divinity of revelation, that it containeth an account of
fonie things which are mcomprzhaifihle in their manntr of being.
Another refleftion that is proper to be made upon what Lord
Bolingbroke hath acknowledged v/ith regard to the original Chrif-
tian revelation as laid down in the gofpel of Jefus, is, that he hath
on feverai occafions feemed exprefsly and formally to own its
divine original.. In fome of the palFages above cited, he direftly
declares, that genuine Ckrijlianity was taught by God — That the
Chrijlian fyjlcm of faith and pratiice was revealed by God hm-
felf — And that the firfi publlfner of Chnfianity proved his afj'er-
tions by his miracles. To winch I fhall add another remarkable
paiTagein the conclufion of his fourth Elfay, which is concerning
authority in matters of religion. *' Chriflianity," faith he,
** genuine Chriflianity, is contained in the gofpel : it is the word
*' of God: it requires therefore our veneration and ftn^: con-
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. Iv. p. 384- — See alfo p. 279.
} Ibid. vol. V. p. 546.
N 3 foriiiity
5 82 A VIEV/ OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld. XXXI.
** fcrmity to it*." He ought therefore, if he v/ere confident with
himlelf, on the authority of th*at revelation, to receive what ■ is
there plainly revealed concerning the moral attributes of God, con-
cerning divine providence as extending to the individuals of the
h^.iman race, concerning Chrilt's being the great mediator between.
God and man, and concerning our redemption by his blood, and
concerning a Hate of future rewards and puniihments. And yet
lie hath endeavoured to fubvert all thefe. Notwithftanding his
profefTed regard for Chrilfianity, he hath on feveral occafions
ufed his utmoU efforts to weaken or deftroy the proofs of its di-
vine original, to m;freprefent and expofe its doftrines and laws,
thofe doctrines which he himfelf declares to have been original
docltines of the Chriilian religion. How far fuch a conduft is
confiftent with that truth and candour,that honefty and fimpiicity
of heart, which become a fnicere inquirer, and v/ho declareth,
that he hath nothing but truth in view, may be left to any fair
;xrA impartial perfon to determine.
In ray refle61ions on this part of Lord Bolingbroke's works,
the method I fhall obferve is this : I fiiall firft ccnfider thofe paf-
fages that feem defigned to llrike at the authority of Chrilfianity
in general; and then fhall proceed to confider the objeftions he
hath urged againil fome particular laws and do£lrines of our
holy religion. '♦
With regard to Chrilfianity in general, he runs a parallel, in
the feventh and eighth of his Fragments and Elfays, between the
law ol nature and Chriftianity. He compares the clearnefs and
certainty of the former with that of the latter. He compares
alfo their fanftions, and endeavours to {hew, tiiat the law of na-
ture ^eils on fuller proofs than any that have been found or can
be given, of the divine inllitution of Chriftianityt. In all that
he offers on x\\i$ head, he goes upon the fuppofuion of the ab-
foiute clearnefs and certainty of the law of nature to the whole
human race; and what he has urged to this purpofe has been con-
fidercd in my ninth letter. But it may be eafily fnewn, that the
whole parallel he there draws between the law of nature and
* Bolingbroke's Works, vo\. iv. p. 631, 632.— See alfo ib. ?. 279. and vo!.
■ ' *" ' ^^^ t Ibid. vol. V. p. 90. et feq.
Cluriftianity,
Let. XXXI. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 1S3
Chriftianlty, and between the proofs of the former and of the
latter, is entirely impertinent. He himfelf there declares, that
*' every friend to Chriftianity admits, that the Chriftian law is
•* nothing elfe than the law of nature confirmed by a new reve-
*' lation, and that this is what the worft of its enemies does not
" deny, though he denies the reality of the revelation ''^■." It is
not true that the Chriftian law is nothing elfe than the law of
nature: but that it comprehends it, that it clears and enforces it,
is very true. It does not take ofF from any rational argument
cr evidence brought in favour of that law, and befides confirmeth
it by an exprefs divine teftimony. And muft not common fenfe
lead every man to acknowledge, that it muft be a mighty advantage
to have the law of nature tlius farther cleared and confirmed?
The proofs therefore of Chriftianity, and of the law of nature,
are not to be oppofed to one another. Both have a friendly
harmony : and Chriftians have the great advantage of having both
thefe proofs in conjun6lion. Chriftianity fuppofeth the law of
nature, cleareth it where it was obfcured, enforceth it by the
ftrongeft fan6lions, and addeth things which could not be known
merely by that law, and which yet it was of importance to man-
kind to be acquainted with. So that Chriftianity, as far as it
relates to and republifhesthe lavv- of nature, has all the advantages
which this writer afcribes to that lav/, becaufe it is that very law
more clearly publifhed, and ftrongly confirmed: and in this ref-
pe6t there is no competition between them. And with refpeft
to thofe things in Chriftianity which are not clearly comprehend-
ed in that law, and which we could not havedifcovered merely by
cur own unafTifted reafon, it is not to be wondered at if they are
not fo obvious to our underftandings : but as far as they are ne-
ceiTary to be known by us, they are revealed in the gofpel: and
we are not obliged to believe them farther than they arc there re-
vealed. Nor fhall thofe be condemned for not believiug them,
who have had no opportunity of being acquainted with that re-
velation. Though our author, in order to caft an odium on
Chriftianity, after having obferved, that " the law of nature is
" univerfally given to all mankind," adds, that *' the gre<:teft
^* part of the world are invincibly ignorant of the firft principles
* BoHngbroke's Works, vol. 7. p. 93.
N 4 *^ of
1^4 ^ VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL \VR1TERS. Let. XXXI.
*^ of Chriilianity, without the knowledge of which, and without
'' faith in v/hich, they are all conJemned to eternal puniiliinent *."
• We have fcen that our author declareth Chrirtianity to be tlie
?aw of nature enforced by a new revelation: fo that according
to, tjiis reprefentation, it is a divine republication of the lazu of
nature. Yet he elfewhere thinks proper to reprefent it as only
a repuhlication of the do brines of Plato: and any one that con-
fiders the reprefentation he hath frequently made of that philo-
fophcr and his doftrines, muft be fenfible that this is far from
being defigned as a compliment to the Chriilian revelation. Some
account of his inve6>ives againCc him was given in the fifth Let-
ter. He calls hunArnad theologijl : And tells ns, that no man
ever dreamed fo wildly as Plato wrote : And that he introduced
a jalfehp^ht into philofophy^ and oficnerled men out of the way
cj truth than into it. Yet he fays, it is Urange to obferve " the
*' llrange conformity there is hQ:t\»i&en Plato nifm. ^nd genuine
'-'■ Chrijliayiiiy itfelf, fueh,as it is taught in the original gofpel.
*' We need not Hand to compare them here. In general the
•' Platonic and Chriftian fyftcins have a very near refemblance,
*' quail s decet effe foroirumy and feveral of the ancient fathers
*' and modern divines hzve endeavoured to make it appear ftill
*' greater.— -That this may give unbelievers cccaiion to fay that
*'iithe doftrines are the fame, they muft have been deduced
" from the fame principle; and to ai>., v/hat that principle was,
*' whether reafon or revelation? If the latter, Plato muft have
•'^ been iilumin^ittd by the Holy Ghoft* and muft have been the
*' precurfor of the Saviour, and of rnore importance than St.
"John. He anticipated the gofpel on fo many principal ar-
'' tides of belief and praftice, that unbelievers v/iii fay, it was a
«' republication of the theology of Plato: And that as the repu-
" biicatlo-j wa3 by divine revelation, the publication muft have
" been fo too: and they will afk v/ith a fnecr, whether a man,
" whofc paffion for courtezans and handfume boys infpired him
♦' to\/ritc fo many lewd verfes, was likely to be infpired by the
♦' Ha'iy Glioftf?" This is mean banter, taking advantage of the
too great admiration fome particular perfons have exprcffed for
Phio. Bui he has not traced the conformity between Platonifm
* B:>lingbroke'^"\Voi"*is, vol. v. p. 91. • f Ibid. voi. ir. p. 340.
and
Ld, XXXI. LORD EOLING BROKE. ' 185
and genuine original Chriftianity, under pretence tnat it was
needlefs. He owns, that Plato hlundcred on fome dixjinr. truths* :
That on fome occafions he wrote like a very piour and rational
tkeifl and moralijl ; and that very elevated fentiments may he
colleBed from his writings : That there is in them a mixture of
the hrightejl truths, and the fouleji errors f. It is not to be won-
dered at therefore, that there was in feveral inftances a conform-
ity between the doftrine of Plato, and that of the gor')e]. But
he himfelf acknowieoges, that there were many things in his
fcheme contrary to that oi" Chriflianity. He fays, that " fome
'* of Plato's writincTs abound in liotions that are atrreeable to the
o o
" Chriflian fyflem, and in others that are repugnant to it^/*
That " far from going about to deftroy the pagan fuperftition,
" he refined it, and made it more plaulible, and more fecure from
*' taQ attacks to v/hich it was expofed before -y :" And that ac-
cordingly " Platonifm anfwered the purpofcs of thofe ^vho op-
^' pcfei Chrirtianity||." I would only farther obferve, that
there is no v/riter whom he rcprefents as fo unintelligible as
Plato; and yd he intimates, that if he had known and taught the
peculiar do6lrines of the gofpel, *' he who is fo often onintel-
*' ligible nov/ would have been vaftly more fo, and lefs fitted
*' for the great work of reforming mankind ^^^." This is a very
odd infinuation from one who has acknowledged, that true ori-
ginal Chridianity is a plain and intelligible Jyfiein of belief and
praciice: and that its, Jtfnplicity and plainnefsflicwed, that it was
cl^fgned to he the religion of mankind, and manffed hkeicfc
the divinity of its original.
It may be looked upon as a farther proof of his regard to Chrif-
llanity, that be reprelents it as an inconfiflent fcheme. He pre-
tends, that the New Tedament confifteth of two gofpels, the one
publifhed by our Saviour himfelf, and recorded by the cvange-
]ifts, and the other by St. Paul.
He obferves, that " Chrift was to outward appearance a Jew,
" and Ordered his difcipies to do what the fcribes and pharifees
♦* who fat in Mcfes's chair taught : and that when he commiffioned
* BoHngbroke's Wcrks, vol.iv. p. 343. f Ibid. p. 345- 35«»
X Ibid. p. 344, 345. § Ibid. p. iss-
]j Ibid, p, 359. ** Ibid. vol. y. p. 236.
'' his
l8o A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL V.TIITERS. Let. XXXI.
*' his apollles to teach and baptize all nations, he only meant it
** of the Jews difperfed into all nations." He afferts, that "the
** myftery of God's taking the Gentiles to be his people without
** fubjefting them to circumcifion, or the law of Mofes, was in-
•* confident with the declarations and praftice of Jefus*." He
aiks therefore, *' if this was the purpofe of God, to take the Gen-
*' tiles to be his people under the MefTiah^ how came it that the
** Mefhah himfejf gave no inftru6lions about it to his apoftles,
** when he fent them to preach his gofpel to all nations? Why
*' was the revelation of this important myftery, fo necelTary at
•* the firft publication of the gofpel, referved for St. Paul^ who
*' had been a perfecutor? Shall we fay, that this eternal purpofe
*• of the Father was unknown to the Son? Or, that if it was
*' knowp to him, he neglefted to comm.unicate it to the firft
** preachers of the gofpel?" He feems to think thefe queftions
unanfwerable, and that '* the pertnefs and impudence, of the men
*' that pretend to account for thefe things defer ve no regard^.'*
And yet it is no hard matter to folve thefe difficulties. The
calling of the Gentiles was originally included in our Saviour*s
fcheme. It was a remarkable part of the charafter of the Meffiah,
<;iearly pointed out in the prophetical writings, by many exprefs
predi8;ions. Our Lord himfelf, during his own perfonal miniftry,
gave plain intimations of his defign that way, and after his afcen-
lion into heaven inftruBed his apoftles in it by his fpirit, whom
he fent to guide them into all truth. And the gradual difcovery
of this, in a way fitted to remove their prejudices, was condu6fed
\yith admirable wifdom as well as condefcenfion.
Mr. Chubb had infiftedon this objeftion at great length ; and
I fhall therefore refer to the remarks made upon that writer in
the fourteenth Letter : yet, upon no better foundation than this,
his Lordfhip hath taken upon him to affirm, that the " gofpel St.
*• Paul preached was contradictory to that of Jefus Chrift:"
and that '* he taught fevcral doctrines, which were dire6lly re-
'* pugnant to the word and example of the Meffiahi." And
indeed our author hath on many occafions difcovered a particular
prejudice againft that great apoftle. He calls him a true cabba^
* Boiingbrcke's Works, vol. iv. p. 305. ' -j- Ibid. p. 326.
Jlbid. p.3a8.-
m
ica
LeL xxxr. lord bolingbroice. 187
lij}.ical architeH*, a loofe paraphrafer and cahhal:flical comment
tator^ as much at leajl as any ancient or modern rabbi : And
that the different manner of his preaching the gofpel, and that of
the other apoftles, *' marks ftrongly the different fchools in which
** they had been educated, the fchool of Chrift, and the fchool
*' of Gamaliel f." But nothing is more evident to every one
that reads the New Teflament with attention, than that there is a
pcrfe£l harmony between St. Paul and the other apoftles: and
that the fcheme of religion taught in the gofpels and. in -the
epifties is every- where the fame. Such a harmony there is, as
fliews they were all dire£l:ed by the fame fpirit. The gofpel
which St. Paul preached was what he received by revelation
from Jefus Chrill, as he himfelf declares, Gal. i. 12. Ke had
not learned it in the fchool of Gamaliel. On the contrary, m
that fchool he had imbibed the ftrongeft prejudices again ft the
religion of Jefus, and which nothing lefs than a power of evi-
dence, which he was not able to refift, could overcome. He was
very well verfed in the JewiOi learning: yet none of the apoftles
fo frequently warned the Chriftian converts again ft the Jewifli
fables, or fpeaks with fuch contempt of their vain traditions,
their endlefs genealogies, tlieir ftriies and queftions about words,
as he has done.
There are feveral invidious charges brought by our author
againft this excellent perfon. He is plcafpd to reprefent him as
a loofe declairiier^ as a vain-glorious boajler, as having been
guilty of great hypocrify and difjimulation in his- conduft to-
wards the Jev/ifh Chriftians, as v/riting ohfcurcly and unintelli-
gibly, and that where he is intelligible, he is abjurd, profane, and
trifimg\. He particularly inftances in his dcclrine concerning
predeftination § ; though he owns, that " this doftrine is very
»* much fuftened, and the alTumed proceedings of God towards
*' men are brought almoft within the "bounds of credibility, by
*' Mr. Locke's expofition of the ninth chapter of the epiftle to
*' the Romans," which he calls ^. forced one, but offers nothing
to prove it fo; and acknowledges, that this fenfe vnght he ad-
7}iitted\. Fie alfo charges him with teaching paftive obedience,
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iii. p. a88. t ^bid. p. ,^27, .;^S.
X Ibid. p. 328. 330, 331. ^ Ibid. p. 331. 5<^9- vol. v. p. 5^7*
U Ibid. p. 456. ^^^
l8S A VIL-^.V OF THE DEI5TICAL WRITERS. Z^^. XXxr.
and as employing religion to fupport good and had governments
alike ^, : though any one that impartially ccrifiders the apdftle's
<3o6lrine in the paiTage he refers to, viz. the thirteenth chapter
of the Epiftle to the Romans, will find it wife and excellent : Mr.
Chubb had advanced the fame charge, as well as moft of the
others that are produced by Lord Bolingbroke again ft that eminent
anoille : and that I may not be guilty of needlefs repetitions, I
fhall refer to the remarks made on that writer in the fourteenth
Letter.
His Lordlliip mentions that paflage, i Cor. xi. 5. 14. about
womens prophefying with their heads uncovered, and that it is
a fhameful thing for men to wear long hair, which he fays, is the
mojl intelligible trifling that zvejind in the go Jp el. This is very
improperly brjught in by the author here, where he propofes to
{[■icw that where St. Paul is not obfcure he is profane and trif^
iinjj' : for this is ffenerallv acknowledged to be one of the obfcur-
eil paffages in St. Paul's Epillles. But this is no real objecliori
againft their authority, . Some obfcure and difficult paffages muft
be expecf ed in the moft excellent of ancient writings, efpecially in
things that have a fpecial reference to the cuftoms and ufages of
thofe times. He is pleafed to fay, that the argument nia.y net
appear very conclujzve, nor indeed very intelligwle to us : And
\i fo, he has done wrong to produce it as an inftance of intelh"
gihle trifling : But he fneeringlyadds, that it was bothy he doubts
not, to the Corinthians^ And I doubt not they underftood it
better than v.^e at this diftance can pretend to. He then men-
tion.'; the apoftle's directions to the Corinthians with regard to
the prudent and orderly exercife of thofe fpiritual gifts : and thefe
directions cannot reafonably be turned to the difadvantage of
the apoftle, fmce they are undeniably wife and excellent.
Among other charges which Lord Bolingbroke bringeth againft;
St. Paul, one is that of madnefs. He afks, " Can he be lefs than
•* mad, who boafts a revelation fuperadded to reafon to fupply
** the defetls of it, and who fuperadds reafon to revelation to
** fupply the defe61s of this too at the fame time ? This is mad-
*' nefs, or there is no fuch tiling incident to our nature." And
he mentions feveral pcrfons of great name as having been guilty
^ Bclingbroke'sWoi'ksjVol. iv. p- 509. 516.
Lfit, XXXI. LORD EOLINGEROKE. l8c)
of this madnefs, and particularly St. Paul ^. That reafon anrl
revelation are in their feveral ways necefTary, and alTiftant to each
other, is eafily conceivable, and fo far from heinjr an abfurdity,
that it is a certain truth. But the flrefs of his Lordlhip's .obfer-
vation lies wholly in the turn of the exprefnon,.and in tbjC irn«
proper way of putting the cafe. That revelation may be of fig-
nal ufe to affift and enlighten our reafon in the knowledge of
things which wc could not have known at all, or not fo certainly,
by our own unafhifed reafon without it, is plainly fignified by-
Si. Paul, and is what the whole Gofpel fuppofL's. And on the
other hand it is manifeft, that reafon is necefTary to our under-
ftanding revelation, and making a proper ufe of it ; and that in
judging of that revelation, and of its meaning and evidences, we
muft exercife cur '^rea Toning faculties and powers: i. e. revela-
tion fuppofeth us to be reafonable creatures, and to have the ufe
of our reafon, and addrelleth us as fuch. But this doth not im-
ply that revelation is defeftive, or that rcalbn is fuperadded to
fupply the defers of it. For let revelation be ever fo fufficient
and perfect in its kind, or well fitted to anfwer theend for which
it is given, yetftill reafon is neceffary to underlland and apply it.
This is St. Paul's fchemc, and there is nothing in it butwhat is
perfeft iy conhltent. It is evident from his writings, that he fup-
pofeth the revelation \vrhich hath been given to be fufficient for
all the purpofes for which it was defjgned, ablci to make us wife
unto falvation, and to inftrucl us in things of great importance,
which reafon, if left merely to itfelf, could not have difcovered.
And at the fame time he fuppofeth thofe to whom the jevelation
is publifhed to be capable of exercifing their reafcning faculties,
for examining and judging of that revelation, and exhorteth them
to do fo. And though he frequently afferteth his own apcfto-
lical authority, and the revelation he received from Jefus Chrift,
yet he ufeth a great deal of reafoning in all his Epiflles. Thus are
reafon and revelation to be joined together, and are mutually
helpful to one anot-icr. And in this view there is a real har-
mony between them. And what there is in this fcheme that
looks like madnefs, it is hard to fee.
His LordO-iip, in his prejudice againfl St. Paul, carrieth it fo far
Boling'^roke's Works, vo). iv. p. iri.
190 A View of the deistical writers. Ld, xxxt*
as to proiiounce, " that St. Paul received nothing immediately
*' from Chrift:" ThoLigh this apoftle himfelf, in the paffage be-
fore referred to, affirms, that he received the Gofpel he preached,
not of man, neither was he taught it, hut by the revelation of Je*
fus OkriJL He adds, that " St. Paul had no apoflolical com.mif-
*' fion, except that which he affumes in the Afts of the Apoftles,
"written by St. Luke, and dictated probably by himfelf*." And
again, that. *' he entered a volunteer into the apoftlefhip ; at leaft
*' his extraordinary vocation was known to none bur himfelf."
And if St. Paul di61ated that account to St. Luke, it deferves
the greatell: credit, fince he was the propereft perfon in.the world
to give an account of it. But the truth cf his apoflolical com-,
million did not depend m.erely upon his own word. It was made
manifeft bv the moll illuftrious proofs and credentials, to which
he could with confidence appeal +, and was acknowledged by the
other apoftles, though this vv^riter is pleafed to infinuate the con-
trary J. Indeed the plain meaning of his v/hole charge here is,
that St. Paul was an impoftor, and that his call to the apoftoii-
cal office was entirely his own fiction. But the great abfurdicy
of this pretence has been fo fully expofedin Sir George Lyttle-
ton's Objervations on the Converfion and Apojllejliip of St Fault
that it is perfectly needlefs to add any thing farther on that head.
I fhali only obferve, that whofoever with a candid and unpre-
judiced mind confiders the whole character and condu6t of that
great apoftle, as reprefented in the A6ts of the Apoftles, and the
temper and fpirit which breathes in his admirable Epiftles, witl
be apt to think that never was there among mere men a more
perfe6t character than that of St. Paul. In him we may behold
a ffiining example of the moft exalted and unaffected piety to-
wards God, the moft fervent and a6tive zeal for the divine glory,
yet not a blind enthufiaftic heat, but a zeal according to know-
ledge, and conducted with great prudence : the moft extenfive
and difinterefted charity and benevolence towards mankind, and
the moft earneft and afte6tionate concern for their falvation and
happinefs ; the moft fteady fortitude and conftancy under the
fevereft trials and fuffcrings, which he endured v»?ith patience,
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 383, 389. -f % Cor. xll. 11, 12.
X Gai.xi. 7j 8,9.
and
Let. XXXr. LORD BOLINGBROKE.
191
and even with joy, fupported and animated by the earnefl defire
he had to ferve the glorious caufe of truth and righteoufnefs,
and by the fubhme hopes of an everlafting reward in abetter
world for his faithful fervices in this. Never was there a truer
greatnefs of mind than that which he manifefted. And all this
accompanied with a moll amiable humility, and a great tender-
nefs of fpirit in bearing with the weaknefs and infirmities of
others. He was a raoll glorious inftrument in the hand of pro-
vidence for promoting the facred intereft of pure and undefiled
religion in the world. Our author fays, that Socrates was the
apo/He of the Gentiles in tiatural rcUgion, as St. Paul was in
revealed. But no inftance can be brought of any one perfon
whom the former converted from the prevailing polytheifm and
idolatry. And how fhould this be expe8ed, when he himfelf,
as his Lordfhip owns, countenanced it by his own practice, and
was for the religion efahlificd by the laws ^ ! But the latter
turned thoufands in many different nations from darknefs unto
light, and from ferving idols to ferve the living and true God,
and from the moft abandoned vice and diffolutenefs of manners
to the praftice of virtue and righteoufnefs ; v/hich he performed
in oppofition to the feemingly moft infuperable difhculties, and
through a fuccellion of the greateft labours and fufferings that
any one man ever endured. This has ahvays highly rec'omm.end-
ed him to the efteem and admiration of thofe who have a zeal
for true original Chriftianity. And on the other hand, the ene*
mies of our holy religion have always difcovered a peculiar aver-
fion to this excellent perfon, who was fo fuccefsfui an inftrument
in propagating it. And this fecms to be the true reafon of that
obloquy and reproach which Lord Bolingbroke has been fo
induftrious to fix on fo admirable a char^^.^ter.
His real intention towards Chriftianity v/ill farther appear, if
we confider the attempts he hath made to invalidate the proofs
and evidences of it.
He frequently fpeaks v/ith the utmoft contempt of thofe that
infift upon the internal charafters of a divine original, v/hich
are to be obferved in the revelation delivered in the holy Scrip-
tures. By reje£ling the" internal charafters, he pretends to affert
* Bolipgbroke'sWorksjiv. p. 193.
the
Xg^ A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS, Lei. XXXI*
the authority of the bible, and very gravely advifes the divines
to coniine themfelves to the externa] proofs, and to dwell ver}r
little on the internal charafters ; and rcprefents them as talking a
great deal of blafpheray on this head*. And yet he himfelf, as
appears from Tome of the paffagesthat have been above cited, has
acknowledged feveral things with regard to Chriftianity as taught
in the gofpels, which have been defervedly reckoned among the
internal chara61ers, which lead us to acknowledge that it came
from God: fuch as, the excellent tendency of its doftrines, pre-
cepts, and facraments ; its being one continued le.jfon of the ftncl-
eji- morality, of jujlice, of charity, and imivcrfal benevolence;
its being a complete fyfcem, to all the purpofes of religion natural
and revealed; li^ plainnefs and fimpli city, whuh, \\t{-Ay?>,fnewed
that it zvas defgned to be the religion of mankind, and mani-
fejled likeicije the divinity of its original. It is true that he
charges thofe with madncfs, and fomething zuorfe than madnefs,
who, in arguing concerning the internal charafters, ** pretend to
*' comprehend the w^hole ceconomy of the divine wifdom from
" Adam down to Chrift, and even to the confummation of all
*' things, and to conneft all the difpenfations." And this is one
part of his quarrel with St. Paul, whom, as well as the divines,
he very unfairly reprefents as unAemVmg to fliew the firffi dent
reafon of providence in every particular inftance from the begin-
ning ot the world to the end ct itf. Burt however he is pleafed
to reprefent it, it is a noble contemplation, and highly for the
honour of the facred writings, that there we may obferve one
and the fame glorious plan carried on by the divine wifdom and
goodnefs from the beginning, for tlie recovery and falvation of
lapfed man : fucceflive revelations communicated at different
times and in divers manners, and at the diPiancc of feveral ages
from one another, yet all fubfervient to the fame glorious pur-
pofes, and mutually coniiiming and illuflrating each other: the
law and the prophets in their feveral ways confpiri ng to prepare
the way for the revelation of Jefus Cbrift, and to furnilh divine
attcflations to it. The religion ca/ried on under the feveral
difpcnfations, flill for fubllancc the fame; and wi}atever fe-jm-
* Eolingbroke's \Vork$, vol. iii. p. 271, 273. vol. Iv. p. %2^^
t Ibid. vol. iii. p. 271, a/j, yul, iy. p. 120,
Lot. XXXI. LORD BOLINGBROJCE.
■^3
ing variety there may be in the parts, an admirable harmony in
the whole.
His Lordfliip, fpeaking of what he calls the internal proofs of
the Chriftian revelation, obferves, in a fneering way, that " the'
*' contents ot the whole Chriftian fyftem laid down in our fcrip-
*' tares are objefls of fuch a probability, as may force allent
" very reafonably in fuch a cafe, without doubt ; although a
** concurrence of various circumftances, improved by the cre-
** duiity of fome men, and the artifice of others, forced this allent
*• in cafes not very diffimilar*." He has not thought fit to
produce an inftance of a falfe revelation, whofe evidence carl
be juftly compared to that of Chriftianity. And as to his ex-
preffion oi forcing ajfent hy ?l probabiUty^ it is, like many others
of his, very improper. No Chriftian talks of forcing alTent, nor
would a forced belief have any great merit in it. But that there
are fuHicicnt grounds to make it reafonable to affent to it, is very
true. And this is what his LoTdfiiip ought to have acknowledged,
if, as he himfeif confelfes, " it has ail the proofs which the man*
*' ner in which it was revealed, and the nature of it, allowed
" it to havet." This is in efteft to own, that the proofs of
Chriftianity are fuiFicient. in their kind. And if this be thecafci
it is, according to the rule he himfeif has laid down, unreafon-
able to demand more. For he obferves, that " common fenfe
** requires that every thing propofed to the underftanding, fhould
*' be accompanied with fuch proofs as the nature of it can fur-
" nilh. He who requires more, is guilty of abfurdity: he who
*' requires lei's, of rafhnefs J."
With regard to the external proofs of Chriftianity, his Lord-
fhip does not, as feveral of the deiftical writers.have done, deny
miracles to be proper or fufhcient proofs. On the contrary, he
fometimes affecls to cry up the m^ighty efhcacy of miracles as
alone fufhcient, w^ithout any confideration of the goodnefs of the
caufe for which they were wrought, or examination ot the doc-
trines theyatteft; and finds fault with *' that maxim as con-
*' trary to common fenfe, that is not for admitting miracles as
*' proofs of a divine original, without confideration ot the, caufe
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 9.^
I Ibid. p. 91. I Ibid. vol. iii. p.
VOL. II. O
16.
•' or
2 94 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXXf.
*' ordoftrines: fmcereal miracles can be operated by no power
*' but that of God, nor for any purpofe, by confequence, but
*• fuch as infinite Avifdom and truth direft and fan6lify '•'." Ac-
cordingly he declares, fpeaking of the Chrillian revelation, that
*' confidering the glorious perfon by whom it was brought, and
*' the flupendous miracles that were wrought to confirm it, we
*' might be ready to conclude, that it muft have forced conviftion,
*' and have taken ,away even a poflibility of doubt t." And he
repeats it again, that " Chriftianity was confirmed by miracles,
*' and the proof was no doubt fufficient for the convi6iion of
*' all thofe who heard the publication of this do6lrine, and faw
*' the confirmation of it. One can only wonder that any fucli
''remained unconvinced:!:." His defign v;as undoubtedly to
infinuatc, that the miracles were not really wrought; becaufe,
if they had been wrought, they muft have convinced all thofe that
faw them. To talk of miracles as forcing convi£fion is to carry
it to an unreafonablc extreme, as any man muft be fcnfible, that
confiders human nature, and the mighty influence of prejudices,
paiTions, and worldly interefts. V/e have however his concef-
lion, that miracles arc fufficient for convincing thofe who faw
them: and if [o, they mult be proportionably fufficient for the
convi£lion of thofe who have a rcafcnable ground of aiTurance,
that thefe miracles v/ere really wrought, though they were not
themlelves eye-witnciTcs of them. Tiie original proof of Chrif-
tianity therefore w::3 by his own account every-way fufficient.
The only queftion that remains is, whether we have proper evi-
dence to convince us that thefe miracles were aflually perform-
ed. Auvi of this we have evidence fufficient to fatisly every
candid and impartial enquirer, and all that could be realbnably
infiftcd upon in fuch a cafe. For tlie proof of this I ihali refer
to what has been already obferved in my fourth Letter, inanfwer
to Mr. Hume.
The moft. remarkable of all the miracles by which the divine
authority of the Chriftian religion is confirmed, is the refurrcc-
tion of Jefus Chrift. And as to this, his Lordfiiip obferves, that
*' Chrift fcarce Oicwcd himfclf to the few who were faid to have
* Boilngbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. S17, azS. f Ibid. p. 461.
1 Ibid. p. 91.
** fcen
Let. xxxr. loPvD bolingbroks* 49,5
*' feen him after his refurreflion in fuch a manner, as they could
*' know by it certainly that it was he whom they had fccn. I
** fay the few, becaufe St. Paul, who had not probably ever fecn
*' Jefus, deferves no credit when lie affirms againft the whole
** tenor of the gofpels, that he and above five hundred brethren
*' at once had feen him after his refurreftion." He has here
plainly let us know, that after all his profeiTed regard to Chrif-
tianity, he is very wiHing to deny that vrhich is the principal
proof of our Saviour's divine miflion, and to which he himfelf
uUimately appealed as fuch. But we have nothing but confident
affertions, after his Lordfhip's manner, and a bold charging" St.
Paul with a falfehood, without the leaft proof: for as to his pre-
tence, that it is contrary to the whole tenor of the gofpels, there
is no foundation for, it. The more to expofe St. Paul, he re-
prefents it as if he had affirmed, that he himfelf was prefent, and
faw Jefus at the fame time that he was {tzn of five hundred bre-
thren at once. Whereas he faitli no fuch thing, but rather the
contrary, 1 Cor. xv. 6. 8. But as to Chrift's being {tzn by {q
many perfons, St. Paul fpeaks of it as a thing certainly known,
and that the greater part of them were then alive \vhen he wrote
to the Corinthians. And the queftion is, whether St. Paul is to
be believed in a faft which he publicly affirmed in that very age,
and for the truth of v/hich he appeals to great numbers of perfons
then living, or this writer, who, at the diftance of feventeeii
hundred years, gives us his own word for it that there was no
fuch thing? But I fliall not need to add anything farther on
this fubjeft here, having confidered it fo fully in the twelfth Let-
ter of -the former volume, which contains rcm/arks on the Refur^
rcclion of Jtfiis confidcred.
The accounts of the extraordinary fa£ls whereby Cliriftianity
was attefted, as well as of its original doftrines, are tranfmitted
to us in the facred writings of the New Teftament, particularly
in thofe of the Evangelifts, and in the A6ts of the Apollles. And
it has been often ffiewn,'that never were there any writings
which carry greater marks of purity, fimplicity, and uncorrupted
integrity, and of an impartial regard to truth, or which have
been tranfmitted with a clearer and a more continued evidence.
With regard to the writings of the Evangelifls, Lord Bolingbroke
hath himfelf acknowledged, that " it is out of difpute, that we
O 2 " bave
lg6 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXXU
*' have in our hands the gofpels of Matthew and John, who gave
*' themfelves out for eye and ear-wkneffes of all that Chriil did
*' and taught. That two channels were as fufficient as four to
*' convey thofe doftrines to the world, and to preferve them in
*' their original purity. The manner too in which thefe Evan-
*' gelifts recorded them, was much better adapted to this purpofe
*' than that of Plato, or even of Xenophon, to preferve the
*' doftrines of Socrates. The Evangelifts did not content them-
*' felves to give a general account of the doQrines of Jefus Chrift
*' in their own words, nor prefume in feigned dialogues to make
*' him deliver their opinions in his own name. They recorded
*' his do61rines in the very words in which he taught them, and
" they were careful to mention the fev-eral occafions on which
*' he delivered them to his difciples or others. If therefore Plato
*' and Xenophon tell us with a good degree of certainty v/hat
*' Socrates taught, the two Evangelifts feem to tell us with m.uch
*' more what the Saviour taught and commanded them to teach*.'*
He finds fault indeed with Erafmus for making Chrift to fay to
his difciples, in his paraphrafe on the firft chapter of the A6ls, that
*' the Holy Spirit would not only recal to their minds all he had
" taught them, but fuggeft likewife unto them whatever it might
*' be neceffarv for them to know." And he adds, that " cavil-
*' lers will fay that thefe words were added by Erafmus to the
*' text for reafons very obvious, and are not contained in the
** text." But there is certainly very little ground for fuch a
cavil, fince it appears from the facred text itfelf, that our Saviour
did both promife to fend his Spirit to bring all things to their
runemhrance, zchatfoever he had J aid unto them, and alfo to lead
them into all truth, and inftruft them in things in which he him-
fclf had not fully inftrufted them during his perfonal miniftry,
becaufe they were not then able to bear them. John xiv. 26.
xvi. 12, 13, 14. And whereas lie urgeth, that " if we do not
*' acknowledge the fyftem of belief and pratfice which Jefus left
*' behind him to be complete and perfeft, we muft be reduced
*' to thegreateil abfurdity, and to little lefs than blafphemy ; and
*' that it muft be otherwife faid, that he executed his commif-
*' ficn imperfecllyt." It will appear, if the matter be rightly
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 390. f Ibid. p. 315, 316.
CQufidered,
Let. XXXr. LORD BOLINGBROKE. I97
confidered, that it was no way diflionourable to our Saviour,
that there were feveral things more explicitly revealed to the
apoftles afterwards, than was done during his perfonal miniftry.
Some things were not proper to be openly and dlftinftly publiflied
till after Chrift's refurreftion : nor were his difciples fully pre-
pared for receiving them before that time. He himfeii told
them before his paffion, that there were fome things they did
not know then, but fhould know afterwards. And the revela-
tion publifhed by his apoftles, according to his commiflicn, and
under the influence of his Spirit, and by power derived from
him, was as truly the revdahon of J ejus Chriji, as St. Paul calls
it, as that which he delivered hirafelf in the days of his perfonal
miniftry; nor did it really differ from it in any article, but more
fully explained feveral things, than was feafonable, or could be
conveniently done, before. So that Chrift was faithful to the
commiflion he had received, and the whole was conduced with
admirable wifdom, and condefcending goodnefs.
Notwithftanding the fair acknowledgment Lord Bolingbroke
had made of the credibility of the Gofpels which are now in our
hands, he hath thrown out feveral hints which are plainly de-
figned to deftroy the credit of them. Thus he talks of a multi-
tude of different Gofpels which were compofed in the firft ages,
he thinks, no lefs than forty — and afks, " If the gofpels received
" into the canon are favourable to the orthodox belief, how do
*' we know that the other gofpels were exactly conformable to
*' thefe?" He talks, as Mr. Hobbes had done before him, as if
" the authenticity of the four Gofpels depended on the council
" of Laodicea, which admitted four, and rejefted the reil:" and
adds, *' that every church judged of the infpiration of authors,
** and of the divine authority of books ; and thofe books were ca-
" nonized, in which every particular church found the greateft
*' conformity with their own fentiments^-." But this is very
unfairly reprefented. There is nothing capable of a clearer
proof, than that there was a general agreement in the churches
throughout the world, from the firft age of Chriftianity, in re-
ceiving the four Gofpels, the A8;s of the Apoftles, and St. Paul's
Epiftles: and that the fpurious gofpels he fpeaks of were never
* EoIIngbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 404j 405*
O 3 generally
tg^ A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WP.ITERS. Lei, XXXI.
generally received in the Chriftian church as of divine autho-
rity : and that the primitive Chriflinns were very careful a-nd
fcrupuloiis not to receive any bocks into the facred canon, but
thofe of whofe authority they had fulHcient proofs. Nothing
can be more abfurd, and more contrary to plain undeniable faft,
than to pretend that the facred bcehs of the Nev/ Teftament
were not looked upon as authentic and divine before the council
of Laodicea, which was not held till after the middle of the
fourth century. They were not firfi: made fo by that cctincil,
which only declared what had been long before received as of
divine authority in the Chrifliian church. I need not fay any
more upon this fubje£l in this place^ but iliall refer to the fourth
Letter of the frrit volume, vrhich contains fome account of To-
land's Amyntor^ and rhe anfwers that were made to it. To
which may be added, what I have offered in the RefeElions en
Lord Bolingbroke s Letters on the Study and UJe of Hijiory^ at
the end of this yolume.
In order to weaken the credit of the original facred records of
the Chriitian religion, his Lordihip hath farther obferved, that
" in other hiftorians, if the paflages which we deem genuine
*' (liGuld be fpurious, if 'others fliould be corrupted or interpc-
** iated, and if the authors ihould have purpofely or through de-
** ception difguifed the truth, or advanced untruth, no great hurt
*' could be done :" but that " in the Scripture, befides all the
*' other circumftances necelTary to conflitute hiftorical probabi-
" lity, it is not enough that the tenor of fa£i:s and dodlrines hz
*' true; the ieaft error is of confequence." He produces two in-
flances to prove it, neither of wliich relate to any tScripture ex-
prefTions at ail. — And then he adds, that " when we meet with
'^ any record cited in hiftory, we accept the hiftorical proof, and
*^ content ourftlves with it, of how many copies foever it be the
*' copy. But this proof would not be admitted in judicature, as
*' Mr. Locke obferves, nor any thing lefs than an attefted copy
" of the record." And he thinks, that " if fuch'a precaution
" be neccfTary in matters of private property, much m.ore is it
'^ ncccffary that we receive nothing for the word of God, that is
" not fuificiently attcfted to be fo." lie takes notice of what
the reverend Dr. Ccnybeare, late Lord Eifnop o^i Briftol, has
faid in anfwer to this, of whom he fpcaks with a refpec^ which
. is
Let. XXXI. LORD B0LIXG3R0KE<
<99
is extremely juft, but whicii, conlldering his ufual manner of
treating the Chriftian divines, could fcarce Iiave been expcaed
from him, towards oris who had diftinguiflit'd himfelf in defend-
ing i:he ChriRian caufe. The anfwer of Dr. Conybeare which
he refers to is this: " That the ground of this proceeding in ci-
" vil caufes feems to be, that the original record, or an atteded
*f copyy is capable of being produced ; and that therefore to off^r
'^ any diftant proof might look as if feme art were intended to
" corrupt matters, and difguife the truth. But it is not in the
** nature of things polTible to produce the originals or attefted
*^ copies of the Scriptures." This appeareth to me to be a good
obfervation. But his Lordfliip is not fatisfied with it. He an-
fwers, that " the reafon why the copy of a copy is refufed in
*' proof, is not folely becaufe the original or an atteHed copy may
*' be had, but becaufe the proof would be too diftant whether they
*' could be had or no."" — And he thinks " if the rule be thought
** reafonable in the one cafe, it cannot be thought, without ab-
*' furdity, unreafonable in the other.— However it happens, the
*' want of an orighial or of an attefted copy is a v.^ant of proof*."
But it is not the want of .any proof that can be reafonably defir-
ed, or that is pofLble to be had, or that is neceiTary in any cafes
of the like kind. By the confent of ail mankind, there may be
fufHcient evidence of the truth and authority of ancient VvTitings
to convince any reafonable perfon, though neither the origi-
nals, nor any atteiled copies of the originals, be now remain-
ing f. And the man would only render himfelf ridiculous that
fnould
* Bolingbroke'* Works, vol. iv. p. 27a.
f liow long the originals of die apofliolic v/ritings continued in the
churches, we cannot take upon us certainly to determine. Whether the
noted paffage of Tertullian, in which he fpeaks of the avthentiax: Uteres ahof-
tolorurn as ftill read in the apoftoiical cljurchcs, relateth to the original manu-
fcripts of the apcftohc writings, or not, about which the learned are not
agreed, it is very poilibie, and not at all improbable, that fome of the origi-
nals might have continued to that time. And coniideving Iiow long pieces
of that kind raay be preferved, v^e are not removed at fo vaft a diftance from
the originals as may appear at firll view. In the year 1715, when Cardinal
Ximenes fet forward the Ccmplutenfian edition of the Scriptures, there were
fome manufcripts made ufe of which wt.re looked upon to be then twelve
hundred years old. The famous /ilexandrian manufcript: prefented by Cy-
riiius Lucaris to cur King Charlc: I. though learned men are not quite agreed
O 4 a^o"^^
«OQ A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXXI.
Tnoukl rejetil them as unworthy of credit, and give no other rea-»
fon for rejecting them, but the want of fucli originals or atteil-
ed copies, And why 13iould a condition be infilled en as necef-
fary with regard to the Scriptures, which would be accounted
abiurd to the lafc degree, if infifted on with regard to any other
ancient writings whatfoever? To which it may be added, that
when great numbers of copies are taken from an original, and
got into many hands, and difperfed into various parts, by com-
paring tliefe copies there arifes a ftronger proof in the nature of
things, to fatisfy a reafonable perfon, that thofe writings have not
hccn materially corrupted or falfified, than if there were only
one fmgle copy rernaining, though it fhould be attefled by a liv-
ing witnefs to have been faithfully copied and compared with
the original ; which yet by the author's own acknowledgment
would be fufficient in a court of judicature. It is manifeft, that
there would be more room to fufpect a fraud or impofition in
this cafe than in the other. As to what he alleges, that it is of
much greater importance to guard againft any miflakes in the
word of God than in any thing that relates to matters of private
property, and that therefore as great or even greater precautions
are neceilary with regard to the former than the latter, it muft
be acknov/ledged, that if the tevelation were of fuch a nature,
that it confilled in a fmgle precife point, as often is iht cafe of a
deed to be produced in evidence in a couit of judicature, where
a fmgle exprcilion or claufe may determine the whole, and gain
or loie the caufe, there might be fame pretence for infrlllng on
i^iiQ ftritleft nicety of proofs, even as to all the feveral particular
claufes and forms of expreffion, becaufe a fmgle miftake might
be of the worft confequence, and defeat the defign of the whole.
But it is manifeft this is not the cafe with regard to the revela-
about its age, is univerfally allowed to be of very liigh antiquity. Dr. Grabe
thinks it might have been written about the latter end of the fourth century.
Others, as Dr. Mill, fuppofe it v/as not written till near the end of the fifdi
century. If we take the latter computation, it may fiirly be fuppofed, that
there were at that time, lix. at the ciofe of the fifth century, copies two or
hundred years old: and if the Alexandrian manufcript was copied from one
of this fort, which is no unreafonable flippclition, this will bring us to the
third or latter end of the fecond century, v/hen probably the very originals,
or at Icail fevcrai copies taken frorn the originals, were in being.
tion
Let. XXXI. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 201
tion contained in the holy fcriptures. The doftrinos there taught,
the precepts there injoined, the promifes there made, the import-
ant fafts t:here related, are fo oRen repeated and referred to, and
placed in fuch various lights, that nothing iefs than a general
corruption, which could not have been cfFefted, could defeat the
defign for v/hich that revelation was given. IF a particular paf-
fage was altered or interpolated, ftill there would be many others
to preferve to us the fubllance of that revelation, and to prevent
the wrong ufe that might he attempted to be made of fuch a paf-
fage. There is not therefore fo fcrupuious a nicety and exact-
nefs required in this cafe as in the other. The divine wifdom
hath fo ordered it, that the revelation was originally contained in
feveral writings, publifhed by different perfons, and copies taken
of them at different times, all confirming one another, and which
render a general corruption of that revelation imprafticable.
The account of the fafts there given is not confined to one book,
nor are the articles of religion there mentioned m.erely mentioned
once for all, or drawn up in one form or fyftem ; but the fafts are
fo often referred to, and the articles or doftrines fo often repeat-
ed, and delivered on fo many different occafions, that no miilakes
in particular pafTagcs, or in a particular copy or copies, could
dcftroy the intent or ufe of the original revelation.
It is with the fame view of weakening and invalidating the
evidence of Chriftianity, that his Lordfhip is pleafed to obferve
what hath been often urged by others of the deiftical writers
before him, that " the external evidence of the Chrifiian revcla-
" tion is diminifiied by time.". This he reprcfents as " fo evi-
" dent that no divines would be fo ridiculous as to deny it"-''.'*
And after feeming to grant, in a pafiage cited above, that the
proof of Cnriuianity, by miracles, was fufficient for the convi6lion
of all thofe who heard the publication of this doftrine, and faw
the confirmation of it, he adds, that " this proof became in a little
♦'time traditional and hiftorical : and we might be allowed to
" wonder how the effect of it continued and increafed too, as
" the force of it diminifhed, if the reafons of this phaenomcnon
" were not obvious in hiftoryf." As he has not thought fit
to mention thofe reafons, no notice can be taken of them. But
* Boiinghroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 269, 270. f Ibid. vcl. t. p. 9'*
he
203 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let, XXXl,
he ought not to have reprefented it as a thing which is univerfally
acknowledged, that the external evidence of Chriftianity is di-
miniOied by time. The abfurdity of that maxim, that the cer-
tainty and credibility of moral evidence is continually diminifh-
ing in proportion to the length of time, has been often expofed;
particularly by Mr. Ditton in his Treatife on the Refurreftion,
part ii. The evidence of Chrifuanity hath in fome refpccls increaf-
ed inftcad of being diminiihed, fince the firfi publication of it ; ef-
pecially the proofs arifnig from the wonderful propagation of the
gofpel, contrary to all human appearance, notwithftanding the
amazing difficulties it had to encounter with ; and from the ac-
compliOiment of many remarkable prediftions which they that
lived in the firft age of Chrillianity could not fee the completion
of*. To talk of the proof's hccom'mg traditional zr\A hijiorical
may pafs with thofe that govern themfelves by founds, as if the
words traditional and hi/loncal, and doubtful and uncertain^
were terms of the fame fignification ; when every one knows
that many fafts come to us by tradition and hiftory with fuch an
evidence, that no reafonable man can doubt of them anymore
than of what he hears or fees. Ke pronounceth indeed, accord-
incrto his manner, with a decifive tone, that " it was not poffible,
•' that traditions derived from the firfl and through the moft
*' early ages of Chriftianity, fliould convey either, facls or doc-
*' trines down with a due authenticity and precifion, unlefs ^
♦' continued miracle had fubfiifed to alter the nature of things,
" and to produce elTetts repugnant to their caufest." This is
veryj)oritively determined ; but we have no proof of it but his
own authority. And if it be underllood not merely of fafts or
doftrines delivered down by oral tradition, which for the moll
part cannot be much depended upon, but of facts or do6lrines
contained in the facred writings, there is no real foundation for
this alfertion. We have proof fufiicient to convince any reafon-
able perfon, as I fhall hereafter fhew ]':, that thofe writings v/ere
publilhed in the firft age of the Chriltian Church, whilft the
* This is fully fhewn by Mr. Le Moine on Miracles, p. 25a — z8o.
-j- iblq. vol.iv. p. 398.
% See Reficdions on Lord Bolingbroke's Letters on the Study and Ufe
•f Hillary.
apoftlcs
Let. XXXI. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 203
apoftles, and their immediate companions, the firft publiflicrs of
Chridianity, were yet alive. In which age, if any had attempted
to corrupt thofe writings in the accounts oF dofcl:rines and fafts,
fuch an attempt mufl have been unavoidably deleted and ex-
pofed. And in the age immediately fucceeding, thofe writings-
became fo generally difperfed and known, fo many copies of them
Vv^ere taken, and fpread tiirough different countries, they were
had in fuch veneration among Chriilians, and fo conllantly read
in their religious aflemblies, that a general corruption of them
would have been an impoihble thing. Nor can any time be
fixed upon from that age to this, in which fuch a general corrup-
tion of them could -Iiave been accompliflied : and all attempts to
prove fuch a corruption have been evidently vain and ridiculous,
and have turned only to the confufion of thofe who have pre-
tended it. As to wliat he urges about the ialfe apoflles and
teachers in the firft age, and their high pretenfions to revelations
and -extraordinary gifts, and the m.any fefts v/hich were thea
formed; and that though the apoflles oppofed them, " it was
*' often without effeft, and always with great dimcuUy, as we
'•' may judge by that v/hich St. Paul had to maintain his authcrity
*' in the church of Corinth, and others'^;" this is fo far from
diminifliing the original evidence of Chriilianity, that it rather
confirms it. Since the evidence brought for the true Chrifliati
religion by the apoflles and firft publifhers of it, mufl have beea
exceeding ftrong and cogent, and their authority, which had no-
thing but the force of truth, and the atteftations given to their,
divine miflion, to fupport it, mufl have been on a very folid bafis,
which M^as able to overcome all thofe complicated difficulties,
arifing from open enemies without, Jews and heathens, and
from falfe brethren within, and the fcandals and offences of the
fcveral fe£fs which fprung up under various leaders, fomc of
them perfons of great parts and fubtiUy, and who put on very
fpecious appearances. What flrong proofs of a divine original,
and what a mighty energy mufl have accompanied genuine pri-
mitive Chriflianity, by v>?hich it triumphed over all the apparently
infuperable difficulties and oppohtions of all kinds, wifich it had
to encounter witl); even at its hrft appearance!
* Bolinghroke's Works, vcl. iv. ?. 393»
Tlie
204 "^ ^^^'^"^ ^^ '^^^^ DEISTICAL WRITERS. Lei. XXXI.
The propagation and ellablifhment of ChriRIanity, taking it in
all its circLunltances, is indeed a moft aftonilliing event, and has
been always juftly regarded as furnifhing an argument of great
weight to prove its divine original, and the truth of the extraor-
dinary fafts and atteftations by which it was confirmed. Lord
Bolingbroke was fcnfible of this, and therefore has done wliat he
could to take off the force of it, by endeavouring to account for
the fpreading ci Chriflianity without any thing extraordinary
or fupernatural in the cafe. To this purpofe he obferves, that
** indulgence to the Jews and to the Gentiles, in order to gain
*' both, was a tundamental principle of apollolical condu6l from
" the firft preaching of the Gofpel : and that by fuch prudent
*' conduft the Gofpel was fuccelTively propagated, and converts
*' flocked apace into the pale of Chriftianity from thefe different
"*' and oppofite quarters*." He treats this, as if it were a piece
of political conduft in St. Paul and the other apoiiles, in which
they deviated from the original plan laid down by our Saviour
himfelf. But this is a great miftake. The taking the Jews and
Gentiles into the Chrillian Church, and uniting them both into
one body, was part of the original plan of Chriftianity, which
-was evidently defigned by the great Author of our holy reli-
gion, in accomplilhment of the glorious fchcme formed by the
divine wifdom from the beginning, and which had been clear-
ly pointed out in the ancient prophecies. But fo far was the
indulgence (hewn to the Gentiles, and the incorporating them
into the Chriftian Church along with the Jews, from helping to
bring the Jews into it, that it was one of the greateft obftacles
to their entering into the pale of Chriftianity, and rarfed in
them ftrong prejudices againft it, which had fo far poffeffed
the minds even of the apoftles, that it was with great difficulty,
and by degrees, that they themfelves were brought to embrace
this part of the Chriftian fcheme. Nor can it be fuppofed that
St. Paul, who had been educated in the fchool of Gamaliel, and
in the ftriftell Pharifaical notions, for which he was extremely
zealous, would of himfelf have ever formed fuch a fcheme, in
oppofition to all his prejudices, if it had not been, as he himfelf
<iffnjus, communicated to him by a divine revelation, which
f Boiingbroke's Work?, vol. iv. p. 3.16.
came
Zet. XXXI. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 20^
came to him with an evidence that abfolutely convinced him,
and overpowered all his prejudices.
With regard to the Gentiles, the taking them into the Chrif-
tian Church was only an admitting them into the body of thofe
who profefTed the belief and acknowledgment of a crucified Sa-
viour. And what was there in this to allure or engage them
to forfake their ancient religion, and thofe fuperftitions and
idolatries to which they were fo ftrongly aduifted ? To tell the
Jews, that they (hould form one Church with the Gentiles, whom
they looked upon with difdain, as utterly unworthy of fuch a
privilege : and to tell the Gentiles, that they fhould form one
Church with the Jews, for whofe religion and nation, his Lord-
iliip obferves, that they had a contempt and aver/ion : and that
they fhouid with them be reckoned among the diiciples of a cru-
cified Jefus, I, e. of a Jew that had been put to a cruel and
ignominious death by the heads of his own nation, and whom
they were to acknowledge for their Saviour and their Lord ;
could this poflibly have been an inducement either to Jews or
Gentiles to embrace Chriftianity, which was fo oppofite to the
prejudices of both, if it had not been for the confpicuous evi-
dences of a divine attefcation accompanying it ?
Another way he takes of accounting for the propagation of
Chriftianity is this : that " no ages nor countries could be more
*' prepared to adopt every theological and metaphyfical notion,
*' even the m.ofl extravagant and leaPc intelligible, than that
*• wherein the Chriilian religion was firft publifhcd and propa-
*' gated *." And he frequently intimates, that the heathen phi-
lofophy, efpecially the Platonic, had greatly helped forward the
fpreading of the Chriilian faith. If this had been the cafe, one
would have expecfed, that the chief harveft of converts to Chrif-
tianity, at its firft appearance, would have been among the phi-
lofophers and metaphyficians, and thofe who were bred up in
their fchools. , But it is evident the fa£l ^\^as otherwife. No
perfons were more generally averfe ' to the Chriftian fcheme,
than the feveral fefts of philofophers in the heathen world,
who oppofed it with all the learning and fubtilty they were maf-
ters of. And indeed it was in fome of its fundamental prin-
* Bolingbroke'sWorks; vol. I v. p. 337-
ciples,
205 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS."" Let. XXXf^
ciples, (iirc611y cppofite to their favourite notions and prejudices*
Nor could it be expected, that they who valued themfelves. fo
highly upon their learning, wifdom, and eloquence, would fub-
mit to be the difciples of a crucified Jefus, or learn their reli*
gion from, fuch perfons as the apoilies were. The doftrine of
falvation through Chriil crucified, \\'2iS,fooliJlinefs to the proud
Greeks, who pretended to feek after wifdom, and was not agree-
able to any of their fchemes. And fo far was St. Paul, the nioft
learned of the apoflles, from blending the Pagan philofophy with
the Chrifdan fyftem which he preached, that he thought it ne-
ceflary to warn the Chriftian converts againft it. Bezoare left any
7nanfpoil yen through philofophy and vain deceit. Col. ii. 8.
Another thing he mentions as having been a great advantage to
the propagation of ChriRianity was, that " great collections were
*' made, and every Church had a common purfe. By thefe
*' means they fupported their poor ; and every m.an who emibraced
*' ChriRianity being fure not to want bread, the Gofpel was
*' more effefttially propagated, and great numbers of the lov/cfl
•• rank of people were brought into the pale*." One would
be apt to think by his reprefentation, that the Chriftians were
for taking in all the poor- that offered themfelves, idle perfons
who only wanted to be maintained, in order to gain a number
of converts and profelytes. But this is a very wrong reprefen-
tation. Every one knov/.^, that great care w^as taken in the ad-
mitting perfons into tlie Chriftian Church. They were to
have a good affurance both of their faith and of their morals.
No idle poor v/ere to be fupported. On the contrary, they
Avere difcountenanced, and were treated as perfons that walked
diforderly. It was a conftitution eCtabliflied by apoflolical au-
thority as in the name of Chrift, that if any would not worhy
neither fioidd he eat ; and that every njan (houid zvork with
quietnefs, and eat iiis own bread; and that he fhould labour,
working with his hands that zchich is good, that he might have
to give to him thai needeth, 2 Thef. iii. 10, 11, 12. Eph. iv. 28.
That fpirit of charity and brotherly love which prevailed amiong
\.h^ firft Chriftian s, was a noble effeft of the Gofpel of Jefus ;
and that which fo opened their hearts and hands was the full
* JBolifigbroks's V/crks, vol. iv. p. 4zz.
convitjlion
Ld. XXXI. LORD BOLINGBROKE. £0/
x:onvi6lion and perfuafion they had of the truth and divinity of
our holy religion. Thus Jciith -worked by love. As to the re-
flexions he makes upon their felling their poffeflions, and laying
the money at the apoftles' feet, from whence he concludes, that
hjs than the whole would not fatisfy the Churchy this and the
cafe of Ananias and Sapphira^ are confidered in the remarks on
Chubb's pofthumous v/orks in my firH volume, p. 257. et pq.
to which I chufe to refer rather than be guilty of unnecefTary
repetitions.
It is a topic often infifted upon by the deiftical v/riters, that
revealed religion, particularly the Chriifian revelation, has te?ii
of little or no advantage tor promoting the reformation of man-
kind. Lord Bolingbroke feeras to lay a particular ilrefs. upon
this. He fays, " It may be a full anfwer to all that Dr. Clarke
*' had advanced againft the heathen philcfophers, and their be-
" ing fufficlent for the inftruftion and reformation of mankind,
•' to adi. Whether that reformation which the heathen phiiofo-
" phers could not bring about effeftually, has been efFefted under
*' the Jewifh or Chrillian difpcnfation ''^' ?" What he faith con-
cerning the elTefts of the Jewife difpenfation hath been above
confidered ; I fhall here take notice of what he hath obferved
with regard to the effefts of Chriflianity. He afTerteth, that
*' the world hath not been efre6fuaily reformed, nor any one
" nation in it, by the promulgation of the Gofpel, even v/here
*' Chriiiianity flouriilied vn.o9iT.'' And after mentioning the
Chriftian martyrs and faints, of whom he frequently fpeaks Avith
great contempt, he oblerves, that *' as to holinefs and aufterity
*' of life, that of particular men, or of fome particular orders
*' of men, v/ill be far from proving the reformation of the world
** by Chrillianity ; hnce there were forinerly among the hea-
*' thens, Chaldeans, Gymncfophiils, and are now among them and
*' the Mahometans, inftances of as great or greater aufterity i.'*
But he has not fairly reprefented the argum.ent brought to prove
the reformation of the world by Chriftianity. In order to judge
of this, it is neceffary to confider the frate of the world when
Chriflianity firil appeared. Not only were the nations univer-
fally involved in the grofieft polytheifm and idohtry, but never
* Bolingbrcke's "IVcrks, vol. v. p. ?-j6. f Ibid. p. 258.
% Ibid. p. x6i. et ft-q.
was
2o8 A VIEW OJ? THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld. XXXt*
was thqreanage more immerfed in vice, and all manner of wick-
edneis. The picture St. Paul draws of it, Rom. i. 21. 32.fliock-
ing as it feems to be, is a very juft reprefentation of the general
flate of the heathen world. But in proportion as the gofpel
prevailed, many myriads v/ere iurnedfrom idols toferve the li^
ving and true God, brought from the moft ftupid idolatry to the
pure adoration of the Deity, and from the moft abominable vices
to the pra6Uce of virtue and righteoufnefs. Ke himfelf acknow-
ledges, that " our Saviour at his coming found the whole world in
*' aftate of error concerning the fnTr principle of natural religion,
*' VIZ. the unity and perfections of God, though not of abfolute
«• darknefs ; and that the fpreading of Chriilianity has contri-
** buted to defiroy pclytheifm and idolatry *^." And he obferves
that " Eufebius, in the firft book of his evangelical preparation,
•' has given a long catalogue of abfurd laws and cuftoms, con-
*' tradifclory to the law of nature in all ages and countries, for a
•' very good purpofe, to fiiew in feveral inftances, how fuch laws
" and cuftoms as thefe have been reformed by the Gofpelt."
He takes notice indeed of the faults there were among the Chrii^-
lian converts, for which the apoftle reproves them ; but it is
manifeft from many palTages in the New Teftament, that \yop,-
-dertul.was the reformation which was then wrought in the religion
and manners of men ^." The primitive Chriilians were, taking
them generally, the moft pious and virtuous body of men that
ever appeared in the world. And though fometimes the ancient
Cliriilian Vv'riters,in the ardour of their zeal, complain of the cor-
ruption and degeneracy that are growing among them, as Cy-
prian particularly has done, efpecially in his book De Lapfis^
whofe teftimony our author more than once refers to, yet it ap-
peareth from many pafiages in their writings, that the body oi the
Chriltians was then remarkably diftinguilhed by the purity of
their lives and manners from the Pagans. One oi the topics
ihcy conftantiy inhft upon in their writings againft the heathens^
and in their apologies for Chriftianity, is the mighty change that
it wrought in the lives and manners of thofe who embraced it.
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 243. + Ibid. vol. v. p. 100.
X See I Cor. vi. 9, 10, 11. — Eph.'iv ;8. 24. — Gal. v. 34. — i Thef. i. 3.'
9^ 10. — CoL i. 6. — I Pet. iv. 3,4*
And
Let. XXXI. LORD BCLINGBROKE. £^9
And though his Lordfnip banters Laftantius for the challenge
he makes, in a paffage to which Dr. Clarke refers, yet this I think
may be plainly concluded from it, that the good effefts wrought
by the Chriftian religion, in reforminc^thofe who were converted
to it, were fo manifeft, that their adverfariesthemfclves were not
able to deny it. And accordingly we have exprefs teftimonies
of pagan writers to this purpofe. That of Pliny is very remark-
able, and well known. And even Julian, notwitliflanding all
his prejudices, in his Epiftle to Arfacias, recommends the purity
and charity of the Chriilians, and of their priefts, to the imitation
of the Pagans, and reprefents it as one caufe of the progrefs
Cln-iflianity had made : though no doubt they were tb.en dege-
nerated from what they had been in the firft ages. As to the
prefent ftate of the Chriftian world, his Lordfhip thinks, " it
** will not be faid, that luxury and debauchery have been re-
** flrained by Chriftianity. Where is thecourt or city in which
" Chriftianity is profelTcd, to which that phrafe might not be
** applied, Daphnicis monhiis vivere ?" But ther? needs little'
obfervation to convince us, that the corruption and diffolutcnefs
he fpeaks of is chiefly to be found among thofe who have little
more of Chriftianity than the name, and who arc in reality in-
different to all religion. And if the reftraints of the Chriftian
religion were removed, the corruption would certainly be much
greater and more general than it is. Many thoufands, who would
otherwife be very corrupt and dilTolute, are engaged by the mo-
tives and precepts of Chriftianity to lead a fober, righteous, and
godly life. A real Chriftian walking according to the rules of
the Gofpel, and I doubt not that, notwithftanding the cor-
ruption complained of, there are ftill great numbers of fuch,
forms a far more complete and excellent chara61:er for virtue,
taken in its juft extent, as comprehending rational piety and
devotion, an extenfive benevolence, and exemplary purity of
manners, than is to be found among the moft admired Pagans.
And indeed Chriftians are taught to keep themfelves pure from
feveral pra6f ices which the , heathens fcarce looked upon to be
any crimes at all. As to what he mentions cf the cruel wars^
perfecutionSy and 7najjucres, among Chriftians, -he himfelfac-
J;nowledges, that no part of this ought to be ajcnbcd to the
VOL 11, P Gofpclf
£10 A VlLW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITEP-S. Lei. XXXT*
Gq/pel, Ror can be reconciled to the principles of it -. The mort
cfFettual way therefore of promoting real piety, virtue, and cha-
rity, would be to endeavour to engage men to a clofer adherence
to the do61rines and laws of Chriftianity, and, inftead of fetting
them loofe from its facred reflraints, to enforce its important
motives upon their hearts and confciences.
I need not take any particular notice of what his LordOiip
hath offered againll the Chriftian revelation, drav/n from its not
having been univerfally publifhed in all nations and agest. The
chief force of what he hath urged depends upon this fuppofition,
that, according to the gofpel, all thofe fiiould be damned, that do
not believe in Chriil, whether they ever heard of him or not,
damned, as he exprelTes it, even in their involuntary ignorance \;
which is exprefsly contrary to the tenor of St. Paul's reafoning
in the fecond chapter of the Epiftle to the Romans. The decla-
rations made in the gofpel of the neceffity of believing in Chrifc,
and the punifhm.ent of thofe who do not believe, plainly relate
to thofe who have an opportunity of being acquainted with the
Chriftian revelation. I ihall only farther obferve, that whereas
U has been olten urged by the advocates for Chriftianity, that
it appears from the analogy of the divine procedure, that God
may, in a confiftencc with his v/ifdom and goodnefs, grant to
fome men and iovAQ nations much greater helps and means for
knowledge and m.oral improvement than to others, our author
hath no way of avoiding this, but by boldly afferting, in contra-
di5lion to manifeu fact and experience, that all men have th^fame
jncans^; which is akin to another extraordinary affertion of
his, that there never was a time when it could hejufily faid, that
the law of nature was imperfectly known\: though he himfelf
frequently reprefcnts the greater part of mankind as having been
ignorant for many ages togelher of what he owns to be the great •
fundamental principle of that law. And it is to be obferved,
that alter having faid, in the paffage juft now referred to, that all
.men \\7:iVizx\\(t fame means, he foon after declares, that " they
** fliali be accountable for no more than they had capacities or
* Bollngbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 264.
f Concerning this objcilion, fee the liril volume, p. 20.
% Bolingbroke's Works, vol. y. p. 295. ^ lb. p. 294. |j lb. p. ao?.
" means
.Lzt,llZ{Xl, LORD EGLING3R0K2. 211
*' means of knowing:" which plainly fuppofes that they all
have not the fame means and advantages, but that there w^ill not
be as much required of thofe who had lefs advanta_<Trs, as of thofe
who had greater ; which the friends of the Chriilian revelation
will readily allow.
I fhall conclude this letter with mentioning a parage, which
is undouhiedly intended by the author to expofe Chriflianity.
Heobferves, that " natural law is founded in reafon; but Chrif-
■*' tianity is founded in faith; and faith proceeds from grace;
** and whether a man fliall have grace or no^ depends not on
*' him"'." This is a way oF talking ufual with thofe who laugh
both at faith and gVace. Flis Lorddiip is pleafcd on fome other
occafions to make mention of divine grace; but always in a way
of ridicule. The notion of divine aiTiflance has nothing in it
but what is agreeable to reafon, and to the fentiraents of fome
of the heft and wifeft men in all ages. And he himfelf, even
where he treats it as a vain and groundlefs notion, yet thinks fit
to own, that our not being able to explain how it operates, is
no juft Qbjeclicn againfl it; and that a well-attefLed revelation is
a fufficient ground tor believing that fuch a tiling there isf.
And to our unfpeakable fatisfaftion we are aimred by the Ghrif-
tian revelation, that Cxod is ready on his part to communicate
his gracious aids to thofe that humbly apply to him for them^
and are at the fame time diligent in the ufe of their own endea^
VGurs. This v/riter here fuppofes faith to be oppofed to reafon ;
and that Chrillianity is not founded on reafon, but on faith as
oppofed to it. But faith, if it be of the right kind, always fup-
pofes that there is a good reafon for believing. \'Ve are not to
believe without reafon, nor againil: it. Chriftianity is founded
on rational evidence. The proof of the ChriPtian law, arifing;
both from the external evidences and atteilaticr.s given to it,
and from the internal characters of goodnefs and purity, and the
excellent tendency of the whole, is fuch as is proper to convince
the reafon and judgment: and it lias a5>ually had that efre61:
upon m.any of the ablefl peribns in all ages, ever fince it ^vas nril
promulgated.
* Bolingbroks'a Works^ vol. v. p. 93. f ^^^^' v^^- ^^^* F- ^^^'
Pa LET.
IS A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXXH*
LETTER XXXII.
OhjeSir>7is againjl the Lazos and DoBrines of Chriftianity con-
fidertd — The Scripture Precepts not delivered in a formal Code
or Syflern^ hut in a JVay that is really more ufeful; and they
comprehend all the Duties of Morality — Concerning our Sa-
viour s Precepts 171 his Sermon on the Mount — The G-ofpel-Law
with refpefi to Polyga??iy and Divorces not contrary to Rea-
fon and Nature, but wife and excellent — The Chrifian Dcc-
■ trine of a Mediator^ and of our Redemption by the Blood of
Chrifl^ vindicated againfl his injurious Reprejentation of it —
It gives worthy Ideas of God, andfiews the divine PerfeElions
in their proper Harmony — It is full of Comfort to good Men,
but gives no Encouragement to the olflinately wicked and pre-
famptuous — It is not contrary to Reafon, though it could not
have been difcovered by it — This DoElrine not owing to the
Pride of the human Heart- — Traces of the DoSlrine of the
Trinity to be foimd, according to Lord Bolingbroke, in all the
ancient theiflical Philofophers,
SIR,
HAVING in my lad Letter con fidere J what Lord Bolir.g-
broke hath offered with regard to the Chriftian revela-
tion in general, and its evidences, I now proceed to examine his
objeftions againll the laws and do6lrines of Chriftianity.
With refpeft to the laws of Chriftianity, he obfcrves, that
*' Chriil did not reveal an entire body of ethics — That the gofpel
*' does not contain a code reaching to all the duties of life — That
*' moral obligations arc only occafionally recommended— And
*' that if all the precepts fcattered about through the whole New
** Teftament were colle6led and put together in the very words
•* of the facred writers, they would compofe a very fiiort as well
*' as unccnnefled fyftem of ethics: and that a fyftem thus col-
** iected from the writings of heathen moralifts would be more
" full.
Let. XXXII. LORD JBOLINGBROKE. 213
'* full, more entire, and Cvohcrcnt*." But it mufl: be conridcred,
that the New Teflamcnt fuppofes and confirms the authority of
the Old. And out of both together might be compiled a much
more complete body of ethics, than out of all the writings ot the
ancient philofcphers and raoralifts, which would be found de-
feftive in forne duties of great confequence, as was obferved
before, letter XXVII. p. ^8, S<c. They are not indeed delivered
in a philofophical way, and Lord Bolinbgroke himfelf owns, that
*' this does not take off from the dignity, the authority, or the
"utility, even in moral doi:irines, of revealed religion. — Since
*' revelation was not given to convince men of the reafonablcnefs
" of morality — by arguments drawn from the reafon of things — ■
*' but to enforce the practice of it by a fuperior authority!.'*
They are urged in the nam.e of God, and as his laws. They are
not wrought up into a formal code, and delivered merely once for
all in a fyilem : but they are delivered in various ways, and on
different occafions, often in plain and exprefs precepts, at other
times by allufions, parables, and comparifons, recommended by
excellent examples, and enforced by motives of the highefl im-
portance, by divine promifes and threatenings. And what fhews
their great ufeFulnefs and excellence, though they feem to be
delivered occafionally, yet it is fo ordered, that not one duty ol
confequence is omitted in the holy fcriptures. All the duties
of morality are there frequently repeated and inculcated, and
variouily enforced.
His Lordfhip owns, that " our Saviour's fermon on the mount
*' contains, no doubt, many excellent precepts of morality."
And if fome of them feem too fublime, he thinks the fame reafon
maybe given for them that Tully gives for the fevercr dofirines
of the Stoics. That *' men will always flop fhort of that pitch
*' of virtue which is propofed in them ; and it is therefore right
** to carry the notions of it as high as pofTible," p. 298, 299.
Some have obje6led it as an inflance of 'our Saviour's carrying
things to an excefiive rigour, that he not only forbids murder,
but the being angry without a caufe; and not only prohibits the
g:rofs a6i; of <2^z^/^6^r)/,but hath declared, that zvhofoever lookcthcii
a zvoman, to lujl after htr, hath already comrjiiitcd adultery with
* Bolingbroke's vYoiks^ vol. Iv. p. 297. t iL)id.
P 3 her
?I4 A VIEW OF THE DEHTICAL \VRIT£?vS. Lci. IIXXII.
]ur in his heart. Mat. v. 28. But his Lordfhip acknowledgeth,
that the law which forbids the ccminiflion of a crime, does cer-
tainly imply, that we fhoiild not defire to commit it; and that to
v/ant or extinguilh that defirc is the beil fecurity of our obedi-
ence*". Yet he afterwards obferves, that fome of Chrift's pre-
cepts " were fit and proper enoL:gh for a religious feft or order
*' ot men, like the Eifenes, and might be properly enough exacl-
■' ed fronithofe who were Chrift's companions, and difciplcs in
*' a ftrifter fenfe : but, confidered as general duties, are imprafti-
•' cable, inconfiftent with natural inftinft as well as law, and
*' quite deftruftive of fociety f.'' It is acknov/ledgcd, that fonie
of Chrift's precepts were not d.Q{\gat^ to be of univerfal obliga-
tion at all times, and to all his difciples, but were directed to
particular perfons, and v/ere only to take place en extraordinary
occafions. Such was that which he mentions of felling all and
following Chrift. But it does not appear, that in any of our
Savioiir's precepts he had any view to the Ellcnes, who are net
once mentioned in the whole gofpel. But as to other precepts
which this writer mentions, and which are contained in the fer-
mon on the mount, and directed to all the difciples, as that con-
cerning the not refifting evil, the taking no thought for the
morrou', the laying up treafures, not on earth, but in heaven;
thefe precepts, v/hich are delivered in a concife proverbial v/ay,
taken in the true fenfe and intention of them, are of great and
general ufe, as defigncd to reHrain a malevolent revengeful fpirit,
anxious diilraciing cares, and an inordinate love of worldly riches.
Thefe and other precepts Mr. Cliubb had endeavoured to expofe,
and I (liali refer to the remarks that are made in the be<jinninc[ of
the fourteenth Letter, vol. i.
Among the precepts o( Chriftianity rnay be reckoned thefe
relating to polygamy and divorces. Cnr author iccks upon a
prohibition of polygamy to be a prohibition of v/hat the law of
nature permits in the fuilcft manner, and even requires too on
feveral occafions : eoncernii.icr which fee what was obferved
(J
above, Letter XXVL A's to divorces, he declares, that "with
"them monogamy may be thought a reafonable inflitution:
f' without them it is an unnatural, abfurd, and cruel impofition:
* Bolinphroke's Vrorks, vcl. iv. p- 29?, 299. f Ibid. p. 3co.
" that
Let. XXXir. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 215
*' that it crolTes the intention of nature, and {lands in oppofitiori
*' to the mod efTeftual means o'i muItiplyin,iT the human fpccics ■"'."
He feems very much to approve the law ot Mofes for allowing
polygamy and divorces, and to think it in this inftance much
morereafonsble and conformable to the law of nature than Chrif-
tianity is. ' But he has not fairly reprcfented the Mofaical doc-
trine concerning divorces. He fays, " the legal caufcs for di-
*' vorces had a great latitude," among which lie reckons this for
one, *' becaufe the hufband found another woman whom he
*' thought handfomer, or whom it was more convenient for him
*' to marry t." Where he reprefents it, as if thefe were legal
tavfes of divorce, i. e. caufes fpecified in the original law itfelf:
which is not true. It was only a corrupt glofs of fome of the
Jewifh doftors, v/ho in this as well as other inftances perverted
the defign of the original law. There is no exprefs mention of
divorces in the Jewidi facred hillory, after the lav/ made concer-
ning this matter, till they are occafionally mentioned by Ifaiah
and Jeremiah. In the latter times of the Jewifli flate, divorces
feem to have been m.ore frequent, and for fjighter caufes : though
even then there were many among the Je\7S, . who oppofed the
loofe interpretation of that law given by others of their dofiors.
This writer mentions " the differences betvv^een the fchools of
*' Hillel and Sammeas about divorces: and that Chrift decided in
** favour of the latter, and fpecified but one kind of turpitude as
*' a juft caufe of divorce j:." And in this he plainly lets us know
he thinks our Saviour was in the v/rong. And he goes on to
fay in a fneering way, that " the law of grace was fuperior in time
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 163.
f He is pleafed to obrervs, that "the people of God had an adrantage
*' In this rcfpeit above other people. Plurality of wives inight have made
** divorces lefs neceflajy: or, if they were all alike difigreeable, the hufbands
'* had the refource of concubines." Where he renrefents it as if there were
an allowance to the people of God, in their law itfelf, both to have a plurality
cf wives, and, befides thefe, to have concubines, which were not wives. So
it is indeed in the law of Mahomet, where every man is allowed four
wives, and as many female fiaves as he can keep. But there is no fucli
conilitution in the Mofaical law. And the concubines we read of in
Scripture, v;ere really wives, though without a dowry : thus In the cafe of
the Levite's concubine, Judges' xix. he is faid exprefcly to be her hufoand,
and her father is fereral times called Ynsfather-in-Latv. ver. 3, 4, 5. 7, &c.
t Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 170.
P4 **to
^i^ A VIEW OF THE DEIS7ICAL WRITERS. LeL KXSII,
■:i^ the natural and Mofaical law among Chriftians^.'' What
fpljows is mean banter, mixed with a fcandalous infinuatioh
agaia^l , the chaility of the Blcfled Virgin, becaufe Jofeph had
i^^ougl'tsoi divorcing her, having fnfptcltd her to have- been got
zuitli child before her marriage. This he produces as an anecdote
irora Juilm Martyr, as if it were a piece of.fecret hiflcry. when
every one that has read the gofpel kno'.ys, that the evangeiift both
mentions the fufpicion, and fnews how caufelefs it was, and how-
it was removed, Maf.i. 18 — 24.
Ke exprefsly calls polygamy and divorces iiifiitutions which
have reajon and revelation on their fide: where he feems will-
ing to allow for a while, that the Mofaical law vras from God,
that he may dravs^ a patronage from thence for polygamy and di-
vorces : and he fpeaks of them as if they were pofitive injlitu-
iions, exprefsly prefcribed and enjoined in that law as by divine
jauthority. But this is not fairly reprcfented. They Vvcre at
bc|t.barjely permitted. Polygamy is no-wliere exprefsly allowed,
raiif h lefs commanded in the law of Mofes. But there are feve-
ral things that plamly nnply a difapprobation of it. As particu-
larly the account there given of God's having at the firft creatiou
formed one vvoman for one man, and appointed that there fhould
be an jnfeparable union between them, and that they fiould be one
jlejii. And though Mofes gives inftances of polygamy among fome
pf the patriarchs, they are fo circumilanced as to make a very dif-
advantageous re|7refentation of that praBice, and the confequen-
ces of it. The utmoif that can be faid is, that it is not exprefsly
prohibited in that .law. And there are fome v/ife regulations
added, which indeed fuppofe it to be what was then pra6lired,
but fecm plainly deligned to difcourage, it, and to corre8: and
reflrain the abufes which it tended to produce. See Exod. xxi.
9, iQ. Deut. xxi. 1^, i6, 17. The law about divorces, Deut.
xxiv. 1— '•4. fpecifies fo77ic matter of uncleannefs as the caufe of
^ivoice, which fome pf the Jewifli doftors themfclves, particu-
larly the Caraites, who keep clofe to the letter of the law, un-
derftand of adultery, or at leaft of fome immodeft and unchaiie be-
haviour. And Mofes fuppofes the woman that was divorced to
be defiled by a fecond marriage, and therefore ordains that the
firft hufband fhould never have it in his power to take her again :
J Bolingbroke's Works, tcI. v. p. 171.
which
L^t. XXXII. LORD EOLINGBROKE. ttj
whieh was raanifcftly intender^ to difcou rage that pracllce. Onr
Saviour indeed faith, that Mof'-s fuffered H for the hardtiffs of
iheir hearts. Mat. xi^c.. 8 This oar author is pleafed to repre-
fen^:^aS if Chrift maintained, that " God tolerated fupcrlUtious
** praftices, or permitted even crimes to have the fanftion of liis
*' la\v, becaufe or the hardnefs of their hearts*." But to this
HiaV'bo applied the diftinftion which he himfeU' mentions, and
feems to approve, made by the Civilians, *' between a plenary
*' and lefs plenary permijjion, one of which gives a right to do,
*' and the other exempts from panifliment ior doing t." It is
the latter kind of permifiion which was given to polygamy and
divorces, and which our' Saviour refers to, \'^\\z\\ he talks of
their being fuffered to do it for the hardnefs of their hearts : not
as if it was what God countenanced and approved, but they were
fo far I'uiferea to do it as not to incur a legal penally by doing
it: but when he fent his well-beloved Son to bring the clearcil
and moft perfect fcheme oF religion, this praflice vras more plain-
ly prohibited than it had been before. And this,inftcad of being
a juft objctHon againft the Chriftian law, is a proof oi its grer.t
excellence ; which has hereby provided for preferving to botli
fexcs their jufl rights, for ftrengthening the union between the
married psir, which it is of great importance to flrengtbGn and
improve, for uniting the care of both parents in the education 6i
children, for maintaining the peace and order ot tamilies, and
for reftrainingr an unbounded diuolutcncfs and licentioufnefs.
Whereas the contrary practice of polygamy and frequent divorces
has a tendency' to reduce one half of the human fpecies to a mi-
ferable fervitude, and to deprive them of their natural rights, to
produce the moll bitter jealoufies and diftraciions in families,
and to hinder the orderly education of children. It gives occ3-
iion to unnatural mutilations, and lets the reins loofe to a licen-
tious appetite. I Ihall only farther obferve, that an author
whom no man will fufpeft of being prejudiced in favour of the
Chriftian law, has, in an ingenious EfTay, upon confidering and
coinparing what may be faid for and againft polygamy and di-
vorces, fnewn that the law forbidding them is founded upon bet-
ter reafons, and more for the geneiiai good of mankind, and order
* Bplingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 170. ' t ^^^' v^'- i"- P- ^5 1- ^74-
2i3 A VIEW GF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXXII,
of foeicty, than the contrary. See Mr. Hume's Moral and Poli-
tical EJf ays, EfTay twenty- fecond, on polygamy and divorces.
As to the doftrines of Chriflianity, that of Chrift being the
mediator between God and man, and of our redemption by his
blood, they are evidently of great importance. Our author himfelf
reprefents the?B as fundamental do6trines of true original Chrif-
tianity, for which he fcmetimes profefies {o great a regard, and
yet hath done all in his pov/er to expofe them.
The do6h'ine of a mediator in general he reprefents as unrea-
fonable and abfurd, and as having been originally derived from
the heathens. He fays, " the doftrine of a mediator between
*' God and man was eliablifhed in the heathen theology, and the
" Chriftians held a mediation likewife. But the former feem
** the moH: excufable. For the Chriftian believes that he may
'' have accefs at all times to the throne of grace: but the poor
*' heathen, filled with a religious horror, gUx'Il not approach the
*' divine Monarch except through the mediation of his minif-
*' ters*." And again, among the extravagant hypothefes of the
pagans, he reckons their notions of mediators and interceflbrs
v/ith God on the behalf of mankind, of atonement and expia-
tion t. Tiiat the heathens had fome notion of the neccffity of a
mediatbr or mediators betvvcen G •>! and m.an is very true, which
might be owing both to the natural fenfe they had of their own
guilt and unworthinefs, compared with the infinite majeily, great-
nefs, and p^irity, of the Suprem.e Being, and to fome traditions
originally derived from extraordinary revelation. But this, like
other articles of the ancient primitive religion, became grez;tly
corrupted, and gave cccafion to much fuperftition and confufion
in their worfnio. But in the Chriflian fcheme this doflrine is
fet in a clear and noble light. The Chriflian indeed believes, as
this writer hath obfcrvcd, that he hath accefs at all times to
the throne of grace, but he alfo believes that it is through
the great Mediator whom God hath in his infinite wifdom and
gooducfs appointed, that he hath freedom of accefs. And nothing
can give a m.ore amiable idea of the Supreme Being, or have a
greater tendency to (Irengthen our hope and affiance in him, than
to confider him as a God in Chrijl reconciling the world unto
*' Bolinsbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 8i. f Ibid. p. zjz, 373»
kimfdfy
Ld. XXXII, LORD EOLINGBRGKE. -$10
h'unjdfy and as having appointed his well-beloved Son, a perfon
of infinite dignity, as the great and only Mediator, through whom
he, is pleafed to communicate the blcfhngs oi his grace to finners
cf -tlie human race, and in whofc name they, are to oiTer up their
prayers and praifes to him, the Father of mercies, and the God of
iove. It is impofhble to prove that there is any thing in fuch a
conilitution unworthy of the fupreme and innnitely-perfc£t
Being. And if we are aiTured by a well-attcfted revelation,
that this is the order appointed by God in his fovercign wifdom,
jt ought to be received and improved \>/ith the highcft tbankfui-
nefs. And it nearly imporls thofe to whom this revelation is
made known, to take «are that they do not reje6l the grace and
mercy of God, and his offered fahv'ation, by refufing to accept
it in that way v/hich lie himfelf hath thought fit to appoint. If
this be a divine conftitution (and we are as fiire that it is fo, as
that the gofpel is true), they are not chargeable with a (light guili,
who, inftead oi making a proper ufe of it, and taking the advan-
tage it is fitted to yield, prefume to cavil at it, and rainly to
arraign the proceedings of the Supreme Wifdorn and Goodnefs,
in a cafe of which they cannot polhbly pretend to be competent
judges.
With refpeft to the do6lrine of redemption, which, he cb-
ferves from Dr. Clarke, is a main andfundamerdal article of tht
Chrijflian faiih, he takes upon him to pronounce, that *' the
** utmoft endeavours have been and always muft be employed in
" vain, to reduce the entire plan of the divine wifdcm, in the
", million of Chrift, and the redemption of man, to a coherent,
" intelligible, and reafonable fchcrae of do6frines and fafts -'.'*
And it is the entire defign of the thirty-fixth and thirty-fevgnth
of his Fragments and EfTays, to expofe that co6irine, and to nn-
fwer what Dr. Clarke had ottered to fhew, that there is nothing
in it contrary to rcafont.
He ob ferves, that " the fail of man lies at the foundation of
*' the dcftrine of redemption, and that the account of it is irre-
V concileable to every idea we have of the v/ifdom, jullice, and
*' goodnefs, to fay nothing of the dignity, of the Supreme Be-
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. Iv. p. 3i8» *
Y Ibid. vol. V. p. a79, et fe.^.
220 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXXIl,
*' ing''^." I need not a^jd any thing here to what has been al-
ready offered on that fubje6l in my thirteenth Letter. The great
corruption of mankind has been acknowledged by the moft dili-
gent obfervers in all ages ; and great is the gr.ilt and mifery they
have thereby incurred : and it is no way reafonable to fuppofe
that this was the original Hate of the human nature. The re-
demption of mankind is a provifion made by infinite wifdom and
goodnefs, for recovering them fiom the corruption into which
they had fallen, and the guilt they had incurred; and for relloring
them to righteoufnefs and true holinefs, and even raifing them
to everlafling felicity, in fuch a way as is moff confident with
the honour ot God's government, and ^ his illuftrious moral
excellencies. And if there beTorae things relating to the'' me-
thods of our redemption which we are not well able diflinftly
to explainer comprehend, it is not to be wondered at, confider-
ing that thefe are things of a high nature, and which depend upon
the determinations and councils oCthe divine wifdom, of whicb>
without his revelation of them, we cannot afuime to be proper
judges.
There are two queftions here proper to be confidered ; one
concerning expiation in general ; the other concerning that par-
ticular m.ethod of expiation held forth to us in the Gofpel, by the
death and fufferings of Jefus Chrift, as a facrifice for the fins of
the world.
As to the general quellion. it can fcarce be reafonably denied,
that if we confider God as the wife and righteous governor of
the world, who is infinitely jufl as well as merciful ; if any ex-
pedient can be fixed upon for his pardoning his finful offending
creatures, and difpenfing his graces and benefits to them, in fuch
a w^ay as at the fame time to manifeil his invariable love of or-
der, his jufl deteftation of all moral evil, and the fieady regard
he hath to the vindicating the authority of his government and
laws ; this v/ould be moll worthy of his reftoral wifdom, and
fiiew forth his attributes, efpecially hisjuftice and mercy, in
their proper harmony, fo as to render him both moil amiable and
jnoft venerable.
If it be alleged, that repentance alone is a fufficicnt expiation,
f Bollngbroke's Works, vol. y. p. xSj, 284.
not
Let, XXXII. LORD BOLINGBROKE. -221
not to repeat what hath been already offered on this head in the
XXV^IIth Letter, p. 64, it may be demanded whether God
could in firict juftice punifh fmners for their tranfgreffions of
his laws, and for the crimes they have committed ? If he could,
it is becaufe the fe tranfgreffions and crimes really defervepunifh-
ment. If thofe crimes deferve punilhracnt, it mufl be an a£l of
free fovereign grace and mercy to remit or not to inflift the de,
ferved penalty. And as it is an a6l of fovereignty, it muft de-
pend upon what Ihall feem fit to the fupreme and infinitely
wife and perfect Mind to determine, upon a full view of what
is beft and propereR upon the whole. And are we fo well ac-
quainted with what the Infinite Majelly oweth to himfeiF, and
what the greateft good of the moral world doth require, as to
take upon us ppfitively to determine a thing in which the divine
authority and prerogatives, and the reafon of his government,
are fo nearly concerned ? Upon what foundation can we pretend
to be fure, that the great Governor of the world is obliged to
pardon finners at all times and in all cafes, barely and immedi-
ately upon th<?ir repentance, and even to crown their imperfect
obedience, though attended with many failures and defecls,
with the glorious reward of eternal liie ? And if no man can
•pretend without an inexcufable radmefsand ignorance to be fure
of this, who can take upon him to determine, w^hat expiation
or fatisfaftion for fin, befides the repentance of the finner, the
iTioll wife and righteous Governor of the world may fee fit to
infill upon ? This, if any thing, feems to be a proper fubjeft
for divine revelation.
Dr. Clarke ^had argued, as his Lordihip obferves, that the
*' cullora of facrifices which univerfally obtained fhews it to
*' have been the general fenfe ot mankind, that fome expiation
•'.was neceffary for fin, and that God would not be appeafed
•* without fome punifhment and fatisfaclion^"." Our author
fpeaks of this way of arguing with great contempt.
He fays, that " the moft abfurd options which fuperfiition
"ever fpread in contradi£tion to the law of nature and reafon,
*' are applied to the proceedings of God with man." But fince
it, is a matter of facl that cannot be denied, that the offering
f Bolir-gbroke's Works, vol. v. p. j86.
facrifices
£-22 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Lef. :XXXIL
facriUces to God was one of the moft ancient external rites of
religion of which wc have any account ; fmce it obtained ear^y
and univerfally, not only among "polytheifts and idolatei-s, but
among the moil religious adorers of the one true God; this
naturally leadeth us to conclude, that it was a part of the pri-
mitive religion originally enjoined to the firil ancedors of the
human race, and from them tranfmitted to their dcfcendants.
Upon any other fuppofition it is hard to conceive, how men
fiiould come fo univerfally to look upon the taking away the life
Of a beafl, to be well-pleafmg in the fight of God, and an accept-
able piece of divine worfnip. The heft v/ay of accounting for
this feems to be, that it was a facred rite of divine- appointment,
which was originally intended f(ir wife and valuable purpofes ;
zjiz. to imprefs men's minds with a fenfe of the evil and demerit
of Cm, and to be an acknowledgment on the part of the finner
that his lins deferved- punidiment ; and at the fame time to be
a pledge and token of God's being willing to receive an atone-
ment, and of his pardoning grace and mercy. And fmce it ap-
pears to have been an original part of the divine fcheme, that
God would (zvA his Son into the v/orld, in the fulnefs of time,
to fufier and die for the redemption of m.ankind, in whofe blood
that covenant was founded, by virtue of which good men in all
ages were to be faved upon their repentance, and fmcere though
imperfeft obedience ; then fuppoGng that fome difcovery of this
v/as made to the firft parents of the human race after their apof-
tacy, as a foundation for their hope and comfort, this gives a moft
reafonable account of the inllitution of fuch a facred rite ; than
which nothing could be better fitted to keep up a notion and
expeftaticn of a fuffering Redeemer, and to be a conftant m.e-
jnorial to them both of their own guilt and of the divine mercy.
And hence thofe facrifices were v^ry properly accompanied with
prayers, confeffions of fm, and thankfgivings, and were regarded
as federal rites, and tokens of friendihip and reconciliation be-
tween God and man. But this, like other parts of the primitive
religion, became corrupted. The true original defign of facri-
fices was forgotten and loft, though the external rite ftill conti-
nued ; and they were looked upon as in th'emfelves and of their
own nature properly expiatory.
Our way is now prepared to confider the queflion as it relates
particularly
Let> XXXIt. LORD BOLINGBROKE. ■ 223
particularly- to tliat method of expiation, which is held fortli, to
us in the Gofpel by the lutFerings and death of our Lord jefns
Chrift, a Mediator of infinite dignity. And with regard to this
he urgeth, that " our notions of God's moral attributes will lead
** us tothi-nk, that God would be fatisiied more agreeably to his
** mercy and goodnefs without any expiation upon the repentance
*' of 'the oiTenders, and more agreeably to his juftice with any
*' other expiation rather than this-^'." In oppofition to this, it
may be affirmed, that fuppofingan expiation to have been necef-
fary on the behalf of fmful men, none can be conceived more
worthy, or more valuable, or more capable of anfwering the
moft excelleiU ends, than that which is fet before us in the
Gofpel.
We arc there taught, that upon a foreilght of man's apoflacv,
and the miferies and ruin io which the human race would beex-
pofed by their iniquities and tranfgreiTions, God had, in his infinite
wifdom and grace, determined to provide a Saviour for recover-
ing them from their guilt and mifery to holinefs and happinefs:
and that it was appointed in the divine councils that this Savici'r
fhould, in order to the accoraplilliing this great defign, take upon
him human flefh, and uiould not only bring a clear revelation of
the divine will to mankind, and exhibit a raofl perfe61 example
of univerfal holinefs, goodnefs, and purity, but that he fhould on
the behalf of linful men, and to make atonem^ent for their of-
fences, fubmiit to undergo the mofl grievous fufferlngs and death:
that accordingly, in that feafon which feemed fitteft to the divine
wifdom, God fent his own well-beloved Son into the world, a
•r
perfon of infinite dignity, upon this moft gracious and benevo-
lent purpofe and defign: That this glorious perfon actually took
upon him our nature, and lived and converfed among men here
on earth: That he brought the moft perfect difcoveries of the
divine will that had been ever made to mankind, for infirii£ling
them in thofe things v/hich it was of the higheft importance to
them to know : That in his facred life and practice he exhibited
all the beauties of holinefs, and yielded the moft perfe£^ obedi-
ence to thfc divine la\/, which he exemplified in the dignity of
its authority and in the excellency of its precepts : That befides
* Bollsgbroke's Works; vol 7. p. aS6.
this.
224 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WPJTERS. Let. XX^ill.
tliis, prompted by his own generous love to mankind, and ih
obedience to the divine appointment, he voluntarily fubmitted
lor our fakes to the deepell bumiliations and abafements, and the
molt dolorous agonies and pafTions, followed by a moft cruel and
ignominious death, that he mi^^ht obtain eternal redemption tor
lis. He fuffered for fms, the juft for the unjuil, that he might
bring us back unto God. By thcfc his fufferings and obedience on
cur behalf, which was infinitely pleafnig in the fight ot God, he
became the propitiation for the fins of the world, and did that iti
reality which the facrifices could only do in type and figure.
And on the account of what he hath Aon^ and fuffered on the be-
half of fmful men, God has been gracioufly pleafed to promife to
grant a full and free pardon of all their fins, upon their fincei'e
jepentance, to communicate to them through this great Mediator
the bledings of his grace, and to crown their fincere though im-
perfeft obedience with the glorious reward of eternal life: That
accordingly that TuiTering Saviour having by himfelf purged our
fins, was raifed again from the dead, and crowned with glory and
honour: That he now appears for guilty men as their great ad-
vocate and interceiTor: And is condituted the great difpenfer of
tiiofe fpiritual bleffings which he had by the divine appointment
procured for us, and is the author of eternal falvation to them
that obey him.
This is one illuilrious iniiancc of what our author declares,
that the theology of the goflyel is ^narvellous. It could only have
been known by divine revelation : and now that it is difcovered
to us, it calls for our highefl admiration and thankfulnefs.
Let us now confider the objeflions he hath urged againft it.
He reprefents it as abfurd to fuppofe, that " God fent his only-
*' begotten Son, v/ho had not ofTcnded him, to be facrificed for
*' men who had offended him, that he might expiate their fins,
*' and fatisfy his own an.2;er*." As to God's fending his own
Son to be the Saviour of fmful men, to redeem them from mifery
and ruin, and to raife them to eternal life, it cannot re^fonably
be denied, that the more glorious and wonderful the perfon was,
and the greater his dignity, the better was he fitted for accom-
plifhing the great work to which lie was defigned ; and the greater
f Boliogbroke's Works, vol. v. p. s56.
value
La. XXXII* LORD BOLINGEROKE. <i2,5
Value it derived to the obedience he yielded, and the fuffer-
i"ngs he endured on our. behalf. This writer obferves, that '* the
*' means of reconciling ail ^fmners to an offended Deity were
** made by the pagan theology extremely eafy." And he parti-
cularly inftances in expiatory facriiict-s *. But no fuch thing
tanbe juftly objected againft the doftrine of our redemption by
the blood of ChriH. It is certainly of the highest importance to
mankind, that they fliould not eniert?tin too flight thoughts of
the evil of fm, or look upon it as too eafy a matter to obtain the
favour of God when they had offended him, or imagine that his
juft difpleafure againft fin may be averted by trivial expedients.
All this is effeftually provided againft in the gofpel fcheme. The
expiation in this cafe is fuppofed to be effefted by a facrlfice oi
infinite virtue, not to be equalled or repeated. This gives the
moft elfeftuai conviftion, that it is not a flight or trifling matter,
to atone for the fins of men, and to ofTer juch an expiation as is
fuited to the majefty of God to accept. No man that believes
this can pofTibly entertain (light thoughts of the evil and demerit
of fin. It tendeth to fill us with the moft awful reverential con-
ceptions of the infinite majefty of the Supreme Being, his right-
eoufnefs and purity, and the inviolable regard he bach to the
authority of his government and laws.
As to the other part of the objeftion, that it is abfurd to fup-
pofe, that " the Son of God who had not ofFended fttouid be fa-
*' crificed for men who had offended him," the truth is, that if
he had not been periecfly innocent and holy, he could not have
been properly £tted to expiate the fins of men. Had he been
himfelf guilty and a finnef, inftead of making an atonement for
the fins of others, he muft have been punifhed for his own. Nor
could his oblation have been of fuch value and merit as to be
proper for anHvering the great ends for which it was defigned.
If it be ftill objefted, that it is unjuft and cruel that an innocent
perfon fhould be punlflied for t]4e guilty, I anfwer, that it v»rill
fee allowed, that if the evils and fuF rings the guiltv had incurred
by their crimes (liould, by the mere arbitrary atf and authority of
tiie fupreme ruling power, be laid on an innocent perfon v/ith-
out and againft his own confent, this would be contrary to all
* Bolingbroke's'^.Vorks, vol. r. p. iio.
tOL. n. Q th^
2 26 A VIE\V OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld. XXXlt-i
the rules both of goodnefs and jaillce, and would be a confound-
ing the whole order of things. But this is far from being the cafe.
The fufF^rings of our Lord Jefus Ghrift were not arbitrarily
impofed upon him by the mere authority of God. He himfelf
freely undertook the great work of our redemption. He con-
fented to undergo thefe temporary fufferings for the moH valu-
able ends, for promoting the glory of God, and the falvation of
mankind. The admitting him therefore to fuffer on our behalf,
was not doing him any injuilice, but giving liim an opportunity of
performmg the moll wonderful a6l of obedience, and exhibiting
the moft aftonifhing inllance of love and goodnefs towards perifh-
ingfinners, from whence, according to the divine compact and co-
venant, the moil glorious benefits were to redound to the human
race; and he himfelf v/as to be recompenfe^d with the higheft
glory in that nature which he aiTumed: It is no hard matter there-
lore to anfwer the quellion our author puts, *' Whether the
*' truth of that maxim — that it is not equally nt that an innocent
*' perfon fiiould be extremely miferable, as that he fliould be free
*' irom fuch mifery — the innocence of the Lamb of God, and
*' the fufferings and ignominious death of Chrift, can be reccn-
*' ciled together, and how*?" That Chrift endured the moH
grievous fufferings, and was put to a moft cruel and ignominious
death, and confequently that in his cafe a perfon perfeftly inno-
cent was expofed to the greateft fufferings, is a matter of fa6l
which cannot be denied. And it cannot reafonably be pretended,
that it renders thofe fufferings more unjuft, that he fhould fuffer
on the account of hnful men, to make atonement for their fins,
and to procure for them the rnoil valuable blelTings, than if he
had endured thofe fufferings without any fuch view. at all. The
fufferings of a moll holy and righteous perfon are pcrfe6lly
reconcile^ble to all the rules of juftice, and to the order and
reafon of things, provided thofe fufferings are what he himfelf
])ath voluntarily undertaken, and that they anfwer a mofl valu-
able and excellent end for the public good, and that tlie fuffering
perfon himfelf afterwards receives a glorious rccompence. And
according to the account given us in the Gofpel, all thefe clrcum-
fiances concurred in the fufferings of our Lord Jefus Chrill.
* Eolingbroks's V/crks, vol. v. p. s82.
Pr,
Let. XXXII. LORD BOLINGSROKfi. 2 2/
Dr. Clarke had mentioned fome of the excellent ends which
the fufferings and death of Chrift were dehgned and fitted to
anfwer : fuch as, that this method *' tends to difcountenance
*' and prevent prefumption, to difcourage men from repeating
*' their tranfgreiiions, to give them a deep fenfe of the heinous
*' nature of fm, and to convince them of the excellence and
"importance of the laws of God, and the indifpcnfable necef-
*' fity of paying obedience to them*^"." Lord Bolingbroke has
not offered any argument to prove, that redemption by the death
of Chriil was not well fitted to anfwer thefe ends, but in his
diftatorial manner has pronounced, that " the prudential rea-
*' fons affigned by Dr. Clarke for the death of Chriil v/ou!d
*' appear futile and impertinent, if applied to human councils;;
*' but in their application to the divine, they became profane and
*' impious. — That the death ci Chriil, inftead of being proper to
*' difcountenance prefumption, and to difcourage. men from
*' repeating their tranfgreiiions, as Clarke pretends, might, and in
*' faft has countenanced prefumption, v/ithout difcouraging men
*' from repeating their tranfgreffions t." There is no do^lrine but
may be abufed by the perverfenefs of bad and licentious men.
Sinners may take encouragement from the goodnefs and mercy of
■God to continue in their evil courfes, in hopes that he will net
puniflh them for their crimes. And on the other hand, the doc-
trine concerning the juflice of God may be abufed, to harden
men in their fms, and to cut them off from all hopes of miercy,
which would have an equal tendency to deftroy all piety and
virtue, and fubvert the verv foundations of rehfjion. But the
Gofpel fcheme of our reconciliation by the death of Chriil: -
provides admirably againif both thefe extremes. Oa the one
hand, the fulleft difcoveries are m.ade of the infinite grace and
goodnefs of God towards mankind, in that he gave his only-be-
gotten Son, that through his fufferings and death a way might
be opened for redeeming and faving the loft human race. A
ix^t and univerfal offer is made of pardon and falvation to all
fmners without exceotion, thatfhall accept of offered mercy upon
the gracious and reafonable terms v/hich are there appointed.
* Clarke's Evidences of natural and revealed Religion, p. 351. Ed. yih.
f Balingbroke's Works, vol. y. p, 2S9.
Q 2 The
228 A VIEW or THE DII5TICAL WRITERS. Lei. XXXII.
The mofl exceeding great and precious promifes are made, the
moft gracious alTidances are provided to help our in^ritiliitYy
and we are raifed to the privileges of the children of God, zvA
to the moft animating hopes of a glorious refurreftion and etei^-
nal life, as the reward even of our imperfeft obedience. It is
impofiTible that any thing fliould give us a more amiable idea of
the Supreme Being, and of his wonderful love to mankind.
Nothing can have a greater tendency to enlarge our joys, and
to excite the moft grateful and devout afife^lions towards our hea-
venly Father, as the father of mercies, and the God of love, and
towards the Lord Jefus Chrift, the great Saviour and lover of
our natures, and to lay us under the ftrongeft engagements -^to
love and obey him.
But then on the other hand, left this Should be abufed, the Gof-
pel prefents the Supreme Being as of infinite juftice, righteouf-
r.efs, ar.d purity, who hath fuch a hatred againft fm, and fuch
a regard to the authority of his government and laws, that he
v.'GuLl not receive guilty tranfgrefrors of the human race to
his grace and tavour, upon any lefs confideration than the fuf-
ferings andfacrihce of his well-beloved Son on their behalf; than
■which nothing could poffibly exhibit a more awful difplav of
God's difpleafurc againft fm : fo that he hath taken care to mani-
fcft hi^ righteoufncis and juftice, even in the methods of our
reconciliation. We are farther alfurcd, that though the facri-
fice Chrift hath ollcrcdbe fo infinitely miCritoyious, yet the virtue
oi it is only applied upon fuch terms as the divine wifdom- hath
appointed, i.e. to thofe only that return to God by aTinccre
repentance and new obedience. So that on this plan the necef-
iity of holinefs and obedience is moft ftrongly and effeftually
iecured, fmce without this there can be no intereft in that grreat
atonement, and confequently no hope of pardon and falvation.
And the fevereft tbreatenings are denounced againft tiiofe who
abufe all this grace, and turn it into licentioufnefs : and they
are warned, that their punifhments Ihall be heightened in pro-
portion to the aggravations of their crime. Thus the Gofpel
fcheme of redemption through Jefus Chrift hath an admiVal!ylc
propriety and harmony in it, and bears upon it the iliuftriotis
charaClers of a divine original. It giveth the greateft hopes to
tlie upright and fincere, witjiout affording the kaft ground of
encourage*
L^t. xi;xir. LORD eolingbroke.
229
encouragement to the obflinately wicked and prefumptuous
fmner. It reprcferits God as moft amiable and moU awful, infi-
nitely good, gracious, and merciful, and at tae Tame time infinite-
ly juft, righteous, and holy. Thefe charaQiers in a lower
degree muil concur in an excellent earthly prince ; much more
jpuft they be fuppofed to be united in the highefl poflTible degree
of eminence in the Supreme Being, the All-wife and All-per-
ie61 Governor of the world.
. He concludes his remarks on what Dr. Clarke had offered to
(IjeWj/^hat the doftrine of our redemption by Chriil is not con-
trary to^reafon, with a general rcjleclion or two. One is this.
" Let us fuppoie a great prince governing a wicked and rebel-
*• lious people : he has it in his power to puniih, but thinks fit
*' to pardon them. But he orders his only and well-beloved
*' fon to be put to death, to expiate their fms, and fatisFy his
** royal vengeance." And then he afks, " Would this proceed-
" ing appear to the eye of reafon, and in the unprejudiced light
'* of nature, wife, or juft, or good ? No man dares to fay that it
*' would, except it be a divine *." But no divine w^ould put
fo abfurd a cafe, which, as he reprefents it, could not pofTibly
anfwer any valuable end. The King would have no right to
put his fon to death for the crimes of rebels ; and to do it againll
his confent, would be the height of injuftice and cruelty: and even
if he fhould confent, it would be the irretrievable lofs of an hope-
ful Prince, both to the King his father, and to the community
who had an intereft in his life. But if a cafe could be fuppofed,
in which the death of an excellent Prince would be the faving
of ailate from ruin, and the beft and propcreft means for avert-
ing the greateff public evils and calamities, and for procuring
the grcateil public happinefs, I believe it would be acknow-
ledged to be a glorious a61ion for a King to give up his fon, and
for the Prince his fon to give himfelf up fo death, for fo exten-
five a benefit, and would be celebrated as fuch to all fuccecd-
ing ages. Though ftill in that cafe there could be no hope of
the fuffering perfon's being reftored to life, or to the public, or
having a proper reward given him for ^o confummate a virtue :
which makes a vaff difference between this cafe, or indeed any
^ Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 229.
Q 3 othci*
23® A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXXII.
ether that could be put in human governments, and our redemp-
tion by the fufTerings and death of Chrift as ilated in the gofpel.
Kis fccond refleftion is, that " Dr. Clarke acknowledges,
f' that human jeafon could never have difcovered fuch a method
^' as this for the reconciliation of fmners to an offended God."
From whence he argues, that '* therefore it cannot be faid,
*' that this method is agreeable to found unprejudiced reafon,
*' which is what Dr. Clarke here undertook to Jliew*." But
there is no inconfiflency between thefe. A thing may be of fuch
a kind, that reafon could not have difcovered it, and yet when
difcovered may have nothing in it contrary to reafon, 'and may
be fuch as unprejudiced reafon will approve. And this I take
to be the cafe of the fcripture doftrine of our redemption. Our
author indeed hath attempted to fhew, that tins ui3ftrine is more
abfurd than any thing that can be found in any fyflem of paganifm.
But what he offers to this purpofe is entirely to be charged, not
upon ih€ do6trine itfelf as laid dov/n in fcripture, but upon the
bafe and injurious reprefentation he is pleafed to make of it. He
concludes Vv-ith faying, that '* the heathens could not imagine
" anything fo repugnant, as the do61rine or our redemption by
*' the death of Chrift, to all their ideas of order, of juftice, of
*' goodnefs, and even of thcifm+." If this were fo, the hcatheri
world were far from being fo difpofed -and prepared for receiving
the Chriftian myfleries as he fometimes pretends tiiey were. It
will be acknowledged, that Chrijl crucified vr^z to the Greeks,
Vvho had a high conceit of their own '\vifdom and learning, yi?<?/-
7jluiejs : but it was the wifdom and pozoer of God, as St Paul
expreffeth it. And accordingly this doflrine of the crofs of
Chrift triumphed over all the oppohtion which their boafted
learning and phiiofophy, aflifted by the power and authority of
the civil m.agiftrate, the influence and artifices of the priefts, and
the prejudices of the vulgar, and the vices and pafTions of men,
could raife againft it. There are, no doubt, great dimculties at-
tending the fchei^ne of our redemption. But this v/riter, if he
were confiftent withhimfelf, ought not tom.akethis an cbjc8:ion
againll its truth or divine original. He obferves, that *' nothing
" is more conformable to our ideas of the innnitely Perfect Being,
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. y. p. aoo. f Ibid. p. 291.
'' than
Let. XXXII. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 23 1
" than to believe, that human rcafon cannot account for the
" proceedings of infinite wiOiom in a multitude of inftances, in
*' many of thofe perhaps that feem the moil obvious to it*.'*
And he elfewhere declares, that '* if infinite wifdom and power
** created and governs the univerl'e, we mult prepare to meet
** with feveral appearances, which we cannot explain, nor recon-
*' cile to the ideas we endeavour to form of the divine perfections,
** and which are difproportionable to our and every other finite
*' underilandingi." And finding fault vrith the pertnefs and
prefumption of divines, he fays, " it would pafs for downright
" madnefs, if we were not accultomed to it, to hear a creature of
" the lowed form of intelligent beings undertake to penetrate
*' the defigns, to fathom the depths, and to unveil the myfteries of
*' infinite wifdom., which the moft exalted of created intelligences
*' would adore in filence:j:." This maybe juftly turned againU
himfeif. It is no prefumption to believe what God has revealed
of his councils concerning the methods of our falvation, or to
think and fpeak of them as far as he has been pleafed to declarf* ^
them. But it is an inexcufable arrogance to prefurae to arraiga
the proceedings of infinite wifdom made knov/n to us in a well-
attefled revelation; becaufe there are fome things relating to
them which we are not able diftin6lly to explain, or to account
for. This is what our author hath done with a rafhnefs and info-
lence that is fhocking. Some pafTages of this kind have been
already produced, to which I (hall add one more. Speaking of
the myftery of our redemption by the blood of Chrift, he afferts,
that " the love there difplayedis partiality, and the juftice there
*' (hewed is injullice — And that injuftice and cruelty are united
" in this : that mankind would not have been redeemed, if the
*' Jews had not crucified Chrifi : and yet they were rejefted and
" punilhed for crucifying him §." He here chargeth it as a great
injuftice and cruelty to refe6t and punifli the Jews for crucifying
Chriil, becaufe mankind could not have been redeemed without
it: and yet he had before obferved, that " Chrift was Sacrificed
*' by men who meaned no expiation, and who meancd a murder,
* Bolingbroke's Work?, vol. v. p. 182. f Ibid. p. 365.
X Ibid, p, 397. § Ibid. p. jS:.
^O A ** not
k«&, A VIEW O? J"J^E,r4>E:ISTiqAL:. WRITERS. LeLZiXXUi
*'• not a racri|iGe^,.'[-;jjQp(i\s, bringing the greateft good out of the
injuftice.an-d Ayick<di;ie{s,pt the Jews, wuich he forefaw and per-
xnitfed, b ut. did r^qt Cj^i^fe.ji^s ^^4^^ f^r)iU6ftriovvs;.p^rQ.Qi^'QfAto in-
finite wifdora, bur is noej^teniiation of their crime : and therefore
there w^'po injmlice in punifiiing themfor it. But if the Jews
hadt nc^ pruci^ed^Gkift, whic;h js the ^qaleitjis.li^titer puts, and
\vhich, depends upon the modeil fnppofition of God's being mif^
taken in his pre(cicnce, it would not follow, that his dengns for
the redemption of mankind would have been difappQinted ;. in-
f:nite wifdom would not have been at a Ipfs J^.jpli^p^rnipa^thods
to accoraplifh its own glorious views. ; > ,.. . . : ■ .
This , is not the only paffage, in v/hich our author, who upon
ail occafions fets no bounds to his invectives againll the Jews,
exprcffcs fome pity towards them, as having been very 'hardly
dealt with, in being pvmillied for crucifying our Lord. He ob-
ferves, that " Cbriit contrived at his death to appear innocent
*' to the Roman governor, and at the fame time contrived to
"■•appear guilty to the Jews, and to make them the inftrunieiits
*' of his death, by a fequcl of the moH artful behaviour — That
"they were rejected for not believing him to be the Mcffiah — .
" And he kept them in their error; at leall he did nothing to
*' draw them out of it, that they might briiig him to the crofs,
*' and complete the redemption of mankind, Vv4thout knowing
" that they did it at their own expencef ." Notliing can poITibly
be. more untair and difingenuous than this reprefentation. It is
evident, that our Lord took all proper opportunities of laying be-
fore the Jews the proofs of his IVlelTiahiliip: and that nothing
could be more wifely coiidutted than the way he took gradually
to remove their prejudices, though he did net make an exprefs
and public declaration of his being the Mefiiah, till the evidence
ihouid be completed,, and it fliouid plainly appear, that his king-
dom was not of this world. Liftead of laying plots to engage
the Jews to put him to death, he on many occafions ufcd the
moft prudent precautions to avoid the eife6ls of their malice, till
he could do it no longer, without betraying the truth, and coun-
teracling the defign upon which he was fent.
The lad thing I (hall take notice of with regard to what Lord
- Bolitighroke's Works, vcl. v. p. 291. | Ibid, vc.h iv. p. 537, 538, 539.
Bolinj:-
L€t. XXXII. LORD BOLINGBROKE.
^3
Bolingbroke hath offered concerning the do6lrme of our redemp-
tion^ is, that he reprefents it as having proceeded from the pride
of tht human heart. He blames Archbifhop Tillotfon for ob-
fervihg, very pathetically, at the clofeof one of his fermons, that
'v\\^hen the angels fell, God left them in their fallen flate: but
** when liian fell, he fent his Son, his only-begotten Son, h<'^
*•' dearly-beloved Son, to redeem the race by his Oifferings and
* • paffion." Upon which he remarks, that *' this raifes us not only
"' to an equality with the angels, but to a fuperiority over them*.'*
And he afterwards cenfures the divines, for being *' unwilling to
'• leave their notions of human worth and importance, or of the
*' defigns of God in favour of men;" and fays, that " though
'' our religion forbids pride, and teaches humility, yet the whole
" fyftemof it tends to infpire the former." He inflances in its
teaching, that " man was made after the image of God, and that
'•' God abandoned myriads of angels, but determined to raife maa
*• from his fall by the facrifice of his Son." And he aO;s, *' is it
" poiTible to conceive higher notions of a created being than
** thefe revealed truths muH infpire t?" It is certain, that, ac-
cording io the fcripture account, Oo-Afpared not the angels that
jtnnedy though originally fuperior to the human race, but fent
his Son to redeem mankind. And undoubtedly there were Vvife
reafons for that proceeding, v/hich God hath not thought fit to
reveal to us, and which therefore we cannot pretend to judge of.
But whatever was the reafon of it, God's extending his grace
and mercy to mankind in fo marvellous a way, certainly demand-
eth our mofl grateful acknowledgments. We are taught every-
where in fcripture to afcribe the great things God hath done for
us, not to any worthinefs in ourfelves, but merely to his fove-
reign unobliged grace and goodnefs. It is manifell that the v/hols
fi:hemeof Chriftianity tendeth to infpire us with the moft adoring
tlioughts of God's infinite majefty, greatnefs, and purity, and at
the fame time to imprefs and afFecl our hearts with the moil humb-
ling fenfe of our own meannefs, guilt, and un worthinefs. It
teiideth not to infpire us with pride, but with gratitude for un-
(leferved favours and benefits: and at the fame time that it filleth
US with the highell admiration of the divine condefceniion and
^' Bolingbroke's Works, vol. i?. p, 506, 507. f ibid. vol. v. p. 347.
roodncfs
234 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS, Let. XXXII,
goadnefs towards us, it teacheth us to fink low into the very duft
before his glorious miijcfly, ackiiov/Iedging tiiat we are lefs than
thiC lead of his mercies, and giving him the whole glory of our
falvation.
It is cbfervable, that Lord Bolingbroke fecms on many occa-
fions very folicitous to prevent our having too high a conceit
of our own excellence and importance. He blames the pagan
theifh f(n- flattering human nature, when they taught, that a good
man imitates God, and that God is a lover of mankind, and made
man to be happy ^. To human pride and ambition he attributes
the notion of the foul's being a fpiritual fubllance diftincf from
the body, and the belief of its immortality t. To this alfo he af-
cribes the doftrine of a particular providence, and the notion that
God is attentive to the prayers and wants of men ; and is ready
on many occafions to aflTift, protect, and reward the good, and
to punifh or reclaim the wicked :|:. It feems then that, for fear
of being thought too proud and afTum.ing, we muft deny that we
have any fouls diftincl from our bodies, or at lead muft confefs
il:em to be like cur bodies, corruptible and mortal; we muft
not dare to afpirc after a conformity to the Deity in his moral
excellencies, nor to think that he loveth us, or is concerned
for our happinefs ; we mull either not addrefs ourfelves to him
at all, or not prefume to imagine that he heareth or regardeth
our prayers. It would be thinking too highly of our own im-
portance to i^nagine, that God exercifeth any care or infpeftion
over us, or that he taketh notice of our aclions with approbation
or difplcafure, or will call us to an account for them. Thus
this fagacious writer hath found out the fecrct of banifiiing re-
ligion out of the world, under pretence of guarding againft the
pride of the human heart.
I need not take any particular notice of what his Lordfhip
hath offered concerning the doftrine of the Trinity. He affirms,
that " the Scriptures which are com.e down to us are very far
*' from being vouchers of the Trinity we profefs to believe. — •
*' And that we may affurc ourfelves, that many of the Scriptures
'• and traditions which obtained in the primitive ages, depofed
*' againft this Trinity §." Where he talks with as much confi-
* Bolingbrckc'3 Work:, vol. v. p- 317? 31 3. f Ib'fl. vol. iv. p. 481.
J Ibid. vol. v.p. 418. j I^'^. vol. iv. p. 493-
dence
Let, XXXir. LORD BCLINGBPvOKE. 20-
dencc of Scriptures and traditions which he fuppofes to bo lou,
and of what was contained in them, as if he himfelf had fccn
and read them. He chargeth St. Peter and St. Paul wiihincon-
iiUcncy and contradiftion, in fometimcs calHi-g Chrift a man,
and at otlier times talking a different language, and calliniT him
God*. Though fuppofing him to have the human nature in a
near union with the divine, there is no conlraai6"l;ion in it at all.
He has a long marginal note ahout the fentiments of the primi-
tive fathers concerning the Trinity, andceniures bifhop Bullf.
And he afterwards enlarges on the differences among ChriRians
relating to it, and the difputes between Arius and Athanafius J.
But he fays notiwng on this fubject but what is very common,
and has been often more iully and dilHnclly infiifed upon by
others, and therefore deferves no particular confideration here.
What feems more peculiar to him is, that in the account he
gives of the do6lrine of the Trinity, he reprefents it as havin:^
h(ZQn originally derived from the heathen theology. He fays,
that the heathen phiiofophers *' afTumed a Trinity of divine hy-
** poftafes in the Godhead. They held a Monad or Unity above
*' all eflence, a fecond proceeding eternally from the lirll, and
*' a third proceeding eternally from the fecond, or from the
" liril and fecond §." That the hypothcTis of the Trinity made
a part of the Egyptian theology. *' It was brought from Egypt
*' into Greece by Orpheus, whofoever he was, and probably by
" others in that remote antiquity: and that it was in much ufc
*• afterwards: and we find the traces of it in all the theifiical
*• philofophers taught ||." Pie fpeaks of the Egyptian, Pytha-
gorean, Platonic, and of the Zoroaftrian, Chaldic, and Samo-
thracian Trinity^*. And he mentions it alfo as having been
anciently taught among the Chinefe, and produces a pafTage but
cf one of their ancient books to this purpofcft. A late ingenious
author has carried this ftill farther, and has endeavoured at large
to fijew, that fome veifiges of the do61rine of the Trinity are to
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iv. p. 4*Jo. f Ibid. p. 98, €tftq.
t Ibid. p. 483, etfeq, § Ibid. p. 94, 95.
}| Ibid. p. 97. 470,471. ** Ibid. p. 47a.
ft Ibid. vol. v. p. 230,
be
£36 A VIEW Oi^ THE DEISTICAL V/RITER.S. Let. XXXIl,
nations, times, and religions*.
But he differs troai Lord Bolingbroke in thi^r, that whereas his
Lordfiiip clrarges it on the vain fubtilties and reveries of the
ancient metaphyfical theology, this gentleman fuppofes it mufl:
have been owing to fupernatural revelation, or ("ome tradition
originally derived from thence. And I cannot help thinking,
that fupponng the fa6l to have been as they both reprefcnt it,
this feems to be a more reafonable way of accounting for it.
Since it is otherv/ife not eafy to conceive how it fhould come to
pafs, that fo many great and wife men in different ages and na-
tions, from the moft ancient times, fhould have agreed in ac-
knov/Iedging fome kind of triad in the divine nature.
I (liall only take notice of one paffage more in Lord Boling-
broke's works relating to the Trinity; It is this : That "the
*' do£lrine of the Trinity gives- the Mahometans as much reafon
*' to fay, that the revelation which Mahomet publiihed was ne-
** ceiTary to eftabiifli the unity of the Supreme Being, in oppqfi-
" tion to the polytheifm which Chriftianity had introduced, as
*' Chriftians have to infift, that the revelation which Chrift pub-
*' Hilled, a few centuries before, was neceffavy to eil^blifh the
•* unity of the Godhead againft the pagan polythcifm+." But
the cafe was very different. The unity of God could not be
jr.ore ili'ongly and exprefsly afferted than it is in the holy Scrip-
tures, both of the Old Teftament and the New : fo that the pre-
tended rcydatiqn of Mahomet was needlefs in this refpe6l. It
is a fundamental principle of Chriftianity, that there is but one
God, and one Mediator between God and man, and that Jefus
Chrift is he. Thofe who maintain the doftrine ot the Trinity
fiili hold the unity of the Godhead. Convince them that the
.Trinity is inconfiflent with that unity, and they will abandon it.
Tiiey cannot therefore be julily charged with polytheifm, which
is only imputed to them by a confequence v/hich they exprefsly
deny and difavow.
* See Chevalier Ranifay's Principles of natural and revealed ReligioD|
vol. ii. chap. 3.
t Bolin^brokfc's Works, Vol. iy* p. 501.
ET.
Let. XXXlir. LORD , EOLINGBROKE. £C,7
^iri e£^i:./lv, k • LETTER XXXIII.
T%e^ (uhrinmri: 'h oWAnt of future 'Rdrilutions xjiindicaied — It
" does not charge God zuith Injuflicp'th\ mi ;S-prefeni State — •
'Future Piimjhments not contrary to ' Reafon or the divine
Attributes — The Pretence, that they can be of no Ufe either
for" ' Reparation or Terror, examined— The R.ewards and
'"''Fanifliments of a future State Jliall he proportioned to the
drjfcrent Degrees oj Virtue and Vice — The Propriety of ap-
pointing a State' of Trial to reafonahle Beings--r-tt' is zvifiy
ordered, that the Sentence at tke Day of Judgment fkall be
fin aT and ifreverfible — The Chriflian ReprefentaiiQiicf that
' jfudginent and its Confequences, folcmn and affecting, 'and of
' excellent life — Lord Jjolinghroke' s injurious Charge againjh
the pririiitroe Chri/rians — His Complaints of the Corruptions
'hrought into tkz Chriflian Church — Such Writers very im-
proper to ftt up for Reformers — True genuine dhriflianity
needs not fear the Affaults of its ablefl Adverfaries — Conclu^
jion of the Gbfervaticns on Lord Bolingbroke'sFoft humous^
Works.
SIR,
IT is a fatisfaction to me, as I am apt to tlilnk it is' to you, that
the work is drawing near to a conclLilion ; and the ;iiore lo^
as j^oii" Kiibw that I have, during a conilderable part'of the time
in which 1 have been engacred in it, laboured under great in-
^iifpofition of body, which has rendered it more tedious and.'
fatiguing to me, than otherwife it would have been/ It will l>e
well, if fome marks of this do not appear in the performance'
itfelf. If this be the cafe, I hope candid allowance will be made'
The only thing that now remains to be confidered, with regarri
to Loi;d Bolingbroke's attempts againft Chriflianity, relateth io
what he has offered concerning the Scripture doftrine of future;
rewards and punilhments. He has done all he could to expofe
that do8.vine, and Chriftianity on the account of it, efpecially
the do^riae of future nuniihments. This is the princii>Ql defjgm
of
235 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WPvITERS. Lei. XXXIIiT.
oF feveral of his Fragments and EfTays in the latter part of the
i:fth volume of his works : particalarly of the fixty-fixth, fixty-
ieventh, fixty-eighth, fixty-ninth, feventieth, feventy-firu, feven-
ty-fecond, and feventy-feventh, of thofc Fragrr.ents and EfTays.
Before I enter on a diftinft confideration of what he has
ofiered on tliat fuhjeft, I would make two general obfervations.
The oneis, tliat he aiTerts the doflrine of future rewards and
punifhments to be an original doclrine of the Chriftian religion.
He exprefsly alTerts, that " future rewards and punifhments are
*' fan6tions of the evangelical law* ;" That *' it was part of the
" original revelation. And when the Chriftians adopted this
*' doctrine, they received the new law and the new fanc>.ion
**' together on the faith of the fame revelation t." And indeed
it cannot be denied, that this is a do61rine ftrongly and moft ex-
prefsly infilled on by our bleded Saviour hlrafelf, asa do61rine
of principal importance. So that this may be juftly regarded
as a fundamental doftrine of that original ChripLianity, for which
this w^riter profcfTeth fo great an eileera, and the truth, the ex-
cellence, and even divinity of w^hich he fometimes pretends to
acknowledge.
The other obfervation is this : that he makes the w^orfl repre-
fentation imaginable of this doctrine, asbothfalfe, and of a perni-
cious tendency. He aiTerts, that " the double fanft ion of rewards
*' and punifhments in a future ftate was, in faft, invented by men.
*' It appears to be Toby the evident marks of humanity that cha-
*' raflerife it. That thefe notions favour more of the human
*' pafTions, than of juflice or prudence.— That the vulgar hea-
** thens believed their Jupiter liable to fo many human pairion5,
*' that they might eafily believe him liable, in his governm.ent
*'. of mankind, to thofe of love and hatred, of anger and ven-
*' geance. — That the Jews entertained fuch unworthy notions
'' of God, and their fyftem contained fuch inftanccs of partiality
" in love and hatred, of furious anger, and unrelenting ven-
'' geance, in a longferies of arbitrary judgments, that they would
" be ready to receive this heatheniPn doftrine of his arbitrary
•' and cruel proceedings hereafter. — That accordingly this doc-
" trine was in vogue in the Church of Mofes, when that of Jefus
* Eolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 513. f Ibid. p. 516.
_*' began.
Ld, xxxnr. lord EOLI^:GP>RO^E> • 239
*' began. — And that it made a part of the original Chrifliaii rcvc-
*' lation* y — This doftrinc he frequently reprefcnts as not only
of human invention, but as abfurd and impious, and even as
hlafphemous ; and he afTerts, that it is impojjihle to reconcile it to
the divine attributes '\'.'' And after having faid that the Jews
*' blended together at once, in the moral character of God, injuf-
*• tice, cruelty, and partiality," he adds, that " the moral charafter
*' imxputed to the Supreme Being by the Chrlftian theology, dif-
*' fers little from that>imputed to him by the Jewifii." Yea, he
makes it the worfe of the two. That " fudden and violent
*• anger are imputed to him in the one fyftem, flow and filent
** revenge in the other. That he is reprefcnted by the latter as
*' waiting to punilli hereafter with unrelenting vengeance and
*' eternal torments, when it is too late to terrify, becaufc it is
** too late to reform i." Thus he reprefents that which he would
havepafs for an eflential article in the original Chridian revela-
tion, as giving a worfe idea of God than the JewiOi revelation,
which yet he pretends makes fuch a reprefeiitation of tlie Deity
as is worfe than athei fm.
I fhall now examine what he has offered to make good fo heavy
and injurious a charge.
Some of his arguments are defigned, if they prove any thing at
all, to bear againll future rev/ards and punifinnents in general ;
and fome are parLiculariy levelled againft the Chrifrian doftriiie
of future rewards and punifhments.
As to the former, fome notice has been already taken of what
he had urged to invalidate the belief of a future ftate of retribu-
tion. I {hall not repeat what has been oh^'cred above in the eighth
Letter to this purppfe, but fliall proceed to mention fome things,
which I had occafion there to infill upon, as they make apart of
the argument, as he has managed it, agaiuit the Chrillian revela-
tion.
He charges thofe who affert, as Dr. Clarke has done, that ♦' fu-
*' ture retributions ai;e neceffary to fet the prefent diforders and
*' inequalities right, and to juftify, upon the whole, the fchems
*' of providence," as in elFeft maintaining, that '= God a£U
* Bollngbroke's Works, yoI. V". P'5I5j 5i6> t ^l^^d.
% Ibid, p. 52^j ::J'
*' C-f-Urfi
240 A VIEW OF THE r-EISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXXIIi;
** againft his attributes, and the perfe6lions of his nature in
*' one fyftem, only to have a reafon the more for afting agree-
" ably to them in another^'"." He urges, that " it is profane td
** infinuate, much more to afHrm peremptorily, that the proceed-
*' ings of God towards men in the prefent life are unjuit; antl
*' that if that could be admitted, it would be abfurd to admit that
" this may be fet right, which means, if the words have any
** meaning, that this injuflice muft ceafe to be injiillice on the
*• received hypothefis ot his proceedings towards man in another
** life." And he argues, that " omnipotence itfelf cannot caufe
"that which has been done not to have been donet." The
force of this argument depends upon a grofs mifreprefentation
cf tlie fenfe of thofe whom he has thought fit to oppcfe. No
Chriflian divines pretend, that God's proceedings towards men
in this prefent life are unjuft. On the contrary, they maintain,
that it is'juft and wife in God, and fuitable to the nature of thi:i
fiate of trial and difcipline, to fuffer things to go on as they do
in their prefent courfe : and that it is agreeable to the order of
things, that a ftate of final retribution fhould fucceed. The)^
are far from thinking, that what is now injuftice will in a future
fiate ceafe to be injuflice: but they maintain, that that juftice',
the execution of which is for very wife reafons delayed, fhali
be exefcifed and difplayed in the fitteft feafon : that that pij-
T.ifhment of the wicked which is not for the prefent inflifted,
though defigned, fhall be executed, when it is moft proper it
ihould be fo : and that reward of the righteous, which is not
?s yet a61ually conferred, fhall be conferred v»hen it is fitteft it
ihould be conferred, and when they are befl prepared for re-
ceiving it. They afTert, that the evils and fuf^erings which good
men endure in this prefent flale are perfectly confident v/ith the
divine juflice, becaufe they are cither fent as chaflifemcnts and
corre£lions for their fins and mifcarriagcs, or as feafonable trial;
for the exercife and improvement of their virtues, and to dif-
cipline them for a better world ; and that in a future ftate the
trial fhall be over, and their virtue fully rewarded, and they
fha-ll arrive at the true felicity and perfeclion cf their nature :
and on the other hand, that wicked perfons are here often fuf-
* Bollngbroke's Works, vol. y. p. 356. f Ibid. p. 493, 494.
fered
Let. xxxiir. Lord bolingbroke. 241
fered to profoer, and have many advantages and benefits given
them, to lead them to repentance, and to anfwer many wife cuds
of providence. And if they prove incorrigible to the methods of
difcipline v/hich are here made ufe of, tlic/fc punifliments which
were here deferred, fliall be at length inflifted, and God's light-
eoufnefs, and juft deteftation againft fin, fhall be awfully mani-
felted and difplayed.
But it is efpecially againft future punifliments tliat he bends
his force. He obferves, that " the heathen philofophers, even
*' thofe of them who aiTumed- providence to be the moft a6llve
*' in directing the affairs of this world, were unanimous in their
*' opinion, that the Supreme Being was never angry, nor ever
** did harm;" for which he cites a pafTagc from Tully's 0£lces,
lib. 3. Num iraitnn timemus Jovem? At hoc quidem comrmme
eft omnium philofophorum — Nunqiiam nsc irafci Deum, nex no-
ccre'^. It v/ill be eafily allowed, that anger, ftrlctly fpeaking,
as it fignifies a paffionate emotion, fuch as is to be found in fuch
imperfeft creatures as we are, cannot be afcribed to God; but
to deny that he is difpleafed or offended with tlic (ins of Ids "cren-
tures, which is all that is intended, when anger is afcribed to him
in the facred writing^,, is really to ftrike at the foundation of all
religion, and, under pretence of honourable tlioughts o: God, to
banifli the fear of a -Deity out of the world. It was a maxim of
the Epicureans concerning the divine nature,
Ndc bene promeritis capdur, nee tangitur ira.
And their defign in if was'to deny the providence of God, and
to reprefent him as abfolutely unconcerned about the afticns^of
men, fo as neither to reward the good, nor to punifh evil-doers.
And this, if it holdeth at all, will equally hold againft -Good's
puniftiing the wicked in this life, and in the next. And it looks
as if this was our author's intention. He urges, that " neither
*' reafon nor experience will ftiew us, in the A.uthor of nature,
" an' angry, revengeful judge, or bloody executioner+." But
to mifcal things does not alter their nature. It is eafy to throw
a hard name, and to call juftice vengeance, and cruelty: but no
argument can be drawn from this to prove, that that which is
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 510. f I'^i^- P- ^'=>9'
VOL, II. R ^^^
i*4* A VIEW OF THE BEISTICAL WRITERS. j(4^,-.^XXW»
one of the moft glorious perfeftions, and infeparable fro n\ the
wife and righteous Governor of the world, ought to pafs for
the worft of charafters. If the Supreme Being be not utterly
indifferent to virtue and vice, to good and evil, to the happinefs
and mifery of his creatures, it muft be faid that he approveth the
one, and is difpleafed with the other; and in that cafe |ier>>v,iir
fhew his approbation and difpleafure by fuitable effefts.. "VV^hat
ihould we think of an earthly prince, that ihould not concern
himfelf whether his laws be obferved or not, and fhould fuffer
them to be tranfgreffed with impunity? And is this the idea we
fliould form of the Supreme Lord of the univerfe? If this were
the cafe, what could be expefted but univerfal diforder and con-
fufion in the moral world? It is the fame thing, as if all things
were left to a wild chance, without a Supreme Governor and
Judge.
There is a very extraordinary way of arguing which this wri-
ter makes ufe of to fet afide future punilhments. He obferves,
that ** to alTume that the divine providence towards mankind ia
*' this v/orld has one criterion, and in the next another, would
*' be extravagant*:" and therefore he mentions it as an abfur-
dlty in the Chrlllian fcheme,_that " the proceedings of the future
*' fiate fhall be the very reverfe of the prefent; for then every
*' individual human creature is to be tried; whereas here they are
*' only confidered colleftively ; that the moft fecret aftions, nay
*' the very thoughts of the heart, will be laid open, and fentence
*' will be pronounced accordingly i." The plain meaning of this
is, thai! the individuals of mankind fhall not be obnoxious to any
punifhment from God, either In this world or in the next; and
confequently that there fnall be no exercife of divine juftice
here or hereafter. For he himfelf declares, that " juftice re-
** quires, that rewards and puniOiments ihould be meafured out
*' in various degrees, according to the various circumftances of
*' particular cafes, and in proportion to them." He has endea-
voured to turn that into an argument again ft the Chriftian ac-
count of a future judgment, which is really its glory, and a great
proof of its truth, viz. liiat men's fecret a6lions, and even the
thoughts of their hearts, (hall then be laid open. Thefe are things
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. v. p. 498. f Ibid. p. 494.
that
Let. JtX3tIII. LORD BOLINGBROKfi.
H'd
that lie quite out of the reach of human judicatories, and yet
upon thefe it is that the morality of aftions doth properly depend.
If therefore there be no account to be given of then! here or
hereafter, men's bell or worft aftions or difpofitions will go un-
rewarded or unpunifhed, which is the highefl; abfurdity, fup-
pofing there is a Supreme moral Governor or Judge. But ac-
cording to the account given us in the gofpel, the fecfds of^kll
hearts Jhal I be revealed, the hidden fprings fliall be in(tuired
into, from whence good and evil actions flow, men fliall be fiiewn
in their true charafters, no real good aft ion (hall pafs unreward-
ed, or evil one unpunifhed; than whicli nothing can poflibly
have a greater influence to engage us to exercife a conflant care
over our, in ward temper, and our outward conduft. •■ '^*^ "*
Another argument he makes ufe-of, v/hich, as far 'las if is of
any force, bears againft future punifliments in general : it is this :
that " reparation and terror are objefts effential to the conflitu-
-*' tion of human juftice. But what does that juftice require, if
■**itmay be called juftice, when it tends neither to reparation
*' nor terror*?" He acknov/ledges, what fome engaged in the
fame caufe have thought fit to deny, that " to reform offenders
** is hot the fole nor the principal end of puniOuTient. Thofc
** that are capital miiil have fome other. The criminal is exe-
" cuted for the fake of others, and that he may do fome good by
*** the terror of his deaths The prince that fhou'ld punifh witli-
*' out regard to reparation or terror, could have no motive to
*' punifh but the pleafure of punidiing; which no fpirit but that
" of anger, vengeance, or cruelty, can infpire." He aflcs there-
fore, " what effefts can punifh ments have, when the fyllem of
*^ human government is at an end, the flate of probation is over,
*' when there is no farther means for reformation of the wicked,
** nor reparation to the injured by thofe who injured them, and
*' when the eternal lots of all mankind are cafl, and terror is of
" no farther ufei? But it is to be coriiidered, that the terror
of the future punifhment is of great ufe in this prefent flate.
The proper defign of the threatenings of future puniflnnent is
ndt'to'infii6l the punifhment, but to prevent the wickednefs, and
thereby to prevent the punifhment. But when oncetliofe threaf-
* Bo}iagbroke*s Works, vol. V. p. 494, 485- f Ibidv-p'.-;o'7, 5^^-
f44 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Lei. XXXIII.
enlngs are denounced, juftice and truth, and the majefty of the
Supreme Ruler, require that they fhould be ordinarily executed
upon thofewho, notwithftanding thofe threatenings, perfift in
their wicked courfes. For if it were laid down as a principle,
that though thefc threatenings were denounced, jufiice or good-
nefs would not fufFer them to be executed, it would be the fame
thing as if there were no threatenings at all ; fmce they would in
that cafe anfwer no purpofe, and could not be faid to be fomuch
as in terror em. But befides the neceffity there is that fuch
punidiments ihould be threatened here, for the fake of preferving
order, an'd reftraining wickednefs among mankind, even in this
prefent ftate, and confequentiy, that they fhould be executed
hereafter upon thofe that'have incurred the threatened penalties,
of what ufe the execution of them may be to other orders of
beings in a future ftate, to infpire an abhorrence of fin, and a
fear of the divine majefty, and how far the influence of them may
extend, no man can take upon him to determine. The fcripture
intimates, as if the future judgment were to be tranfaQed in a
moil folemn manner, in the view not merely of th« whole human
race, but of other orders of intelligent beings. Mention is often
made of great numbers of a^els as prefent on that occafion.
Thofe punifhments may therefore be of very extenfive ufe, for
any thing that can be proved to the contrary, for promoting the
general good, for difplaying the evil of fm, and vindicating the
majefty of the divine laws and government, and may ferve as
folemn warnings to theintelleftual creation. God takes no plea-
fure in their torments, as fuch, but in anfwering the great ends
of his governm.ent, in taking the properell methods to promote
the good of the whole, in the exercife and difplay of his ov/n
infinite righteoufnefs and purity, in feparating the juft from the
unjuft, and putting a vifibie eternal difcrimination between the
obftinate oppofers of his authority and goodnefs, and thofe who
loved and ferved him in fincerity.
When this writer reckoneth reparation among the ends of
punifnment, he fcemeth by reparation to mean only the repairing
the injuries done by one creature to another; as if all the malig-
nity and demerit of fin confiftcd only in its being a v/rong done
to our fellow creatures ; andas if it were not to be confidcred or
punifhed at all as an offence againil the divine majeHy, and a
violation
Ltt, XXXIII. LORD EOLINGBROKE. 24^
violation of the laws of the fupremc univerfal Lord. Bat this is
a great miftake. Sin is indeed a great evil, confidered as an of-
fence committed againft our fellovz-creatures, and againft the
true dignity, perfeftion, and happinefs of our own natures, 'ax\^
a counterafting the proper end and order of our beings ; but the
principal part of its malignity is its being an infurreftion againft
the majeily and authority of the great Lord of the univerfe,
to whom we owe all pofTible fubjeftion and obedience, an op-
pofing our wills and appetites to the will, and lav/- of the Supreme,
the bafeft ingratitude to his infinite goodnefs, a cafting an indig-
nity on his adorable perfeftions, and on the wifdom and right-
coufnefs ot his crovernment, and therefore a breach of univerfal
order. This is what renders fm principally criminal and odious,
and what we ought to have a chief regard to in our humble con-
fefhons, or elfe we are. not true penitents. And as it is in this
that .its malignity chiefiy confifleth, as God would have us abhor
it principally on this account, fo it is on this account efpecially
that he punilheth it: for he judgeth of things as they really are.
» If thegreatellevil of finconfiflethin its being an offence commit-
ted againft the divine majefty, a 'wilful tranfgreftion of his known
laws, and an oppofition to his authority and_goodnefs ; it the more
there is of this in any fin, the more heinous its guilt muft be ac-
knowledged to be; if this carrieth an infinitely greater, a more
monftrous malignity in it, than its being merely an offence
' againft creatures like ourfelves ; it is contrary to all the diftates of
reafon and good fenfe to fuppofe, that the moft wife and righteous
Governor of the world, in punifhing fin, hath not principally a
regard to that, on the account of which it principally deferveth
punifliment. It is true that God cannot be really hurt by our
fms and vices, nor beatified by our obedience and our virtues.
But this is only owing to the tranfcendent excellence of his ov/n
moft perfea nature. And it vvrould be a ftrange thing to make
the infinite perfeftion of his nature a reafon why his crea-
tures ftiould be allowed to tranfgrefs his laws with impunity.
On the contrary, the greater the excellency of his nature is, tiie
greater is the evil of fin as com.mitted againft his infinite majefty;
and that very perfetfion of his nature makes it impoffible lor him
not to hate all m.oral evil. For it is manifeft, that an eternal love
of order, purity, and righteoufnefs, ig neccfrarily included 111
R o infiniie
$46 A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let, XXXIII* ;
infinite perfe£lion. And how fhall he fhew his juft abhorrence
of fin, and averfion to the breach of moral order, but by tbe
marks and effc6ls of his difpleafure againft it, that is, by punifh-f
ing obliinate prefiuTiptuous tranfgreiTors?
Our author tells us, that " future punifhments were not be-
*' lieved by the philofophers, not even by Plato and Pythagoras,
" though they talked of them^'." And that " at the coming of .
*' our Saviour they were generally difregarded even by the vul-
" gar." If this were fo, it became the more necefiary to renew
the difcovery, and fet it in a clearer and flronger light, fmce it
was of vail importance to mankind, to believe it. By his own
acknowledgment, the ableft philofophers and legiflators thought
fo. And he himfelf frequently owns the great ufeiuhiefs of
this doftrine. Audits ufefulnefs is, as I have before obferved,
in conjunftion with other confiderations, no fmali argument lol^^
its truth.
Having confidered what he hath offered with relation to future
rewards and punifhments in general, I fhall now examine the ^
particular objeftions he hath urged againft the accounts given of
them in the Chnflian revelation.
He obferves, that " had the doclrine of future rewards and
*' punilhments been more general, and lefs defcriptive; had future
*.' punilliments been reprefented like the rewards, to be fimpiy
*' fuch as eye never faw, nor heard, nor the heart of man could
•' conceive, it might have been maintained in credit, and have
*' had an univerfal and real influence— perhaps to the great
*' advantage of religion. But behdes the abfurdity of fuppofing
*' that God inflicts eternal punifhments on his 'creatures, which
*' would render their non-exiftence infinitely preferable to their
*' exiflence on the whole;" he apprehends that ** anair ofridi-
*' cule has been caft on this doftrine by preferving all the idle
*' tales and burlefque images, which were propagated in thofe
** days." He reprefents it as ** nearly refembling the myihologia
'*' cle inferis, which has been fo often laughed att." As to the;
account given us in the gofpel of i\\t future reward, it is in-
comparably noble and excellent, and not quite fo general as he
reprefents it,, but fuch as is fitted to raife in us the highefl ideas.,
'^ BolingbrQke'sWo^^>^? vol. V. p. 515. f Ibid.- p. 54*.
Z«"^i XXXIII. LORD BOLINGBROKE. 247
orthefeltcityUnd pe'rfe6lion to v/hich good men (liall be raifed
in" tlievH'eavenly world. The defcriptions there fet before us ot
future puRiuiments are general, but very expreirive. And the
burlefque images he fpeaks ot are awful and {hiking reprefenta-
tioh^,'defigned and fitted to convey images of terror, but not
mixed with any trifling or ridiculous circumftanccs, like the •
poetical tales and fables he refers to.
But what he feems to lay a principal ftrefs upon, for expofmg
theChriftian doftrine oi future rewards and punifiiments, is this:
that ** juftice requires moil certainly that rewards and puniQi-
*'-me'nfs fhould be meafured out in every particular cafe, in pro-
** portion to the merit and demerit of each individual. But in-
** ffead of this, it is alTured, that the righteous and the wicked are
*■ traafported into heaven, or plunged into hell, without any
** diftinftion of the particular cafes which have been fo folemnly
** determined, and without any proportion obferved between the
"various degrees of merit and demerit in the application of
*' thofe rewards and punifiiments *." And in all that he offers in
the iMter part of the fixty-eighth of his Fragments and Effays, he
proceeds upon this fuppofition, that *' the greateft and leafl; degree
*' of virtue fhall be rewarded, and the greateft a-nd lead degree
** of vice punilbed alike:" And that it is " arbitrary and tyran-
** niCdl to make no diftinftion of perfons in diffimilar cafes f .**
And again he Urges, that " the hypothefis of all being faved alike,
'* or damned in the lump, tends to deftroy little by little all thofe
*' imprefHons which the belief of a future ftate is fo ufefully de^
*.' fl^l-^e.d to jrivet."
All that his Lordflbip here offers depends upon a great mif-
appreKenfion, or a wilfnl mifrcprefentation of the Chriftian doc-
trine bh this head. If men were to be rewarded and punifhed
hereafteV only collectively, and no regard had to individuals,
which our author would perfuade us is the method of God's
proceedings towards mankind in this prefent ftate, then it might
be admitted that men are faved and damned only in the lump,
as he is pleafed to exprefs it. But this is not the fcripture re-
pVefe^tatidh' of Gbd's proceedings in a future ftate. We are
tli^ei^e- m6fl^ exprefsly affured/ that the cafe of every individual
* jgolingbfoke'^ Works, vol. 7. p. 49.?- t Ibid. p. 496. X Ibid. p. 503.
^aS A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXXIII,
fhall be examined and jur!ged. It is thus that our Lord, who is
to be our judgv-, reprefent.': it: he telis us, that he will come in his
glory, and all Ins holy angels with him, and thenfnall he reward
every vian according to Ms works. Mat. xvi./ij. St. Paul ex-
prefsly declares, that God zvill render to every man according to
his deeds, Rom. ii. 6. That every , one oj us Jliall give an ac-
count oj Jiimfelj io Cod, Rom. xiv. 12. That we mujl all appear
before the judgment feat of Chrijl, that every one may receive the
things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether
it be good or had, 2 Cor. v. 10. That every mans workfhuU be
tried,. and made manifefl, 1 Cor. iii. 13, In fpeaking of the lef-
peftive duties of mafters and fervants, he lets them know, that
the meaneft fliall not be neglected, but fhall receive a proper re-
ward: That whatsoever good thing a man doth, the fame f nail he
receive of the Lord, whether he he bond or Jree: But he that doth
wrong, fiall receive for the ivrong which he hath done, and there
is no refpetl of perfons, Eph. vi. 0. 9. Col. iii. 2^. St. Peter
aiTurethus, that GodwithoiitrefpeBofperfonsjudgeth according
to every mari s work, 1 Pet. i. 17. Chrift is introduced as de-
claring, I am he which fearcheth the reins and hearts; and I
will give unto every one of you according to your works, Rev.
ji. 23. And in the defcription 01 the 'iuture judgment, Rev. xx.
12. to fliqw the exoftnefs of that judgment, it is faid, that the
hooks were opened, and the dead were judged out of thofe things
which were wriiten-in the books according to their works. And
it is repeated again, ver. 13. they were judged, every man accord-
in'^ to their works.
From thefe feveral paffages compared together, it appears with
the utmoft evidence, that according to the whole tenor of the
New Teitament, in the difpenfing future retributions, the re-
wards and piinifh?ne:iis fiall be meafured out in every particular
ca/}, in proportion to the merit and demerit of each individual^
which Qur author faith is what juilice req^uires. It is therefore
manifeff, that what is there fakl concerning that future ftate of
re^yards and punifhments, muit be underftood in a confiilency
with the making an exaft diflribution according \o particular
cafes and circumflances; and that the general reprefcntations there
made of heaven as a fiate of future happinefs to the righteous,
apd of hell as a ftate of future punifhinent to the wicked, mufl
«» be
Let. XXXIII. LORD BOLINGBROKE.
249
be fo taken and explained as to comport vv^ith the different degrees
of rewards and puni(hraents to the one and to the other; and
not as if all good men were to be raifed to the fame degree of
future glory and happinefs ; and all bad men to be punifhed with
the fame degree of mifery ; fince it is fo frequently and exprefslv
declared, that God will then, without refpeft of perfons, render
to every man according to his deeds ; and that every man fhall
then receive according to what he hath done in the body. The
"general defcriptions of that future glory are indeed fublime and
noble, and reprefent it in a*mcll attra6Hve view. And it was
proper it (hould be fo. Tiiey fet before us a happinefs beyond
imagination great and glorious, the more effeftually to animate
us to a patient continuance in well-doing. And it is fignified,
that it is of fuch a nature, fo tranfcendently 'great and excellent,
*is vaftly to exceed what any of the human race could in ftri^lnefs
of jullice have deferved. For the obedience of the heft of men
is very imperfeft, and mixed with many defe6is ;- and therefore
that eternal life and happinefs is reprefented as the gift of Gody
through Jefus Chrift. That reward is the effeft of free fove-
reign grace and goodnefs. And therefore none can and fault,
if the glory and happinefs which (hall be conferred upon good
men hereafter be above what they could be faid to have ilriftly
merited. But though the v{;^y loweft degree of reward and hap-
pinefs in that future ftate {hall be far fuperior to what the i)ell of
men could have pretended to have challenged, as in Rridnefs of
juftice due to his merits, yet God (hall fo order it,' in his infinite
wifdom and righteoufnefs, that there fliall be an admirable pro-
portion obfcrved in giving different degrees of glory, according
to the different proficiencies men had made in real goodnefs
during their Rate of trial. Nothing can be clearer to this pur--
pofe than our Saviour's determination, in the parable of the
pounds, Luke xix. 12. 20. where he r-eprefents higher honours
and rewards conferred upon fome than upon others^ according
to their different degrees of ufeluhiefs, and the different improve-
ments they had made' of what was committed to them. And in
the bleffings he pronounceth upon thofe that are pcrfecuLcd for
righteoufnefs fake, he plainly intimates, that they ihould be
diftinguilhed with a higher reward in heaven than many others,
in proportion to their greater fufferings and ferviccs. And in
general
250' A VIEW OF Til£.?DElSfnCAL WRITERS. Zf/. XXXIin
ge^fet^l he declares, that in his Father's kotife are many iMdfiu
Jian^l^'Vihxch. fuppofes that there (hall be difFerent abodeS'prcf* '
vi(le<i for ^ood men in that future world, into which' they Ihall
bS'idiifFibuted,,.each of them happy in their federal WayS,"an\l '^
ea^eh contented with the lot alTigned them. But no- where ^aV^T
we particularly told, what fiiall be the loweft degree of happinefs "^
an4..re\%^rd which fliall be conferred on the doweft' degrees ofT
real: :V^irai^ and righteoufnefs, nor would fuch a difcovery b^fi
of.any uferto marikind, or anfwer any valuable purpofe. ^ "^''^w-cl^^/
As to future punifhments, in the inflifting of thefe the ftrifteft ^
regard fh a! I be had to the rules of juftice, fo that no man fhall
be.'puriiilied beyond his demerits. This inconteilably follows
from the frequent declarations that are made, and which have
been already produced, that God will render to every man
according to his deeds, without refpeft of perfons. But befides
thefe general declarations, there are feveral palfages of Scripture
which are defigned to Ihew, that there (hail be a remarkable dif-
ference made between fome bad men and others in the punifh-
mcnts inrlifted on them; and that in the inflifting thefe punifh- •>
inents, a regard fhall be ha4 to the different aggravations of their i
crimesi— This is what our Lord plainly fignifies, when he-de*-^
clx^s: with^' great folemnity, that it Prall be more tolerable for^
SQUomand Gomorrah in the day of judgment^ that is, for the"'>
inaft profligate parts of the heathen world, than for thofe that -
obftinatcly reje6ted and abufed the gofpel offers of mercy and .
falvatibn, and who go on in an obflinate courfe of prefumptuoas
fm and difobedience, in oppofition to the clearell light and mofl '
glorious advantages. And again, he declares, that that fa- v ant ,
wLiCti knezu his Lord's will, and prepared not himfelf neitkxr
did according to his will, fhall be beaten with many flriper^^i
But hi that knew not, and did commit things worthy offlripes,
fJiall be beaten with few fripes. For unto zohomfoever much-is '
given,, of him fhall much be required: and to whom men have,
conimilled much, of him will they afli the more, Luke xii. 47, 48. "
Nothing can be plainer than it is from this reprefentation, that '
among thofe who fhall be punifhed in a future flate, great ^dif-^
ference fhall ht made in the degrees of punifliment inflifted on
tHem, according to their different demerits ; and that an exa6l
coiylidcration-fiudl be had of their feverat cafes, and an equitable:
. proportion
Lei.XXXUU r LQRDT BDLINGBROKE. , 251
proportion fliall be obftryediartd all proper allowances made.
The general defcriptions therefore of thefe future piinifbmenfs
are to be interpreted in a confillency with fuppofing a very great
difference made between fome and others in the degrees of their
puni(hment. In thefe general defcriptions, the {Irongcft images
©f terror are made ufe of, and it is highly proper it fliould be fo.
The punifhments are defcribed in their higheft degree, as they
ihall be inflifted on the moll obflinate and heinous offenders.
No-where are we particularly told what ihali be the loweft degree
of puniftment which fhall be inflifted in that future world ; nor
what that ftate of vice and guilt is which fhall fubjeft men to tha
leaft plinifliment. Such declarations could anfwer no good end,
and would probably be abufed. It is more wifely done to leave
that matter in general expreffions ; at the fame time afTurinp- us,
that every man fliall be punifhed in a ftrift proportion to the cir-
cumftances of his crime.
A due confideration of this will in a great meafure obviate the
principal objeftions this author hath urged againft the eternal
duration, of that future punifliment, which depend principally
upon this fuppofition, that all fliall be alike fubjefted to the moft
ex-trerae degree of torment and mifery, and fo fhall continue for
ever: whereas if it be confidered, that there fnall be a great
difference made betVv'een fome and others, in that future world;
that the flateof fome fliall be tolerable, compared with that of
others; and that eveiy man's cafe fhall be confidered, and his
condition wifely and exaftly proportioned to what he had de-
ferved; on this fuppofition, whatever the duration of it is fup-
pofed to be, it is Hill juif.
Here it will not be improper to take notice of a remarkable
pafTage of this writer in relation to this prefent fubjeft . He fays,
*' he could eafiiy perfuade himfelf, that the mercy of God par-
" dons the offenders who amend, confidently with his juftice;
*vfor e'fe, as all men offend, all men would be puniflied; and
•' that )i is goodnefs may carry on the work his mercy has begun,
•• and place fuch as are the objefts of both in a ftate where they
*' will be exempt perhaps eternally from all natural, and, as much
*^iis finite creatures can be, from all moral evil. He could per-
"j^fuade- himfelf, that they who are the objefts of neither, and
^^3te hot?tk'2refore;pardoRed, remain, if they do remain, exclud-
f^piJioqoirr . '_' <^^
2^2 A VIEW OF THE BEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXXIIJ,
*' ed from the bappinefs of the others, and reduced to a forlorn
*' flate. Some fuch hypotheHs, whe're no certainty is to be had,
*' I could admit,'- fays he, " as probable, becaufe it contradifts
*' none of the divine attributes, fets none of them at variance,
/' nor breaks their harmony." Here he fuppofes it to be a pro-
bable hypothefis, and perfeflly confiftent with the divine attrij
butes, not only that fome men, who are the proper obje£ls of the"
divine goodnefs and mercy, may continue eternally in a happy*
flate exempt from ail evil ; but that others, who by their conduct
have rendered them.felves not the proper objefts of the divitie
mercy, may be debarred from pardon, and may remain, whilfl
they do remain, and confequently may remain eternally, fuppof-
ing them to continue in eternal exiftence,. excluded from that
iiappinefs which the others enjoy, and reduced to a forlorn flate.
If therefore we .be affured by a well-attelled revelation, that this
iliall really be the cafe, he ought not to objc8; againft it.
But he urges, that " it is abfurd to fuppofe, that our flate oi
*• probation ends with this prefent life, and that judgment will
*' be determined by what we have done in this ftate.— And that
*' a virtue or wickednefs of fifty or fixty years, fhould be rev/ard-
*' ed with eternal happinefs, or punifhed whh eternal mifery*."
The objeftion that is drawn from the difproportion there is be-
tween the duration of the ftate of trial, and the eternity that is to
fucceed it, might be m.ade, whatever we fuppofe the continuance
of the time of trial to be. But the fliortnefs of this ftate of trial
furnifneth a powerful conftderation to engage us to improve it.
And very probably, if it were ordinarily much longer than it is,
the condition of m.ankind might'be worfe, in the prefent corrupt
ftate of the human nature, than it now is ; as the length of men's
lives before the flood probably contributed to the wickednefs that
fo much abounded. The argument 'therefore, as far as there is
any weight m it, holdeth againft the fu.ppofmg any ftate of trial
at all, ot whatever continuance. But do we know enough of
the meafures and dcfigns of the divine government, to be able
to pronounce, that it may not be worthy of God, as the Supreme
Governor of the world, to appoint to his reafonable creatures a
ftate of trial and difcipline, and to deal with them according to
* ^olirgbroke's Works, vol.^v. p. 493. 504? 505.
their
Let. xxxiir. LORD bocingbroke* 25 -v
their behaviour in fuch a ftate, and let them know, that if they
obftinately perfift in their rebellion and difobedience, he will at
length fhut up his grace from them, and they flidll be excluded
from that glory and felicity, with which he would have bounti-
fully rewarded their perfeverance in a courfe'of piety and virtue
during the time of trial allotted them? It may be left to im-
partial reafon, whether this conftitution would' not be more
wifely ordained, and more likely to promote the interells of vir-
tue and good order in the world, and to reprefs vice and wicked-
nefs, than to fet no bounds at all to the offers of his mercy, and
to allure them, that let them behave ever fo wickedly and pre-
fumptuouily, and abufe and rejeft all the methods of his orace,
yet Hill after they leave this world, and at any other time through-
out eternity, whenever they repent, they Ihall be forgiven, and
even reflored to favour, and raided to glory and felicity? Would
this be a rule of government worthy of the divine wifdom, or fit
to be publidied throughout the whole intellettual world?
As reafon leads us to conclude, that it is neceffary, for anfwer-
ingthe great ends of moral government, that punifiiments fhould
be denounced againfl the obllinate tranfgreffors of the divine,
laws, fo it may be juftly doubted whether to creatures dengned
for an immortal -exiftence. the threatening of none but temporary
punifiiments would be fulficient; efpecially if they apprehended
that they (hould outlive tliofe punifiiments for infinite ages in.
bliis and glory. It certainly becometh us, in our inquiries con-
cerning fuch matters as ihefe, to proceed with great modefty,
fmce we cannot pretend of ourfelves to be proper judges 01
what the governing wifdom and righteoufnefs of the Supreme
Lord of the univerfe ^oth require, and what is mofi: worthy of
God, and moil for the good o^the whole, which is of far greater
importance than the interefiis of particular beings.
To confider the fentence which fhall pafs upon bad men at the
great day of judgment, as final and irreverfible; and that after
this there ftiail be no frefii offers of grace and mercy, but they
fiiall continue under the eff'e6ls o.f that fentence during the whole
of their exifi:ence; is certainly a conuderation of the highefi:
moment, and mufi: needs have a wondertul weight to engage us
to make the befi: ufe of the prefcnt fiate of trial allotted us, and
£o- lay hold on the <?ffers gf irtlvation that are now made to us
2^4 A VIEW Oll>!rHE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXXlI!.
!-i3:pon the reafonable terms of the new covenant. Whereas if
we had reafon to apprehend, that there were to be new ftates of
trial, new feafons and offers of grace, after the general judgment,
lit would greatly weaken the influence of the motives draWn from
ibe threatenings of future punifhment. Nor is there any thing in
thisjconftitution which can be proved to be inconfillent with the
v/ifdom, juiHce, and equity of the divine government. For as
to the exclufion from the heavenly felicity, which fliall be a con-
fiderable part of that future punifhment, there is no reafonable
ground for expefting, that thofe who now rejeft the divine grace
and mercy fliould ever be admitted to that tranfcendent blifs and
glory, which God hath been pleafed of his own free and rich
goodnefs to promife to the righteous, and which no liian could
pretend to challenge, as in ftriftnefs of juftice due to him. Nor
33 it any impeachment of the divine wifdom and goodnefs io
leave obflinate Tinners during the whole courfe of their exiilence
nnder that part of the puniQiment which arifeth from the flinging
Tefle6^ions of their own guilty confciences, or from the natural
efFefts of their Vv^ickednefs and bad temper of mind. And what-
ever farther punifhments there may be more direftly and im-
inediately inflifted by the divine hand, we may be fui^ they fhall
be in fuch meafcres and proportions to each individual, as never
to exceed the demerit ot their crimes.
What has been faid may help us to judge of the flran«^e repre-
fentation this author is pleafed to make of the Scripture do6lrine
of future punifhments : That " fuch a proceeding can be afcribed
*' to no principle, but to the revenge of a being, who punifhes
*' to the full extent of his power, and merely for the pleafure oi'
*' punifhing, and without any regard to juftice, creatures who
*' did not offend him, merely for the pleafure of offending hhiij
*' creatures who had iree-v/iil, and made wrong ele£lions; crea'l
*' tures v/ho might plead, in mitigation of their punifhments/tfieir
" frailties, their pafTions, the imperfeftions of their natures, and
*' the numerous temptations to which they flood expofed**.'*
This reprefentation is unjufl in every article. The tendency cf
it is plainly this: to apologize for fm, and to diminifh the'fevil of
it. And what good can be propofed by this, it is hard to fay.
* Bolingbroke's, Wprks, yol. ?. p. 518,
Nothirig._
XeL/SfKXltt* XOEB-BDrtNJGBllDKE..
m5
Nothing can be more contrary to the honour of GoS, to the ^roiod
of mankind, to the peace and order of the jnoral world, ihanio
endeavour to make men entertain flight thoughts of the evil of
fin. I'o what purpofe is it to fay, that finners do not oITertd
God mxcreiy for the pleafure of offending him? If they do it for
the pleafure of gratifying their own corrupt inclinations and an'-
petitcs, which they oppofe and prefer to the moft wife and holy
will and law of the fovereign Lord of the univcrfe, is notthis a
very heinous guilt? Their having free-will, and making wrong
eleftions, when it was in their choice to have done otherwife,
though mentioned here in mitigation of their guilt, is a great ag-
gravation of their crime, and an abufe of their reafon and liberty,
which are amongil the noblefl gifts of God. To plead pallioR$
and temptations, is an excufe, which, if admitted, may ferve to
apologize for the greateft crimes. But they are not allowed bv
any wife human judicatories as a reafon for exempting thofe that
tranfgrefs the laws from the penalties to which their tFanfgreiiipn?
.had expofed them. And Lord Bolingbroke hinifelf has elfe*
where very properly obfcrved, that thofe very perfons who pre-
tend that inclinations cannot be reflrained, and who ipeak moli;
of the power of the appetites and palnons, can refifl and controul
them, when any evident interefl, or contrary inclination, leads-
them to do fo*. And as to any tranfgreiTions that m.ay properlv
be called frailties and infirmities, and which have Httle of the will
in them, the wife and juft Ruler of the world will no douht
make all the allowances that equity can demand.
Upon the whole, the Chrifdan do8:rine of future rewards
and punifliments is To far from furnifhing a juil objcftion againft
the divine original of the gofpel revelation, that, if rightly con-
fidered, it yieldeth a noble evidence of its ufefulnefs and truth.
It is fcarce pofiible to form an idea of any thing more folciria
and afFe6ling, and better fitted to make a Orong impreffion on
the human mind, than the reprefentatlon given in the New Tef-
tament of the future judgment. The whole human race con-
vened before the fovereign univerfal Jiidge, innumerable myriads
of holy angels attending, the judicial procefs carried on with the
* $QQ his Letters on the Study and Ufe of IliHory, let. iii. fec>. i.
greatcd
4>
256 A ^ilP^ OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Let. XXXIII.
greateft folemnity, a ftrift and impartial inquiry made, the moft
hidden aftions brought to li.^ht, and the very fecrets of the heart
laid open, and all followed by eternal retributions. It fccmeth
plain from our Saviour's manner of repi^efenting things, that he re-
garded it as a matter of ^reat importance, that finners fhould have
KG hope or expeftation given them of obtaining mercy and fai-
vation, if they perfifted to the endi of this prefent life in a courfe
of impenitence, prefumptuous fin, and difobedience. He no-
where giveth the leaft intimation, that the punifhmentof the wick-
ed in a future ftate fhall have an end. On the contrary, he
Hill fpeaketh of it in terais, which, according to the natural im-
port of the expieffions, feem to fignify that it fhall be of a per-
petual duration, without adding any thing to qualify thofe ex-
preflions. And for any perfons to flatter, themfelves, that God
may in his abfolute fovereignty difpenfe with the rigour of his
threatenings, and to depend upon fuch an expe6);ation, would be
an extreme folly, when the plain tenor of the revelation fecms
to go the other way.
I have now finifiied the defign I Had in view, which -was to
defend natural and revealed religion againft the attacks made
upon both by this very confident and afl"uming author. In the
execution of this deiign, I have principally confined myfelf to
the reafoning part of his Lordfliip's works, as far as religion is
concerned, and havenot willingly overlooked any thing that had
the appearance of argument. But I have not attempted to fol-
low him in feveral of thofe excurfions which fcem to have been
principally intended to fhew the vaiiety of his reading, of which
it muft be owned there is a great appearance, though I cannot fay
he has given many proofs of his having maturely digcfted it.
Several things there are in his fcheme of metaphyfics, and iti the
account. he has given of the fentiments of the ancient philofo-
phfers, which might bejuftly animadverted upon, though it will
not be denied that fome of his observations on thefe heads are
juft and clirious. But as a diftintt examination of them would
have very much enlarged this work, which is already longer than
I at firll intended, or than I would have wifhed it to be, I have
chofcn to OT.-^it them : for the fame reafon I have taken no par-
ticular notice of the reSfe6tions he has occafionally cafl upon flie
anfcilnt
Let. XXXIII. LORD BOLINCBROKE. £J7
antient fathers qf the Chriftian Church, and upon the body of
the primitive Chriflians"'-*, of whom he ha> made a moil: inj^irious
reprefentation, and has in eiFe6i jufliiied the perfecutions raifed
by tbe heathens againll them. Ke tells us, that " their clergy
*' were, under pretence of reHgiou, a very lawlcfs tribe, — That
*' they broke the laws in the moil public manner, and iniligated
*' others to break th^m, by popular infurreftions againft the an-
*' thority of magifiraie:, and by tumults and riots, in vzbich they
■** infuked the eilablilhed religion of the empire. — 4-nd ire be-
*' lieves the Iiri of thp martyrs confifted more.df thofe who fuf-
*' fered for breaking the peace, than of thofe who fufFered qnicily
*• for the fake of their religion t." wSuch is the charge he has
thought fit' to bring againft a v/ortby and peaceable body of men
(for fo the primitive Chriilians generally were), wbofe innocent
and virtuous behaviour has been acknowledged by fome of their
pagan adverfaries thsmfeives.
You Vv'ill obfcrve, that I have, for the moll part, except wriere
the argumeni: led to it, pafied over the bitter farCafms he fd fre-
* Asafpecimcn hovv' re?.dy our author is to l^,y hold of the riighten: j^p-
pearances for caflicga flur upon the ancient fathers ^^rA primitive Gnrilb'an?»
I v/oiild obferve, that after mentioning the Gnoftics, and their pretences,
he adds, that " the orthodox grew in tirce as much GnofLics as ethers;
*' and v/c fee th?.tthe church of Alexandria thought it neceliary to be fo, in
** order to be truly religious "^^.'^ He is fo fond of this thought, that he after-
wards^rcpeateth 'f\., and talks of the" " heretics afTun^nrg the pompous title
** of Gnollics, and defpifing the firft preachers of Chriflianity, as ignorant
** and illiterate men: And that Clement of Alexandria maintained, that to
*' be a good Chriftian it was nece^ary to be a good Gnoi^icf.'' It would
be hard to prcduce an infbance of greater, difingenuity than Lord Boling-
broke is heie guilty of, and it can fcarce be fuppc^fed that he was fo ignorant
as not to be fenlibleof it. The v/ord GnoPdc properly hgnllies a m.an of
k*now!edgs. Some corrupters of Chrill:ianit^/ in tl;e primitive times, who
made high pretences to extraordinary knowledge, aiTumed that title to them-
felves. And becaufe Clement dcfcribes the true Gnoflics in cppofition ro
thefalfe, to fliew that this name, in which thofe heretics gloried, belonged" in
its juil: fenfe only to the true ChripLian; therefore he and the oiihodox
Chrifcians were Gnofcics, i. e. of the fame principles and praftices with rln^t
ftdi which they condemned. It may be faf:?ly left to the, reader to judge oS
the fairnefs of fuch a condu6l.
* Lord BoHnghrohe^ s TVurks^ mol. ii>. p. 336. \ Ui'i. iv. f. 4;?.
'\ Lord Bolinghroke's Works, vol. iv, p. 434.
VOL.- II, S (jucntly
S^S A VIEW or THE DEISTICAL WATERS. LeLXKMlt*
quendy throws out again ft the Chriftian divines. They, bave
the hpnoiir to be reviled, and infuhed in eve;i-y work that M A^-
I ligned Pvgainft revealed religion. But it mull be o^wned, that>his
Lordfliip has in obloquy and reproach far exceeded all that have
gone beiore him^ He has found out, what the world did npt
know before, that the divines are in a formed alliance and c<)B-
fedcracy with the atheiiLs againft God and his providence,, arid
that the latter are not fuch dangerous enemies tqr^U^iQn.^i the
Ibrmer. ludD iTeT'liidD
I .have net thoucrht myfeif obliged to take any diOJncl notice
of the long account he has given in his fourth eflaVjO^f the ^cn-
croachments of the ecclefialtical upon the civil power, an4t^
feveral fteps by which thofe encroachments v/ere carried on, ef-
pecialiv in the times of the papal ufurpation. Ke has advanced
little on thefe heads that can be called new, or which had Jiot
.teen obferved by others before him. And we have his Lordfijip's
pAvn acknowledgment frecjuently repeated, that this is by, no
means chargeable on true original Chriftianity. It -would, there*
.fore^bevery difingenuous, toturn that to the difadvamage.of ih^
-Religion of Jefus, which has been only owing to a grofs aUufe
and corruption of it, a corruption vvhich was plainly foretpl^ in
thefaer4d writin-gs, at at. time when it was imppflible fcranyihu-
iB^n fsigaeity to forefeek, - .. ,.,,^;
r. ^Hfe frequently e:cclaims jgainfl ariificia] theolog}% and qcj^r
j)lainsof the profane mixtures which have been brought irtto, the
Chriftian religion, by the fubtiities of a vain philoropny,,an^d. by
idle traditions. It muft be. acknowledged, tliat there has often
been too much groimd for (uch complaints. And to endeaypur
to feparate pure uncorrupted Chriftianity, <is taught by Ghrift
andhisapoilles, from debahng mixtures and the corrupt additions
that have been made to it, is uudoubtedly, a, nobj^ and ;ufefui
ivork, and, when properly performed, is doing a reakfervi^jejd
Chrillianity, andteiideth. to eftablifli the credit of it^ andtp, prq-
mote its. (acred interefts. But fuch writers. as^ Lord Bcdingbrqkc
rr!; -■..3- !!>■:' hi;& ,'. tiiimb/: •I'-^'.-- 3d oiorn :nb ^bh'rr. br-riKinoiQp-'-
Kon tali auxilio, nee defenforibus ijlis,
^ T bv.il ^ oti.^ cj ,b?cii ;..
Ir/fteai
^ ■ Infteif of fit)f«6ting''te'^cid' \feHc^f tefbrliiatiioiiV^arid'bf
contributing to reftbt-e religion irt its primitive purity, they bring
-^fel^ difgrace upon thofe v/ho would in good earnell attempt it, and '
' "^MM^ \Ak p^oni di thbre corru|)ti6'hs''Vkh' a plaufible pretence
'for-reprocichii>g- and mirreprefenting fiich perfons, as having an
ill intention againft Chriftianity itfeif, and a.^ ferving the caufe
%fdeift^ and infidels.
■'His Lord (liip charges the rnirchiefs which have befallen the'
Chriftian Church as havin.^ been chiefly owing to this :' That
*• the pti rie word of God neither is nor has been the fole criie-
-ciYio'n of orthodoxy *." He afTerts, that " no human authority
-^'•can fapply or aker, much lefs improve, v;hat the Son of God
■^^'c^T^ebri' earth to reveal r." He fays, that " divines fnould re-
'•^* -turn tt) 'the Gofpei, as philofophers have returned to Nature,
** and prefume to dogmatize no farther than the plain import ot
^"**'it''MlljLiftifyi:." -And here he recommends it as the m.oil ef-
leftual way to remove the fcandah ariling from the diHentions
^inong Chriilians, that the ChriPiian divines ** (hould be content
♦'^^b 'ciplain wliat they underftand, to adore, what they under-
•^•^ftand not, and to leave in niyflcry all that Ghri{^:arid his^pof-
'" ties have left {05." , : :- ^ v;;!ar'noD :-• :
'^'Tfaefe advibes, confidered in themfeives, miglVt^' MX^^-^be^ft
thouo-ht to proceed from a pood and friendly intention. ^ But •
e'^Cr)'' thing is fufpefted that comes from fuch a hand. Yet a
real frie'Ti'd to Ghriftianity will kribW^o'w to mate 'i^^prOper :%ife
of admonitions and reproofs, evert v^heli given "by an enemy. '
1 (hall concTude with this obfervation : That the religion of
Jefus, as delivered in the New Tefta\il^nt-iri its oHgihal ^parity
and fimpli city, will be ever able to ftarid its ground againft all
the afFauks of the moft fubtile and moft malicious adverfaries.
It' hath a dignity and excellence in it, which- hatlioftferi'^^x^forted
favourable acknowledgments even from thofe who have appeared
ib'h.e ftrongly prejudiced again ft it, of which we have a remark-
ablbiflftanC€4n^ the late Lord Bollngbrolt^v Arid^ Pam pevfuad-
ed, that the more any thinking man conHdereth it with a free and
iinprejudiced mind, the more he will admire it, and will be the
* Bclingbroke's Works, vol, ir. p. 448. f Ibid.- -p.' 627.
t Ibid. p. 449^ § ^^^^' P- 625* ,
S 2 jiibre
26o A VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. Ld. XXXIIX.
more convinced of its truth and excellence, and of its divine
original. You will, I doubt not, join with me in earneft prayer
to God, that this holy religion may be more univerfally diffufed,
that it may be made known to thofe who know it not, and that
where it is known and profeffed, it may haye more of the happy
efre6}s which it is fo w^eil fitted to produce.
I am, -■• .1-
Reverend and dear Sir, •
Isloft fmcerely and afTeclionately yours,
JOHN LELAND.
LET.
leL±XXlV, LORD BCLINGBROKE. ^^1
LETTER X^^.fiX^
SIR,
TKE foregoing Letter finiflied the obfervations I liad
made pii LofcI Bolingbrokc's poflhumous work's. Li the
coarfe of thofe obfcrvations, I had occafioii to make forne re-
ferences to a fmall treatife I had publiflied before, intituled, Re-
JleEiions, on the late. Lord Boiinghroke s Letters on the Study ayid
Lye of Hi/Io ?y, which was the firft of his LordOiip's writings
in which he had appeared in an avowed oppofition to the Chrif-
tian caufe. And it having been thought proper to reprint
thofe Reflexions, I v>'as advifcd by you and other friends to in-
fertthem in the Supplement to the View of the DHftical PFnkrs,
lately publifhed, as they bear a near afiinity to the fubjefts there
treated of, ^and might render that part vvhich relates to Lord
Bolingbroke more complete. For the fame reafons thefe Re-
flexions are retained in this new edition of the Fiezu of fhe De^
jfacal Writers, and are here fubjoined to the obfervations on
the late Lord BoIingl3rQke's pofthumous works. But whereas
ir. the two firll editions of thofe Reflections, befides the remaiks
which were made upon thofe paflages in his Lordfhip's Letters
that relate to Chriflianity and the holy ScrijAurcs, there wcre^
fcveral things added of a political nature, and which were de-
iigned to examine and deteX his Lordfnip's mifreprefentations ;
in the third, fourth, and this edition, it was thought proper not
to intermix any thing cf a poUtical nainre, which would not be
\o well fuited to the Adign of the ])refent v/ork. For this.rea-
fon, whereas in the firil ari-l fccond c^ditions of thefe RePieclions,
it was propofed to diftribute the remarks into three heads, the
third of which related to the" fevere rcflctlions Lord Boling-
broke had made upon the confeque'nces of the late revolution,
and the Ibte of things under "the .prcfent eftitblirnment ; this
third head, which in thofe editions reached from p. 133 to p.
166, is .omitted. But there are additions and improvements
made in other parts of thefe ReCeaions ; the moR confiderable
qI which relates tonhe cufe pronounced by l^oah upon Canaan,
- ' ' S 2 which.
C:6» A VI£W OF THE DZISTICAI V.-RITLRS. Ltt. XXXiV.
v/liich, in the opinion of fome jadicious friends, v.-2S not fo fully
confidered before as it ought to have been.
This addition was drav/n up, as you know, fome time ago,
and fent over in order to be infened in the new edition of thefe
Reflections, before I faw Dr. Newton's accurate differtation on
this fubjett, in his excellent Di^srintions upon Prophecy^ which
C2ine but very lately into my hands. It will new probably be
thought not fo neceflar)- ; but I have chofen to let it iland as it
was firil drawn up, becaafe it may T}G{r.blv not be without its
ufe, and will tend to render the _ z Lord BoUng^
h^okc's Lf iters on ih^ ^tudy and L\ . . j.^.,.^ > , more complete.
The method' I have purfued is fcmeihing difi"erei]t from Dr.
Xewton's. He feems to incline tQ think there is a defetl in
ihe Hebr^^:4cph!:s. ;rBiit I cliufe to defend Qie paffage accord-
ing to the prefentTeading of the Htbnzi} copies, which is follow.
. i by almoft all the ancient verCons, as well as by our own iran-.
ilators.
The Preface to the Refr<^io'ns is ibiBewhat long ; but it was
rjot thought proper to omit it, as it contains feveral things,
Nvhicb^iaiacopinionot fome^ wbofe judgnseat I regard ^ piay be
-s ufefal as any part of thcfe Refiecuoas. -
.V'^i-
REFLECTIONS
'■^^- ON' THZ LATE
LORD BOLINGBROILE'3 LETTERS
OK THS
STUDY AND USE OF HISTORY:
£:?£CIALr.Y Sp FA5. AS THEY RELATE TO CHRISTIA
AND THE EOLT SCRIPTCR.E3.
TEE SIXTH 2DITIGS, C3R3£C:
,V. 5. Tne(Q RfJleSHons '^'zx't firfi: pcblifhsd in the Ye if 175^^, and bsfor
any Part of this f^K'^ o/'^^ LfjjHcal rvritsn wijs wrhun.
8TMaTi4O0
^r^iv X
CONTENTS
OF ,TKE
REFLECTIONS, &c.
An account of fo7ne illujlrious Laymen, who^have either pro-
'^ f^Jf^^h ''■J^y'i'tten in defence of Chrifliamty and the holy
Scriptures, or have in their luritings ftiewn a high ejleem
and veneration for them, — Pref. p. cclxxv, cclxxvi.
The inquiry , whether Chrifianity he true and oj a divine origi-
nal, ii of the highefl importance, — cclxxvii, ccixxviii.
A brief reprefentation of the excellent nature and defign of th*
Chriftian religion, cclxxviii, cclxxix.
Thofe are no friends to mankind who endeavour to fuhvert its
. divine authority, • cclxxx.
PART i.
ON THE STUDY AND USE OF HISTORY.
The high encomiums Lord Boli'ngbroke is pleafd to beflow upon
UmJ'df, ■ — 283, 284
There is a great appearance of vanity in his Letters,^ and a
ftrong affeBation of novelty, • • 286,287
He difcovers great keennefs and hilternefs offpirit, — and writes
as f he were out of humour with mankind, • 287
Many -of his obfervations on hfory are jufi and curious, but there
is not much in them that can he udlcd entirdynew, 289
Hijhry rightly improved is of great ufe; but not, as his Lord*
fhipfeems to reprefent ity^the duly proper means ofinflrudion^
, . 291, 292
Ee would have us read the hijlories of the ancients, but not to
Judy any but thofe -of the two lafi centuries, — 293
Tht
VCONrENTS OF
■ 'TJ}^^X€fyi}ii}.:ttf Lord .Bolingbroke has made upon litera^urfi ex{i*i
^-mined^ . — — \ , • — ^ £^94
lie paffesitkcjoLoJl contemptuous cinfure upon grammari0ns\cri^
^ticsy revifcrSy and publijliers^ of aiicient manufcrvpts- — butefpe^:
y^cially upon antiquaries atid chronologers^ 294, ^95... ^&c.
and upon th& learned in general^ — — ^^h^a^^f^f'^l
TJie tendency of his reprefentations is to bring learninginta con^
•::(€m'pt, G7id to introduce karbarifmy 298,-299:^
J^dabours and writings ofjiudious i?ien are of great advantage
■Jot promoting iviprovenient in knowledge^ < — , 299'^
An arrogant fclf-fifficiencyy and contempt of the labours and
judgments of other s^ no proper dfpofdion for finding out
Mjiiihy ' • ^ 300,301
■ ', . . ^^
PART II.
m EXAMINATION OF THE PRINCIPAL THINGS OFFERED BY LORS
:BOLINGBROKE, TO INVALItJATE THE AUTHORITY AND CRED!-
BILITY OF THE SACRED HISTORY.
S E C T I O N I.
His lordship's OBJECTIONS AGAIMST THE SCPvIPTURES OF THE -
OLD TESTAMENT CONSIDERED. • ;A\ni\^
Afuniviary account ofthofe ohje&ior^Sy ■ — — '— , gbo
It is no jifi prejudice againfl the authority of thofe writings y,.
^ihatihc Jeios had been flaves to the Egyptians , AffyrianSy
^ PerfianSy &c. 306 / or ^ that they were for a longtime unknown
' id the Greeks, or defpfcd by them, 3^7' 3°^
The heathen writers generally took up with idle reports agairfl
the Jews, without making a due inquiry, '—^ ' 309
TKe advantageous teflimony given by Strabo concerning Mofe's '
and the JexuijJi nation, • 309 note.
The excellent nature and tendency of the Jewifh Scriptures fhem\,
they were not fBions of a fupcrflitious and lying people,
. .310. efrfeq.
There are' peculiar characters of {impUcity, and an imp ar tinier e^\
■'gard ,to truth, in the f acred hi ft.ory, — '^ ^^
The j^criptures were not forged or corrupted by the latter Jfem^t
314. '.Nor by Ezra,, and. the compilers of the f acred canpi^y^
■tifpan their return from th^ Rabylomfli captivity^ 314, et fcq.
THE RtFLECTliON-5,-<^C.
T^^HehWz^^^ldrtgmgis wds^oi tnti^^lyfw^oitm ik the captlviif*^
^rimt contiTratdin uje after it, . —- . '3'»\5
Thi JkmJIiJacred bdnhnot lofl in the teaftimty,- ^^^ '316; ^,if
Th6-p:eepUwit6inpoJ]f:ljion of tkofe books; and kad a great vene^
rationfor thevi^ bejore ^Ezrci was fcnt to Jcrufahm^ %'^^
Tilt ■ tft ah lif trig of the f acred canon by Ezra, and the men of the:
'-gf eai fy nag ague, how to be underfood, > 319, 320
Jtzr'a did not give authority to the law ofMofs, norfrfi publifi
the fads by which that law zoas attejlcd, • 320
Thof^fads- were^of a, very public nature, and could not have.
^' be€n impofed upon the people, if they had not been true — ari^
'Were, in all ages received and acknowledged by the whole na-
'^^ti^n-y'-: — — ~ 321
No parallel between the Hell eniflical fables and the ficred record s^
. . 323
Tie accidents to which the Scriptures zvere liable from errors of
tranfribers, Sec. no argu?nent agairfi their truth or diuinz
authority, ■ ' ■ ■ • iM.
The variations of the copies in f nailer infances confrm their
harmony in the main,' • ^'25
The objections drawn from the differences between Jews and
Chriftians examined^ , • 327
They are generally agreed in what relates to the divme authority .
of the fewifh Scriptures, , '[ j ibid,.
The'curfe pronounced by Noah upon Canaan largely confdersd^
\and jJieWri to be no jufl objetlion againjl the authority oj tks.
Mojiiic writings, • 320,' &:c,
SECTION II.
'I'H^ 'SC|11PTURES AND HISTORY OF THE' NEW TESTAMENT vYnDJ--
' '-' T "^'ated against his lordship's exceptions.
".•.<^« ♦•Oi?
Tke frauds and falfkoods ofprofjfed Chriflians nojitfi prejudice.
M,^m0.j}. the authority of the facred books of the New Teftament^
qr the credibility of the fails recorded there, 343
N-a^tKCHuragement given to fuch frauds in the New Teftamenti
.;nqr have any per fans taken more pains to detecl thofe frauds
jkai% Cktifiiandtvinesr^nd critics, • 3.^2
The frxt€iics<iiiuththe^£hLii'Exkdeflroyed the heathen writings, efpe-
cD!>:tents of
\- • xially thofe that z::cretorMeii^agmnfi
Lori.'Edlinghroke charges Chiiflians, even the mofi ledrn?,di., ^s
' ' fi(}t''h}Lvh2'ghdn'efiy or fagacity enough, to take an accMratc "
^^^txavnnaiion ojthe yewijk^and Chri}}.ianfyfLim, ■ 34^
Hi dlleg^h, that Chnjii unity is zvholl\fGU}idedii,p07i]fa&s^ and
' that thofe fads havd not hteyi proved, as all other JaBs which
p-^fi for authentic ought to be proved, 346
All the conditions requifite to render the accounts of any ptijh
JctBs credible^, concur in relation to the iuiportant facts' on
wJiichChriflianity IS founded, ^ ; , 347, 348
Thofefaccs were done in the niojl open ajnd public manner, 34S
llie accounts of t hem were puhlif.it d in the age when the facls
were done, > ibid.
And by per fans perfeBly acquainted zuiththofe faBs, ibid. — and
' <cho zdere of great probity and fimplicity, and df cover ,a'^ im-
partial regard to truth, ■_ ibi'd.
They had no temptation to difguif or falffy the fads — but bore
wiinefs to tkcni, in oppofiiion to therr worldly interefs,^ and
footed prejudices ; and though they were thereby expofed to the
mofP grievous fufferings^ ' -349
Tlii ion tin gs themj elves have all the chayra&ers of gemnne purity
and fimpluily, and uncorrupted integrity ; — and have, ketn
tranjimtted to us wdh an unqucfionahle, evidence, greater th^m
can-be produced for a,ny other writings in the world, 3^0
IVhat farther CGnjirr.is the truth of .the fails, is,the converfionof
t)ajl number's of both fetus and Gentiles ^ who were brought by
the evidence of thofefatls to embrace the religion of Jefus,
If the fe fuels had' rial been true, that religion mufl hdvc/fim/i, in
the beginning, confdering ■ the circuynjlances under whicji, it
7TMde its firfi appearance in the worlds and the difficulties i^i
had to encounter loith, • — — . ^ ■ . ■.^, f.:..S3^
IVhat his Lot dfhip offer etU to fnew, that thejtis '7^o^^^'rp:(f^tJiat
' the gof pel's zvere wrilten in thefirfc age. of ChriftHar^y.^ exoe^
Thenplyflditt'alfdthery afi'ulongfufpoff, thcfaSi's .rfcofde4.<Vii the
gofpelsiobeofundoubtii, truth, amdhavefreqyi^nt.r.ff&reAicXs
to ^njfagesfh'undih the gof pels. --'This flizvjn particularly con-
THE REFLECTIOKS, &C.
ccrning Barnahas^Ckmcnt, Ignatius, and Poly carp, :S55
The gojpds zvs have nczu in our hands were certainly xxiant m
'the apojlolicagf, and regarded as authentic — And in \tke be-
ginning oj the jecQnd century were iiniucrjally Jpread^ p.iid
'!^read hi -the public affemhlies of Chrijiians .357
'^kefQw\gofj)cis,dnd^ihefe only, lo ere generally received as of
; ^ivine authcrity in the Chrifian church, in the ages ncaxefl
the apojllcs, and have'continued to be achnozvlcdgcd everfncc.
The tnemies of Chrifiianity, wheiktr Jew s^ or Heathens^ wholwed
nearefi thofe times, never pretended to deny that they were
/"written by Chrijl' s ozcii difciplcs and attendants, 3^0
The books ihemftlves have all the raarks and char after S- of the
" dpoflolic age, and which plainly point to the time in rDhieh
'they were written, and not one mark of a later date, 360, et fccf.
The pretence^ that there had Been hfrorical evidence agciinfl
'^Chriflianity, bitt (hat it was afterwards fvpprffed.ftejLun to be.
vain a7id grcundlefs, . 363, et .fcq.
The ohjeciio7i,thatthefaBson which Chriftianiiy is founded are
only attefcedby Chrijtians, examined, ' ^« 365
TVe have the tejlirnony of adverfarics concerning thofe faEs.^ as
far as could be expcEledjrom adverfaries^ .. ■ . ,. .^-.v .-, ibid.
The Chrifians that attefl the fiB.s whereby the gofpelzna^ejla-
" hlifacd, werefuch as were thernfdves converted to Chriftiamty
upon the evidence of thofe fafts, which gives force to iJitir
iefimony, < 060
St. Paurs'teflimony particztla,rly confdered, — • — ibid.
Word Bolingbrc he's 'argument to prove that there is at prcfnt v.o
'flaridardatallofChriJiianity, • — 3^0
The Romifi writers, in endeavouring to ficw that the Scripture
is infu-ficientto he a complete rule of faith and pxatiipfr^hax-cr
really ferved the infidel caufe, *- — -'" '.ibid.
The pretence, that' the mcfl -extravagant and contradiclojy Gpi-
nions may be founded upon the fame text, and plaujihly'de"
fnded by the fam.e authority, examined, 371
The different interpretations which have been put upon ycrip-
ture, no proof that they are not fifjiciently clear (mfl"^ deter -
?ninate to he aruleoffaithdndpradice, .\ ^^x ' \' 37^
Let a revelaiion be ever fc cleat: -it would he'a}>fHr4io eyptCl,
■ •■ •■: ' ■ ■ th^t
CONTENTS OF THE REFLECTIONS, BcC»
that all men fnould agree in their fcnfe ofit: but this does liot
hinder its being of great ufe^ nj2.
After all the clamour that has been rai fed about differences among
Chrifiians, there hath been a general agreement among them
ill all ages, about many' matters of the highefl- importance^
— . . . . — . : — ■ ' — 372
Tri(e Chriflianity . inftead of receroing a fatal blow, as his Lord^
fin p pretends, at the refurrcBion of letter s^ had then a glorious
:, revival, ^— — ffi^W.>HTJ^74
i-iiiO noxrx
JjiiiWtot
[dD yh ' ^8iooTq
.;:: la-
Di^s Y^tHBifthdC)
:n aoqif
lariJ Joxt bBd ad
bdj /rto
./oti
ui ^ftOil
-,;] j(iT *■ ^
PRK.
PREFACE.
N rgt LTHOUGH no man needs to make an apology for
.JnL ufmg bis bed endeavours in defence of our com-
mon Chriftianity, when it is openly attacked ; yet as my
engaging again in this caufe, after having done it on fome
former occafions, might have an appearance of too much
forwardnef?, it was ^ith fome reluctance that I was per-
fuaded to undertake it. What had great weight with
me, was the judgment and advice of a perfon of great
worth*, of whofe fmcere friendHiip I have had many
proofs, and v;hom I greatly honour for his truly Chrif-
tian and candid fpirit, as well as his zeal for our holy re-
ligion. He urged, that it was highly proper to take notice
of the contempt and abufe attempted to be thrown upon
Chriftianity and theholy Scriptures, by a writer of fo great
name, and whofe fpecious innnuations, and confident af-
fertions, might probably make difadvantageous imprefTions
upon minds too well prepared to receive them. And, as
he had not then heard that any other had undertaken it,
or intended to do fo, he thought my drawing up Remarks
on thefe Letters, which had made fo much noife, might
be of fome ufe. This determined me to attempt it ; and
how far v/hat is now offered is fitted to anfwer the inten-
tion, mufl be fubmitted to the judgment of the public. I
am fenfible of the difadvantage one is under in appearing
againfl a v^riter of fo diftinguiihed a character as the late
* The Rer. Dr. Thprnas Wllfon, R^aor of Wnibrook, and Preber.dcry
Lcri
cclxxli PREFACE.
Lord VlA^ount Eollngbroke. Kis Lordfhm's'adtnlrers \vili
r.o doubt expert, that a proper decent refpecl fliould :be
paid to -his gr^at abilities and talents, as well as quality.
This I readily acknowledge: but there is certainly a ftiil
greater regard due to the honour of Chriftianity, which
he hath unworthily infulted. However, it is hoped the rea-
der will find, that care has been taken not to tranfgrefs
the rules of decency, or to pufli the charge againft him
farther than his own wK)rds give juft ground for; and
that angry and reproachful expreilions have not beca
made ufe of, even where there feemed to be a fuflicient
provocatipn given.
It might have been expefted, from a porfon of his
Lcrdfl'iip's genius, and who feems fond of faying things
which had not been infilled upon before, that when he
thought fit to appear againft the authority of the holy
Scriptures, and.che Ghriftian religion, he would have ma^
naged the argument in a different manner, and to greater
advantage, than had been done by others in the fame caufe
before him. But I do not find, that, with all his fagacity
and penetration, he hath advanced any thing on the argu-
ment, that can Idc properly 'called a new difccvery ; or
that he hath given any additional force to the objedions
which have been urged by ethers, and to -which fufncient
anfw^ers have been made.
In that part of his Letters, in which he attempteth to
cxpofe the Scripture hiftory as falfe and uncertain, there
sre feveral things thrown in, which feem rather c?,]cuiated
to fnew his Lordfhip's reading, than to anfwer t}ie main
defign he appears to have had in view. It Would be no
HiiTicult matter to point to fome miilakes and inac<:uracles
he hath fallen into. But I have chofen for the moft part
to pafs them by, and confine myfelf to thcfe things that
have a nearer relation to the argument.
Any
PREFAC E. cclxxiii
Any one that is converfant with thcfe that are called
the Deiftical Writers, mud have obferved, that it is very
ufual for them to put on an appearance of refpecL for
Chriflianity, at the fame time that they do all in their power
to fubvert it. In this his Lordfliio hath thoudit f.t to
imitate them.
He hath fometimes exprelTed a feemi^ip* rej^ard for the
holy Scriptures j and hath carried it fo far as to make a
fhew of owning the divine infpiration of fome parts of
them. But 1 believe he would have been loth to have
had it thought, that he was in earneil:. It is not eafy to
fee the jultice, or even the good fenfe, of fuch a conducl ;
iince the difguife is too thin to impofe upon the molt un-
wary reader : nor can I fee wdiat end it can anfwer, but
to give one no very good opinion of the v;riter*s fmcerity.
This jailice, however, mud be done to the noble author,
that he hath brought the controverfy, relating to the di-
vine authority of the Chriftian religion, into a narrower
compafs than fome others engaged in the fame caufe have
feemed willing to do. He aiferteth, tliat Chridianity is a
religion founded upon fa£ls ; and fairly acknowledgetb,
that if the hd:s can be proved to be true, the divine ori-
Q-inal and authority of the Chridian religion are edablifh-
ed. And what he requireth is, that thcfe fads Ihould be
proved, as all other pad fads, that arc judged worthy of
credit, are proved, viz. by good hidorical evidence. This
briogeth ihe controverfy to a fhort ilTje : for if it can be
fliewn, that the great important fads, recorded in the
evangelical writings, have been tranfmitted to us with a^
much evidence as could be reafonably expeded, fnppof-
ing thofe fads to have been really done ; then, by his
Lordfnip's concedions, and according to his own way of
dating the cafe, they are to be received as true ; and ccn-
fequently the Chridian religion is of divine authority.
VOL. II. T 11^5
cclxxiv PREFACE.
His Lordfhip had too much fenfe to deny (as foiTie have
been willing to do) the certainty of ail hidorical evidence
as to pad fafts, or to ivxCiii upon ocular demonflration
for things done in former ages. Since therefore the bed
way of knovv'ing and being affured of pall fads, is, by au-
thentic accounts, written and publi(hed in the age in which
the fads were done ; all that properly remains is, to prove
the credibility and authenticity of the gofpel-records ; and
that they have been tranfmitted to us with fuch a degree
of evidence, as may be fafely depended upon. And not-
withftanding what his Lordfliip hath infmuated to the con-
trary, this hath been often done v.ith great clearnefs and
force, by the waiters that have appeared on the behalf of
Chriftianity. What is offered in this way in the follov/-
ing Redeclions, will, 1 hope, be judged fufficient; though
I have done little m.cre than point to the heads of things,
w hich might eafily have been enlarged upon, if I had not
been afraid of fweUing thefe Refieclions to too great a
bulk.
The chief danger to be apprehended from his Lordfhip's
book, appears to me to arife from the contem.ptuous in-
finuation he has thrown out againd Chriftianity, as if it
could not bear the light, or ft and the teu of an impartial
inquiry, and as if every man of fenfe that examines into
firil principles without prejudice, mud immediately fee
through the delulicn. This, from a man of his Lordfhip's
known abilities, and fme tade, may be apt to do mifchief
among thole, who, without any uncommon abilities, or
giving themfelves the trouble of much thinking, yet want
to pafsfor perfons of extraordinary penetration, and raifcd
above vulgar prejudices. But if authority were to decide
this caufe, it were eafy to produce, on the fide of Chrif-
tianity, many great names of perfons, whofe learning and
good fenfe, . and emineat merit, are univerfally acknow-
ledged.
PREFACIl. ccix>:v
ledged. I fliall not mention any of the clergy on this oc-
cafion, becaufe they might perhaps be excepted againft :
though, if extenfive knowledge and learning, if depth of
thought and exadnefs of judgment, if great candour and
probity of manners, or if finenefs of genius, and elegance
of tafte in polite literature, might recommend them as
fit to judge in thefe matters, many of tliem might be
named, fo confeiTedly eminent in all tliefe refpeds, as
would render them ornaments to any profefiion in the
world. But it may not be improper to mention fome il-
luftrious' Laymen, who have either profeffedly ivritten in
defence of Chriflianity, and the holy Scriptures, or have,
in their writings, fnewn an high ePieem and veneration
for them. Of foreigners, among many that might be
mentioned to advantage, I il-iali only take notice of the
Lord Du PlefTis Mornay, who was both a very wife ilatef-
man, and eminently learned ; the celebrated M. Pafcal,
one of the fmeft writers, and greatefi: geniufes of the lafi
age; that extraordinary man, Grotius, not eafily to be
paralleled for force and extent of genius, as well as variety
of learning ; thofe great men, the Barons Puffendorf and
Ezekiel Spanheim, the former defervedly admired for his
great knowledge of the law of nature and nations, the
latter peculiarly eminent for his acquaintance with the
Belles Lettres, and refined tade in the politer parts of
learning. To thefe might be added many excellent per-
fons of our own nation, fuch as Lord Bacon, Mr. Selden,
Sir Charles Woifely, Sir Matthew Hale, the honourable
Robert Boyle, Mr. Locke, Sir liaac Newton, Mr. Addi-
fon, Mr. Forbes the late Lord Prefident of Scotland. I
believe there are few but would think it an honour to be
ranked with thefe iliuilrious names, fome of them re-
markable for their eminent llation and figure in the v/orld,
and great: political abilities ; and all of them juflly ad-
T 2 mired
cclxxvl PREFACE.
mired for the extent of their learning and knowledge,
the folidity of their judgment, or corre6lnefs of their tafte*
And I cannot help, on this occafion, mentioning two
gentlemen (the latter lately deceafed) of acknowledged
learning and fine fenfe, who have diftinguifhed themfelves
by their writings in defence of Chriflianity, Sir George
Lyttleton and Mr. Wefl. '"
No man needs therefore be apprehenfive as if his appear-
ing to {hew a zeal for Chriftianity might be looked upon
as a refledion upon his underHanding, or as a mark of a
narrow and bigotted way of thinking ; fmce it cannot be
denied, that fome of the wifeft men, the greatefl geniufes,
und exafteft reafoners of the age, have been perfons that
profeiTed an high regard for the Chriflian religion. And
the faiTiC might, I doubt not, be faid of numbers of gentle-
men now living, of eminent abilities, and diilinguifhed
worth, who might be mentioned with great honour,
though they have had no occafion of appearing in the
World as writers. But the controverfy is not to be decided
by thie authority of great names. Chriflianity does not
Hand in need of that fupport. It ftandeth fixed on its ov/n
loiid bans, and only requireth to be confidered with an
attention fuitable to its vaft importance. It hath nothing
to fear from a true freedom of thought, from deep reafon-
lng,"^.tid. impartial inquiry. What it hath mofl to appre-
hend, is a thoughtlefs levity and inattention of mind, and
nn abfclutc indiiference to ail religion, and to all inquiries
about it. It is no eafy matter to prevail with thpfe to
think clofely in fuch a cafe as this, v/ho are under the
power' of fenfual affedions and appetites, who are funk
ill iiidolence and a love of eafe, or carried off v/ith a per-
peiual hurry of diverfions and amufements, or engaged in
the warm purfuib'bi arnbitidn or avarice. But furety, if
the voice ojf region is to be heard j^nd if there be any
thing
PREFACE. ccl
XXVll
thrng at all that deferveth a ferious attention, it is this.
The inquiry whether Chriftianity be tj-ue, and of a; divine
original, or not, is a matter of high importance, and
upon which a great deal dependeth. The gofpel itfelf
mod certainly reprefenteth it fo. If Chriilianily be true
and divine, thofe to whom it is publiflicd, and who have
an opportunity of inquiring into it, and yet negled to do
fo. can never be able to juftify their condud to the great
Ruler and Judge of the world. It cannot with any con-
liftency be fuppofed, that if God hath fent his Son into
the world, to bring a clear revelation of his will, and to
guide men in the way of falvation, it is a matter of indif-
ference whether thofe to v,'hom it is offered, and made
known, pay any regard to this fignification of J:he divine
will, or not, or comply with the terms which are there
prefcribed. And. therefore for fuch perfons to rejed it
at a venture, without giving themfelves the trouble of a
ferious inquiry, or to continue in a wUful negligence and
iarelefs fufpenfe of mind in a matter: of fuch vail confe-
quence, is a mod unaccountable and inexcufable ccndu^,
altogether unworthy of reafonable thinking beings.. .
Let Chriftianity therefore be carefully examined*. Let
the evidence for the fa£i:s on which its divine authority is
fupported, be coolly and irnpirtially confidered : whether
it is not as much as could be reafonably dcfired, fuppofmg
thofe fads were true, and which would be accounted fuf-
ficicnt in any other cafe. Let the original records of
Chriftianity be inqviired into : whether they have rxCt the
characiers of genuine flmplicity, integrity, and a fmcere
regard to truth ; and whether they have not been tranf-
mitted to us with an evidence equal or fuperior to what
can be produced for any other v/ritings wbatfoever. Let
the nature and tendency of the religion itfelf be confider-
cd : whether the idea there given us of the Deity be not
'■- V ^ fuch
cclxxviii r K iL i ;i u
fiich as tcndeth to render him both amiable and moit vc«
nerable, to fill our hearts with a mperiative love to God,
as having given the mod amazing proofs of his v/onderful
love and goodnefs towards mankind, and at the fame time
with a facred avv'e and reverence of him as the v/iie and
righteous governor of the world, a lover of order, and
an hater of vice and wickednefs ; whether its precepts be
not unqueiiionably pure and holy, and fuch as, if faith-
fully complied with, would raife our natures to an high
degree of moral excellence; whether the uniform tendency
of the Vvhole fcheme of religion there held forth to us, be
not to promote the honour of God and the good of man-
kind, and the caufe of piety, righteoufnefs, and virtue in
the world; to engage us to worfhip God with a pure ado-
ration and devotion, to dealjufliy, kindly, and equitably
with all men, and to fubdue the fenfual irregular affeclicns
and lufts, and keep them within proper bounds. Super-
fliiion and falfe devotion have frequently put men upon
unnatural and excefTive rigours and aufterities) but Chrif-
tianity, like the bleifed author of it, keeps clear of ail ex-
tremes. It abridgeth us of no pleafures within the bounds
of purity and innocence: nor doth it oblige us to extin-
guiili cur natural appetites and pallions, but to govern.
and moderate them, and prefer ve them in a regular fuh-
jecdon to reafon, and the law of the mind : and certainly
it IS neceifary, for our own quiet and happinefs, and for
the good order of focicty, that we fnould do fo. And final-
ly, let it be confidered, whether any motives could poiTibly
be exhibired more powerful and engaging than thofe
which the gofpel fetteth before us. It propofeth the no-
blefl: models for our imitation: God himfelf, in bis imitable
moral excellencies ; and his well-beloved Son, the moll
perfe^L image of his ov;n goodnefs and purity. It dif-
playcth ail the charms and attradions of redeeming grace
P R E F A C E. cclxxix.
and love, to allure us. It giveth the rreateft encourap-e-
ment to fmners to repent, and forfake their evil ways; and
promifeth the moil gracious afTiilances to help our infirmi-
ties, and to ftrengthen our weak but fmcere endeavours
in the performance of our duty. It raifeth us to the moil
glorious profpedls and fublinie hopes, than which nothing
can pofnbly have an happier tendency to engage us to a
patient continuance in weli-doing, amid (I the many diiH-
culties and temptations of this preient ilate. The rewards
it propofeth are fuch as are fitted to animate holy and ge-
nerous fouls, and to produce, not a fcrvile and mercenary
frame of fpirit, but a true greatnefs of mind, viz. an hap-
pinefs confiding in the perfedion of our natures, in a con-
formity to God, and the eternal enjoyment of him, and
in the pure pleafures of fociety and friendfnip v/ith glo-
rious angels, and the fpirits of the juit made perfect. And
on the other hand, to make an imprefnon upon thofe that
are infenfible to the charms and beauty Ol virtue, it rnaketh
the mod lively and affecling reprefentations of the terrors
of the wrath to come, and the punifhrnents that fnall be
executed in a future ilate upon thofe that obftinately per-
fift inacourfe of prefumptuous fm and difobedience.
This is an imperfe£l ilietch of the nature and defign of
Chriifianity, as laid down in the gofpel. In this vicv/ let
it be confidered, and not be unjuflly charged, as it hath
often been, with corruptions that are only owing to a de-
viation from its original purity; or v/ith the practices of
thofe v/ho, tliough they make a profeiiion of believing it,
allow themfelves in couries which it forbids and condemns.
What an happy world would this be, if men could be
more generally perfuaded to yield a willing fubjeclion to
its divine aut iority, and to comply v/ith its tiue fpirit and
defign, and to give themfelves up to be governed by its
excellent precepts >and important motives I
V V lira
T What tbten can' thofe propofe, that take pains to turn '
men from fuch a religion, as this, and to weaken x)r fub-
veft the evidences of its divine authority-f ' . Can they pre-
tend tO; introduce a more pare and fubiinie morality, or to
enforce it with more powerful motives f: Do they propt)fe
to render men more hoJy and virtuous, mere, pious and
devout towards God, more jutl and kind and benevolent
towards men, more temperate and careful in the due go-
vernment of their appetites and paiTions, than the gofpel
requireth and obligeth them to be? Do they intend to
advance the interefliG of virtue, by depriving it of its
moll efteQ:ual encouragements and fupports ; or to exatt
the joys of good men, by weakening their hopes ofever-
lafting bappinefs ; or to reftrain and reclaim the wicked
and vicious, by freeing them from the fears of future
punifnment?
There is a great complaint of a growing diiToIutenefs of
manners, and of a general corruption. His Lordfliip re-
prefenteth this in the moil lively terms ; but, inflead of
afcribing.it to the proper caufcs, he is for laying the whole
load of it on the prefent eftabhfhment. Far from direct-
ing to the proper cure, he hath done what he couid to
take away that v/hich would be the m.ofl effe£lual remedy,
the influence of Chriftianicy on the rninds and confciences
of men. When the reftraints of religion are once taken
eft, what can be expefted but that they fhould abandon
themfelves to the conduct of their paflions ? Human
laws and penalties v^ill be found to be weak ties where
there is no fear of God, nor regard to a future ftate, or
the powers of the world to come. In proportion as a ne-
gled or contempt of religion groweth amongft us, a dif-
iblutenefs of morals will prevail; and when once this
bccometh general among a people, true probity and virtue,
a right public fpirit, and generous concern for (he real in-
^erefls
PREFACE. ccVxixi
terefts of Gur country, will be extinguiflied. Surciy then
all that wi(h well to the good order of (ociety, and to the
happiners of mankind, ought to wiih that true uncorrupt-
ed Chriitianity fhould generally obtain and prevail ; and
that men fhould not only heartily believe, but ferioufly
confider it, and endeavour to get it wrought into the very
frame and temper of their fouls. For Chriftianity is not
a mere outward form and profellion, but a living principle,
of apradical nature and tendency. And it is not enough
to have a fpeculative notion and belief of it, but we mull
confider it with that attention which becometh us, and
do v/hat we can to enforce its excellent dodrines and mo-
tives iinon cur hearts.
Toys.....
■^un
■ ^■. r,,.
REFLEC
REFLECTIONS
ON THE LAT£
LORD BOLINGBROKE'S LETTERS,
PART L
On the Study and Ufe of Hijlory,
THE late Lord BoHngbroke has generally obtained tbe repu^
tation ot being one of the fined writers in our language.
This hath procured him a kind of authority in the world, which
makes way for an eafy and favourable reception of any thing
that is publifhed under his name. A writer poffelTed of rucU
talents hath it in his power to be fignally ferviceable to religion,
and the true intereft of his country ; and on the other hand,
there is fcarce any thing of more pernicious influence than fucli
talents mifapplicd. When the public was finl informed of
Letters written by him on the Study and Ufe of Hiflory, it was
natural to expeft Ibmething very entertaining and improving from
fuch an author on fuch a fubjeft. And it will not be denied, that
he has many good, and feme very curious obfervations, exprelTed
in a very genteel manner, and with great elegance and purity
of ilyle ; but thefe are interfperfed with others of a very diiTcr-
ent kind, and of a dangerous tendency.
In thefc Letters his Lordfhip has done what he could to expof^^
the authority of the Scriptures to contempt, and at the fame
time has made the mo{i difadvantageous reprefentation of the
prefent {late of the government and conftitution of his country.
If we are to trull the accounts he giveth us, Chrifiianity bath
no real foundation of truth in facl to depend upon; it hath been
upheld by fuperftition, ignorance, and .impoflure; and hath
been vifibly decaying ever fmce the revival of learning and knov/-
iedgc. And our civil conftiiution, inftead of being rendered
better
\
C^4 REFLfeCTIONS ON THE LATE
beft^r ti the late revolution, hath been ever fince growing worfe ;
and our liberties arc in more real danger than they were in be-
f(3re; The natural tendency of fuch reprelentations is to infpire
a thdrotigh cor^tcmpt and difregard of the rehgion into which
we were baptized, and to produce endlefs jealoufies and difcon-
tenis, if not open infurreclions, againft the government under
which we live. No man therefore, who hath a juft zeal for cither
orthefe, can fee without concern fuch an infolent attempt againft
both. And in this cafe, the quality, the ability, the reputation
or the writer, as it maketh the attempt more dangerous, render-
eth it more necelTary to guard againft it. If an inferior writer
had faid all that his Lordfnip hath advanced, it would have de-
ferved very little notice. But there are too many that are ready
ahnoft implicitly to fwallow down any thing that cometh to
them recommended by a great name ; efpecially if it be advanced
with a very peremptory and decifive air. And if an author's
account of himfelf muft be taken, there perhaps fcarce ever was
a writer whofe judgment ought to have greater weight, or who
better deferves that an almoft implicit regard lliould be had to his
ciHateS, than the author of thefe Letters.
He enters upon his firll Letter with declaring, that the rules
he is going to recommend 'as neceffary to be obferved in the
Or.dy of hiftory, were ^" very different from thofe which
" writers on the fame fubjecl have recom.mended, and which are
*' coitimonly praftifed." — But he afTureth his reader (and I be-
lieve him) that '* this never gave him any diilrufl of them.'*
— And therefore he propofeth to tell his fentiments — ** without
*' any regard to the opinion and pra6lice even of the learned
*' v/orld'''." — He declareth it as his opinion, that — " A creditable
*' kind of ignorance is the whole benefit which the generality of
'"men, even of the m.oft learned, reap from the ftudy of hiftory,
** which yet appeareth to him of all other the moft proper to
*' train us up to private and public virtue +." — Surely then the
worrd muft be mightily obliged to an author, who comes^to givq
them inftru£lions anddireftions in a matter of fuch great import-
ance, which the generality of men, even of the moft learned,
v/ere unacquainted with before. .^ ., _ '^
/ * ' ' - _,
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol, i. p. i, a. f Ibid. p. 15.
In
LORD BOUNGBROKe's LETTERS. 9.^^
In his Letter on the True Ufeof Relireracnt andSt^'dy^ he finely
reprefenteth, whatrTT^r-!* a defirable thing it mufl be.^tp^ pvjefy
** thinking man, to have the opportunity indulged to fq^few^.pt
** living feme years at leall to ourfelves, in a lUte ot" treedutn,
*' under the laws of reafon, inllead of palling our \yhoIe time
" ,under thofe of authority and cuftom."— — And afl;s-rp*vl§ it^
*' not worth our while to contemplate ourfelves and ctlicrs, and
*' all the things of this world, once before we leave them, tInQUg!»
" the medium of pure and undefiled reafon "* ?" He.iubferye^
that *' they who can abftra6l themfcivcs from the prejudices,
•* and habits, and pleafurcs, and bufinefs of the world, which,"
he fays," is what many are, though all are not, capable of doIng»
*' may elevate their fouls in retreat to a higher ftation, and may
** take from thence fuch a view of the world as the fecond Scipio
*' took, in his dream, from the feats of thebleifed." r-That this
will enable them to *' dillinguifh every degree of probability,
'*^ from the ioweft to the higheft, and markthe difference between
*' this and certainty, and to eftabliHi peace of mind, where. alone
*' it can reft fecurely, on refignation +." In what follows he (eems
to apply this to his own cafe. He reprefents himfelt as in a ilatc
of retirement from the v/arld, abftrafted from its pleafures, ^nd
difengaged from the habits of bufmefs : though at the fL'^metirae
he declareth his refolution, in his retreat, to contribute as much
as he can to defend and preferve the Britijh confalution of go-
vernment ; for which he expefted his reward from God alone,
to whom he paid thisfervice \, He goes on to obferve in tho
fame Letter, that- " he who has not cultivated his reafon
V young, will be utterly unable to improve it old." — And that
— — '* not only a love of ftudy, and a defire o^ knowledge, niuft
** have grown up with us, but fuch an induftrious application
** likewife, as requires the whole vigour of the mind to be ex-
•* erted in the purfuit of truth, through long trains of difcouvie,
•* aiid all thofe dark receffes, wherein man, not God, has Hid it."
——And then he declares, that this love, diudi this defire, \\e has
felt all his life, dind. is not quite a f. ranger to this indufay and
application §.
* Bollngbroke's Works, yqI i>. p. 197- t ^1^'^^- P- ^99-
X Ibid, aoi, aoi. ^ Ibid. p. soj, 206.
His
2S6 31EFLECTICNS ON THE LATg ^
His RefieBions upon Exile tend alfo to give one an lilgh i^ca
of the author. Speaking of the neceffity of ilanding watchful as
centinels, to difcover the fecret wiles and open attacks of that
capricious goddefs, Fortune, beiore they can reach us, he adds,
** I learned this important leiTon long ago, and never trufted to
** Fortune, even while fhe feemed to be at peace v;:th me. The
*' riches, the honours, the reputation, and all the advantages
*' which her treacherous indulgence poured upon me, I placed
*' fo, that {he might fnatch them away without giving me any
*' difiurbance. I kept a great interval between me and them.
*' She took them, but fiie could not tear them from rr^e*." He
frequently exprelleth himfelf in thofe Refleftions, as one fu-
pcricr to fortune and exile, and that had attained to a perfect
philofophic calmnefs and tranquillity, whofe mind was not to be
difcompofed by any outward evils ; as one who was far from
the. hurry of the worlds and almoft an unconcerned fpeBator of
what paffes in if., and who, having paid in a public Ife what he
owed to the prcfent age^ wasrefolved to^/?.y ?« a private Ife what
he owes to pojleriiy; and who was determined to write as well as
live without pafficnT. And who ^vould not be inclined to pay
a vafc regard to the fentiments of a great genius, that had always
from his youth loved lludy, and defired knowledge, and to this
added induftry and application : who had an opportunity for re-
tirement from the world, and knew how to improve it; and
Vv'ho had made ufe of his folitude to contemplate himfclf and
others, and all the things of this world, through the medium of
pure and undefiled reafon !
But there are feverai thins^s that tend to take off from that
dependence one might otherwife be apt to have upon an author
pofreffed of fo many advantages.
It can fcarce be denied, that there is a great appearance of
vanity in thefe Letters. A certain air of fufhciency breathes
through the whole. He every-where pronounceth in a dogma-
tical and decifive w^ay, and with a kind of dictatorial authority;
and feemethto regard himfelf as placed in a diflinguifiied fphere,
from whence he looketh down with fuperiority and contem^pt
vpon thofe that have hitherto palled for learned and knowing.
* Bolingbroke'j Works, vol. ii. p. 234. f Ibid, p. 282.
■ To
LORD BOLINGBRORe's LLTTEP-i5. eB/
To this may be added, what can fcarce efcape tlie notice of the
commoneft reader, a vifible ancclation of advancino- fomethiri^T
new, and which had not been thought o£, ;or infifted upon, be-
fore. Hov/ often doth the pol.ite author of thefe Letters, v.'hen ■
giving his direftions, and nidking his obiervations upon the ilndy
and ufe oi hiftory, put his noble corrcfpondcnt in mind, that
they were quite different from any thing that had been obferved
by thofe learned men who hadtrezited of this Subject before him!
In this I think him miilaken. But at prefent I only mention it
as a proof of the defire he was pofleHed with of appearing to
think in a way different from, and fuperior to, the relf of man-
kind, even ot the learned world. Such a deHre and aiTeftation of
novelty, and of thinking out of the common way, may lead per-
fons of great parts allray in their inquiries after truth, and hath
often done fo.
But there are otlier paiTions and afTeftions that have a Hill lefs
friendly influence, and v/hich are apt to give a wrong bias to the
mind. Such is that kccnnefs and bitternefs of fpirit which dif-
pofeth a man to find fault, and to put the moft unfavourable
conftruclions upon perfons and things. I will not charge the
late Lord Bolingbroke with having been really .under the influ-
ence of fuch a temper; but there are feveral things in his Let-
ters which have that appearance. In his Refl.cBions upon Exile,
he layeth it dow-n as a rule, to live o/nd write without pa ffi on: he
talks as if he had got above all outward evils, and had attained to
a perfecl tranquillity. And yet in thefe very Refie^lions, there
are feveral paflages that difcover a very ftrong refentment, and
great bitternefs of fpirit. He there intimates, that- — rp'* bis
** country had reaped the benefit of his fervices, and he fiifTered
*' for them- That the perfons in oppofition to whom he
** ferved, and even faved the public, confpired and accomplifhed
*' his private ruiu' Tliat thefe were his accufers, and the gid-
*' dy ungrateful crowd his judges That art, joined' to malice,
*' endeavoured to make his beit aftions pafs for crimes, and to
*' ftain his chara6ler That for this purpofe the facred voice of
*' the fenate was made to pronounce a lie; and thofe records,
*' which ouo-ht to be the eternal monuments of truth, became
*' the vouchers of impofture and calum.ny*." This is very
* Bolingbroke's Works, ?oL ii. p. 270, a 71.
ftropgly
s83 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
ilrongly exprefTecl. I fhall not at prefent inquire into tbe truth
and JLillnefs of thcfe Refleaions. I fhall only obferve, that this
is not the language of a man who lives and writes without pa[fton^
or who is fo indifferent to coininon cenfure or approbation, as he
profeffeth himfelf to be*. Nor is it eafy to reconcile this with
that phiiofophic calmnefs, that moderation, and tranquillity of
mind, which he fometimes makes fo great a fliew of. There
are feveral parts of his Letters, as I may have occafion more
<iiilin£lly to obferve afterwards, in which he exprefleth himfelf
With all the rage and virulence of a paffionate party-writer.
. It were not fo much to be wondered at, if he difcovercd a re-
fentment againif thofe whom he might apprehend to be the au-
thors of his fufferings ; but there are feveral things that lock as
it he were out of humour with mankind. Of the critics, chro-
iiologers, antiquaries, and of the learned in general, even thofe
of them that have been in the higheft reputation, he frequently
cxprefTeth the utmoft contempt. Ke inveighs feverely againil;
the divines, ancient and modern; and reprefents even thofe of
tliem who, he fays, may be called fo without a fneer, as not
fagacious or not honeft enough, to make an im>partial examina-
tion. The gentlemen of the law fall under his heavy cenfure ;
and he will fcarcely allow, that fincc Lord Bacon, and the Earl
of Clarendon, there have been any of them that have attained to
ajiy eminent degree of learning and knowledge; and he taketh
upon him to foretel, that, except there Tnould come feme better
age, there will not be any fuch among them for the future. The
members of parliam.ent he reprefents as regarding the bufinefs of
parliament only as a trade; that few know, and fcarce any re-
fpefl, the Britifh condltution ; and that the ,very idea of wit, and
all that can be called tafte, has been loft among the great. Such
general cenfures might be expecled in a writer that profefledly
fets himfelf to difplay his talents in fatire and ridicule ; but ^o
not look fo well in one that appeareth in a fuperior charafter,
iind v/ho taketh upon him to inlhucl and guide, to form men's
tafte, and direft their condu8:, and enable them to pafs right
judgments on perfons and things. Such a temper is not a very
good difpofition for an impartial inquiry; it is apt to reprefcnt
perfons and things in a diradvantageous light, and to give a
* Bolingbioke's Woiks, yqI, i. p. 6.
malie^nant
lORD BOLINGBROKe's LETTERS. 289!
malignant tin6lure to the Pwe£ic6iIons: nor is it very furprizing
to fee a writer of this turn pafs harfn and fevere cenfurcs, not
only on the adminiflration, but on the religion, of his country.
All the Life I would make of thefe obfervations is, to keep us
from fufTering ourfelves to be too Hioiigly bialfed in favour of a
writer fo diilinguilhed by his abilities, alid who putteth on fucli
fpecious appearances.
I fhall now proceed to a more diRiiift examination of Lord
Bolingbroke's Letters.
In them we may find, as hath been already hinted, many good
and fine obfervations relating to the ftudy and ufe of hiflory,
delivered with great clearnefs of exprefTion, and propriety of
fentiment. His direftions are full of good fenfe, and many of
them very aptly illuftratcd by proper and' well-chofen indances.
In general, it muil be allowed, that his obfervations concerning
the ufefulnefs of hiifory, the advantages he afcribes to it, and
the ends to be prcpofed in it, are, for the moft part, juft ; but
there is not m.uch in them that can be regarded as perfeftly new..
I do not fay this by v/ay of difparagement, to detraft from the
merit of his Reflexions: perhaps on fuch a fubjecf it is fcarce
pofiible to make any obfervation whicii hath not been made
by fome one or other before. It is a fufhcient commendation
of an author, if he hath placed his refleclions and obfervations
in an agreeable and advantageous light, if he hath difpofed them
in a beautiful order, and illuftrated his rules by proper exempli-
fications. But his Lordfhip feems not to be contented with the
praife of having done this. He appears to be extremely dcfir-
oustohaveit thought, that his obfervations are not only juft, but
new, and fuch as other writers'have not made before him. He
declareth, in a palfage cited before from his firlT: Letter, that
the rules he gives — '• are very dilferent from thofe which.
** writers on the fame fubj.eff have rec(;mmended, and which
•' are commonly praftifed * :— ^ — And that— — '* he will have no
*' regard to the methods prefcribed by others, or to the opinion
" and praaice even of the learned world t."-—- And he fneaks
to the fame purpofe in his third Letter ^. And after having de-
clared, that the ftudy 01 hilfory will prepare us for a6lion and.
* Bolingbroke's "Works, vol. i. p. r. f Ibid p «. t Ibid. p. 69..
VOL. II. U Qbfervdtion-
2 go R&FL^eTlONS ON THE LATE
■ obrervation, and that- " hiftory is converfant about th-e
V paft ; -and by knowing the things that have been, we become
*' better able to judge of the things that are ;"■ he adds,
;*' This ufe, my Lord, which I make the proper and principal
*' ufe of the Hudy of hiflory, is not infilled on by thofe who
*' have written concerning the method to be followed in this
*' ftiidy ; and fmce w^e propofe different ends, we mull of courfe
** t^ke different ways *." He immediately fubjoins, ** Few of
*' their treatifes have fallen into my hands." And is it not a
little llrange that he inould fo pofitivcly pronounce, that others
have not, in their treatifes concerning the method to be followed
in the lludy of hiilory, inhfted on that which he makes the pro-
per and principal ufe of it, when at the fame time he acknow-
iedgeth that few of their treatifes had fallen into his hands?
One would think, by his way of reprefentlng it, that none before
this nobis writer had mentioned it as the proper ufe and end of
iiiHory, to promote our improvement in virtue, to make us better
men and better ciiizens, to teach us by example, and to prepare
us for a£tion and obfervation, that by knowing the things that
have been, we may becom.e better able tojuuge of the things
tliat are. And yet I am apt to think, that few have fet them-
felves to fhew the ufe that is to be made cf hiftory, the ends to
be propofed in it, and the advantages arifmg from it, but have
in effetl faid the fame thing. And it were no hard matter, if it
were necelfary, to £11 up fevcral p?:gcs v\dth quotations to this
purpofc, from authors ancient and modern.
Hiftory is, no doubt, capable of being improved to excellent
purpofes ; and yet the author of thefe Letters feems fometim-e^
to have carried v: too far, as if hifi:ory (net facred hifiory — for
this, with the exampies it affordeth, he difcards as of little or
Ko ufe) were the bell, the only fchcol of virtue, the moll uni-
ycifal aad necclfary means of inilruttion, alonC fufficient to
make us good men and good citizens, and to furnifh us with ail
'the knowledge that is proper for our direflion in pra6lice. He
obferves,» that *' hiitory is philpfqphy, teaching us by ex-
^' ample, how to.c.ondu6l ourfelves in all the ftations of private
"' and Dublic life." And that " it is of all other the
■•* Eolir-sbroki's Works, vol i. p. 67: 68.
LORD EOLINGBROKE's LETTERS. 2gt
'" mod proper to train us up to public and private virtue*." — -
He declares, that " every one that is ahle to read, and to
" refle6t upon what he reads, is able to make that ufe of h,iftory
** which he recommends : and every one wlio makes it^ will
" find in his degree the benefit that arircs from an early acnuain-
"tance with mankind, contracted in this method +." He
"addSV i^liat " v/e are only palFengers or fojourners in tliis
" world ; but we are abfolute ftrangers at the firll fteps we take
** in it. Our guides arc often ignorant, oFten unfaithtul. But
** by this map of the country which hiftory fpreads belore us,
** we may learn, if we pleafe, to guide curfelves." So tiiat
hiftory is the guide he propofeth to all men to conduct them in
their journey through this world, and by which every man is
capable of guiding himfelf in all the fituations and circunillanGcs
of public and private life.
Hiilory is, no doubt, very ufeful in its proper place ; but
there are other means of inftruftion to be joined with it, in or-
der to its anfwerinff the end. It is not to ferve inftead of everv
thing, and to fuperfede all other methods ol" inftruftion. V/e
fiand in need of being well feafoned and principled with ajuft
fenfe of the moral differences of things, and with the excellent
rules of religion, and the important confiderations it fctteth be-
fore us, that we may form juft fentiments of things, and may
make a right ufe of hiftory for 'our improvement in virtue, and
may know properly how to apy)ly the examples it furniiheth.
Accordingly our author himfelf infifteth upon it, that we muft
apply ourie'ves to hiftory " in a philofophicai fpirit and
■*' manner J." He obierveth, that -" particular examples
*' in hiftory may be of ufe fometimes in particular cafes, but
*' that the application of tliem is dangerous." — He would have
a man therefore ftudy hiftory as he would ftudy philofi.pliy.
And in the account he gives in his third Letter of what is ne-
ceflary in order to make a right ufe of hiftory, he carrieth it fo
far, and really maketh the work fo difficult, a? to be above what
can be expefted from the generality of mankind ; and conclud-
•eth with laying, that *' hy fuch methods as thefe a man of
* Bollngbroke's Works, vok i. p. 15. J7* t ^'^''^- P- ^/^' ^^*'
J ibid, vok i. p. 5S.
^2 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
*' parts nlay improve the fludy of hlftory to its proper and prin-
" cipal ufe *.** Where he feemeth to reprefent the making
a right ufe of hiftory as a very difficult thing, which none but
men of parts and philofophic fpirits are capable of., and which
requireth the exafteft judgment, and nicefl difcernment, as well
as a very clofe application. In this paflage the ufe and advan-
tage of hiftory feems to be confined within too narrow bounds,
as in fome of the former it had been extended too far.
As to the method to be followed in the ftudy of hiftory, though
the author of thefe Letters fpeaks v/ith great difregard, and even
contempt, of thofe that have written on this fubjeft before him.,
yet the only one he- particularly mentions is Bodin. He ob-
ferveth, that " in his method we are to take finl a general viev/ of
*' univerfal hiifory and chronology in fhort abflrafts, and then
*' to iludy all particular hiilories and fyftems." Upon which
his Lordlhip remarketh, that — " This would take up our whole
** lives, and leave us no time for aftion, or would mxake us unnt
** for it f ." And afterwards he obferves, that " the man
•• who reads without difcernment and choice, and, like Bodin's
** pupil, refolves to read all, will not have time, nor capacity
*' neither, to do any thing elfe J." — But I cannot think it was
Bodin's intention to lay it as an injunftion upon his pupil to
read without choice and difcernment all the particular hiftories
that have ever been publiflied. But the meaning is, that the
beft and moft regular way of reading and iludylng hiftory is, firft
to take a briei general view and furvey of univerfal hiftory and
chronology, and then to proceed to the hiftories of particular
countries, nations, and ages. And this appeareth to be a very
reafonable and natural method. And if Bodin propofes the
taking a large fcope and compafs in reading hiftory, his Lord-
{hip, though he fcems here to blame him for it, fometimes expref-
feth himfcii in a manner that looks no lefs extenfive : tor he
recommendeth the reading hiftory of all kinds, cf civilized and
uncivilized, of ancient and modern nations, as neceffary to give
us a right knowledge of the human fpecies, and of oUrfelves.
He obferves in his fifth Letter, that " man is the fubjc£^ ot
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. i. p. 65, 66. t Ibid. p. 69.
X Ibid. p. i42> 143.
" every
LORD BOLINGBROKf/s LETTZIIS. 203
"every hiftory, and to know hlin well, we mufl fee him and
** confider him, as liiHory alone can prefcnt him to us, in every
*' age, in every country, in every ftate, in life and in death.
*^Hiflory therefore of all hinds, of civilized and uncivilized, ot
*' ancient snd modern nations, in {hort, ail hirtory that defccnch
'* to a fafncient detail of human aftions and chara.?ters, is ufef-jl
*' to bring us acquainted with our fpecies, nay withourfelvcs*.'*
And particularly v^ith refpecl to ancient hiilory, lie luentioncih it
in his fecond Letter as a great advantage, that "in ancient hiftory
*' the beginning, the progreffion, and the end, appear, not ofpar-
*' ticular reigns, much lefs of particular enterprizes, or fylcenis
** of policy alone, but of governments, of nations, or emp'ires,
** and of all the various fyftems that have fucceeded one another
" in the courfe of their duration t." And yet he afterwards
fecms to confine our attention to niodern hiilory. Ke v/ill allow
lis indeed to read the hiftories of former ages and nations, be-
caufe it would be fhameful to be entirely ignorant of them ; but
he v/ould not have us Jludy any hiilorics, but thofe of the two
lad centuries. That thefe deferve a particular attention, will
eanly be acknov.'leGged, for feveral reafons, and, among others,
for that v,^hich he afligns : the p"reat chancre that has been brouirht
about in the civil and ecclefiaitical polity of thefe parts of the
world fmce the latter end of the fifteenth century; of which he
gives an elegant reprefentation in his fixth Letter. But cer-
tainly there are many things in the hiftories of the preceding
as:cs, both in other countries, and in our ov/n, that well
deferve to be not only read, but to be thoroughly confidered
by us ; and which are capable of furnifliing very ufeful reflec-
tions, and anfwering thofe excellent ends, for v/hich, in the for-
mer part of thefe Letters, he had recommended the Ifudy ofhif-
tory. This might eafily be {hewn, if it admitted of any doubt,
both v/lth regard to civil hiftory and ecclefiailical.
But, not to infifl longer upon this, and fom.e other obferva-
tions that might be made on particular paifages in thefe Letters,
I Ihall proceed to v/hat is the principal intention of thefe Remarks,
viz. to confider thofe things in them, of which a bad ufe mjy
3ie m.ade, or which appear to be of a pernicious tendency,
* J2olingbroke*s Wcrks; vch i. p. 1:0. f Ibid. p. 42-
U 3 And
■£$4 reflections' ON THE LATE
^A rid here I lliall firft confider the ref1e£iioDS he has cafl upon
literature ; andiheii feall proceed to thofe pafTages in his Letters,
which are defi^ned to expofe the holy Scriptures, and the Chrif-
tSn^reiigion. / :^^^ : -^-40w ..yoifl^c, .o: c:.ii, ih> rn iymJnLcrc,:
"Tit may f^em aiittiy ftrpfiig, thlif% pyiit^aS^it^^^bne
who, as he lets us know, always from his youth loved (lucfy 'and
application, fiiould yet, inteveral parts of thefe Letters, 'ex' Jirefs
Ijimrelf in a manner that feems calculated to throw a contempt
«ipon learning, and to put men off from applying tlicmfelvcs to
thepurfuit of it. Every friend of learning fliould, I think,
acknbvv ledge, that there is a regard due to thofe that in their
fevcral ways have contributed to promote it. But this ingenious
v.'Viter takes every occafion to place them in a ridiculous or
contemptible light. In his firft Letter, he gives a very difad-
vamageous idea of thofe who, as he expreiTcth it, " make idir
'' copies of foul manufcripts, give the fignification of hard worcK-,
** and take a great deal of other grammatical pains." He owiiS
iqcleed, that //^^y enable others to Jiucly with greater eofe, and
to purpofes riiore ufeful; but he aflures us, thatM'r^' neither gro-^a
zbij'er nor better by fludy them/elves. He adds, that *' the obli-
''^ "g:atiOii to thefe men would be great indeed, if they were in
" creneral able to do any thing better, and fubmitted to" this
" drudgery for the ufe of tbe public, as fome of them, if muil:
•' be owned v/ith gratitiide, have done ; but" not later, Lthink,
*'■ than about the time of the rcTurrection of letters.'* And l;e
at length condefcendcth to declare, that ^* they deferve encon-
*' rageineht, whilft they continue to compile, and neither afl"-: -l:
"wit, not prefumc to reafon -." This i^ a very hard ccnfure
-pronounced upon all thcfe, witlioistdiflincl ion,- that fin cc the
time of the refurre6iion of letters, f. e. for thfefe two centuries
pafl, have compiled diftionaries or gloiTarics,' or have revifed
and publilhed ancient manufcripts, or corre6l editions of books ;
or who have been fcrnpfoyed' in explai'nihg'h'ard \Vords,'and in
clearing obfcure pafTages jti '^nc^icnt authors, or making critical
obfervations upon them, i^ndMn bther tbings of that kind; '* Not
cbntdnf ip'reprefent'thfem is' abfolutcly vdid of genius, andhavtng
- • ■ ■ '■•'■'
* Bolingbrclce s VVoiks, p. 5, 6.
LORD BOLINCBRCKE.'S LETTERS. 20^
DO pretenfions to wit or reafon, and as neitlier4 wlfer nor better
for their Hudies themfelvcs, he v/ill not allow, that any oTthem
had the public good in vievvr, in th.s drud»Tery they fubhiitfecl to.
But I fcarce know a greater fign of a malignity of temper, than a
difpofition to give the worll turn to every thing, and to jiKVe"
harflily of the inward intentions of men's hearts, when ttie're is
nothing in their aftions to fupport fuch a judgment. It werc*
eafy to name perfons, that, within thefe two laft centuries, hay?
employed themfelves in the way he mentions, who were unquef-"
tionably men o'i great judgment and genius, as well as induftry :
or, at lead, a fmall iliare of good-nature and candour would in-
cline one to allow them the praife of having had the public utility
in view, in works, which, by his own acknov/lcdgment, have
greatly ferved the interefts of learning, and cciitributed to the
fpreading of it.
But how meanly foever he thinks of the grammarians, critics,
compilers of di6lionaries, and revifers and publifhers of manu-
fcripts, he maketh a ilill more difadvantageous reprefentatlon of
antiquaries and chronologers. Speaking of perfons that have
hitherto been regarded as of great figure and eminence in the
republic of letters, he avoweth '* a thorough contempt for the
" whole bufmefs of their learned lives ; for all the refearches
" into antiquity, for all the fyllems of chronology and hiilory,
*• that we owe to the iramenfe labours of a Scaliger, a Bochart,
" a Petavius, an Udier, and even a Marfham-^\" It feems very
odd, for one that fpeaks fo highly of the advantage of hiftory, to
exprcfs fuch a contempt for the labours of chronologers, which
certainly are of great ufe for digefling hiilory into its proper
periods, in order to a regular and orderly conception and uncier-
ftanding of it. In a pafTdge cited above, he mentioneth it among
the advantages oi" hiftory, efpecially ancient hiilory, that we there
fee events as they followed one another; *' that there the bcgin-
" ning, the progrcflion, and the end, appear, not ol particr.Iar
*^ reigns, muchlefs of particular enternrizes, or fydcms of policy
" alone, but of governm.ents, of nations, of empires, and of ali
" the various fyftems that have fucceeded one another in t!ic
^' courfe of their duration." This feems to fiiew the advantage,
* BoJingbroke's Works, vol. L p. C.
\J / -and
S9^ REFLECTIO>:S ON TITE LATE
and even neceiTity, of chronology; and, with regard to this, the
I'lboiirs of> a Scaliger, a Petavius, and Ufher, are highly ufefiil
and commendable. ' To endeavour to digeft the hiftory of man-
kind, and of the principal events that have happened in the world,
in a regular feries, to mark the rife and fall of cities and em-
jiires, to compare and connetl the hiftories of different countries
and nations, facred hiftory and profane; and, in order to this,
.to lay togetherthefcattered hints and fragments of dilTerent ages,
ir., notwithftanding his degrading reprefentation of it, a noble
employment, an employment that even a Sir Ifaac Newton judg-
ed not to be unworthy of his great genius. One would be apt
to thinJv, that every impartial perfon, who hath ajufl value for
learning, muft have a great honour for thofe that have taken pains
to fetthefe things in a proper light: and where abfolute certainty
cannot be attained to, an happy conje61ure may be both pleafing
and ufeful.
In his third letter, he findeth great fault with thofe that make
laborious inquiries into the firfl originals of nations. And in
his fi'frh letter, he warneth the noble Lord to whom he writes,
Xo throw none of his time away, as he faith he himfelf had done,
in groping in the dark in his fear ches into antiquity'^. Ke
ipealis With contempt of what he calls dry regifters of ufelefs
anecdotes ; and declares that '* ten millions of fuch anecdotes,
" though they were true; and complete authentic volumes of
*' Egyptian or Chaldean, of Greek or Latin, of Gallic or Britifli,
" of French or Saxon records; would be of no value in his fenfe,
** becaufe of no ufe towards our improvement in wifdom and
*' virtue; if they contained nothing more than dynailies and
•*' genealogies, and a bare mention of remarkable events in the
.** order of time, like journals, chronological tables, or diy and
*' meagre annahT." — But whatever opinion I may have of his
Lordibip's taflc, I cannot help thinking, that in this he is too
rigid. It feems to be a very natural and UTiblameable curiofity,
to fearch as far a^ we can into the recedes ot antiquity, and the
originals of nations; and there is a pleafure even in thofe glim-
merings of light that, break through the obfcurity, provided we
do not rcprefent thofe things as certainties, which are only con-
** Bclirrbrckc's Works, vol. i- p. 149. t I'^^^- P- '5^-
je6luraL
LORD BOtlNGBROKE ,S LETTERS. 297 '
jcftural. And I believe there are few but would be apt to wifli, ■
that there were *' authentic volumes of Egyptian or Chal-
** dean, Greek or Latin, Gallic or Britifh records" even
though they were only like what he calls' *' dry and meagre
*' annals,"' or, as he elfewhere fpeaks, " the gazettes of
'' antiquity ;. and contained dynafties and genealogies, with
a mention of remarkable events that happened to thofe nations
in the order of time, like journals, or chronological tables. And
if any learned man could difcover fuch ancient authentic records
or monuments, few", 1 {hould think, would blame him, or think
him idly employed in publifhing them to the world.
It looks a little odd, that there is no kind of men for whom,
throughout thefe letters, he fheweth a lefs regard than for thofe
that are generally accounted men of learning. Speaking of thofe
who " affeft the reputation of great fcholars, at the expence
*' of groping all their lives in the dark mazes of antiquity," he
fays, that *' all thefe miftake the true defign of fludy, and the
« true ufe of hidory." Great as the advantages are that he af-
cribeth to hiftory, and which he thinks every man is capable ot
that is able to read, and to refleB upon what he reads, yet ■
" a creditable kind of ignorance is, in his opinion, the whole
"benefit which the generality even of the moft learned reap
•* from it." And he intimates, that the only effeft of their
reading and ftudying hiftory is, to become pedants, z. e. as he
explaineth it, " worfe than ignorant, always incapable, fome-
" times m.eddling and prefuming*." And elfewhere he re-
prefenteth the credulous learned as only employed — " in wrang-
" ling about ancient traditions, and ringing different changes on
*' the fame fet of bells t."
To all which may be added, what he faith, in his letter on the
true ufe of retirement and ftudy, concerning- " the fcholar
*' and philofopher, who, far from owning that he throws away
•' his time, reproves others for doing it; that folemn mortal who
" abftains from the pleafures, and declines the bufinefs of the
*' world, that he may dedicate his whole time to the fearch Ol
*' truth, and the improvement of knowledge." He fuppofc^
him to have read " till he is become a great critic in Latin
* Bolincbi-oke's Wcrk?, vol. i. p. i4i 15. 3 1. t I'*^^-- ?• ^^9-
" and
9g% REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
** and Greek, in the oriental tongues, in hiflory and chronoiogy;
*' and not only fo, but to have i'pent years in Undying phijofp-
*• phers, commentators, and rahbies, and whole legions of mojdern
" doftors, and to be extremely well verfed in all that has been
** written concerning the nature oi God, and of the foul of man,
** about matter and form, body and fpirit, &c.'^'' And yet
he pronounceth, that notwithilanding all his learning, he is in a
Hate of ignorance, for v/ant of having " examined the firft
*' principles, and the fundamental fa8-s on which thefe queflions
*' depend, with an abfolute indifference of judgment, and fcru-
*' pulous exaftnefsi." This he fuppofeth to be the cafe of
*' many a great fcholar, ni^ny a protcund philofopher, many
*' a dogmatical cafuifl ;" yea, and as appeareth from other
pafTages in his letters, of every learned man, of every philofopher
ynd divine whatfoever, that believeth Chriftianity. On the
other hand, he dcclareth concerning' " the man who hath
** paffed his life in the pleafures or bufinefs of the world,". .
that whenever he fets about the work of examining principles,
and judging for him fc If " concerning thofe things that are
*' of greatefl importance to us here, and may be fo hereafter, he
*' will foon have the advantage over the learned philofopher.
*' For he will foon have fecured what is necelTary to his happinefs,
** and may fit down in the peaceful enjoyment of that knowledge;
*'• or proceed v/ith greater advantage and fatisfa6Uon to the ac-
*' quiiition of new knowledge; whilft the other continues his
*• fearch after things that are in their nature, to fay the befl of
•' them, hypothetical, precarious, and fuperiluousij:."
The natural tendency of thefe, and other reflexions of a like
kind, which occur in thefe letters, feems to be to pour contempt
upon what have been hitherto efleemed valuable branches of
literature. Refearches into antiquity, chronological ftudies,
criticifm and philofophy, difquifitions concerning the nature of
God, the human foul, and other philofophical and theological
fubjefts, all thefe are reprefented as of little or no ufe; and only
a m.ore fpecious kind of idlenefs. And if this be the cafe, I
thinl: it is wrong to complain of the Goths, Vandals, Saracens,
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. ii. p. an? ai2. f Ibid. p. aij, 214.
.^ Ibid. p. ziCj .Z17.
and
LORD bolingbrokp:'s letters. coa
■znd other barbarous nations, that burnt whole libraries, and
dellroycd the monuments of learning. They rid the world of
a great deal of ufelefs lumber, which tempted men to mii-rpcnd
theirxtime and pains ; and it would have been an advantage t»
mankind, if more of them had been dellroycd, Inftead of being
thankful to thofe learned perfons that have taken fuch pains to
recover and publifii ancient monuments, we are onlv to .regard,
them as induilrious triflers, to whofc labours the world is verv
little obliged. Nor can I fee, upon fuch a view of things, what
ufe or need there is of feminarles of learning. But, in good
earnell, can this be regarded as a proper way to mend our taftc,
and help forward our improvement? Such a v/ay of thinking,
if it generally obtained, would, it is to be feared, inftead of pro-
ducing an extraordinary refinement of tafte, tend rather to fink.
us into ignorance and barbarifm, and bring us back to the dark-
nefs of the m(»Ii; iili(:crate ages.
Taken in this view, I cannot think that thefe letters have a
favourable al'peci on the interclls of literature. Methinks there
appeareth to be no great necefTity at prefent of warning performs
jiot to fpend their lives in laborious purfuits of learni(ig. The
prevailing turn of the age doth not feem to lie this way. Many
of our gentlemen will no doubt be very well plcafed to be alTiired,
that though they pafs their lives in the bufmefs or plcafures of
the w'orld, yet if they at length fet themfelves to examine firll
principles, and confult the oracle of their own rcafon, without
any regard to the opinion of others, or troubling themfelves to
read the writings of philofophers or divines, they arc in a more
likely ^vay of difcovering truth, and making a progrefs in ufeful
knowledre, tbvin any of tliofe " folcmn mortals, who abftain
".from the pleafures, and decline the buhnefs of the world, that
** they may dedicate their wliole time to the fearch ot truth, and
*' the improvement of knowledge." This is certainly a very flat-
tering fchemc, and feems to open a very fiiort and eafy way tor
attaining to wifdom. When they find a man of his Lordflnp's
line and elegant tafte, and great talents, and who by his own ac-
count hath fpent fo much time and pains in the learned inqun-ics,
pronouncing them abfolutely vain and ufelefs, they will be very
^pt to take his word for it, and not give themfelves the trouble
of laborious fludy ; the rcfult of which might be only fiHing their
heads
300 REFLECTIONS C^^ THE LATE
heads with what he calleth learned lumber, and expoHng them to
the ridiculous charafter of pedants, i. e. as he defcribeth them>
** men worfe than ignorant, always incapable, fometimes med-
•* dling and prefuming." Inftead of fuch learned drudgery, the
more cafy arid delightful tafk of iludying modern hiftory may be
fufiicient to furnifli them with all the knowledge they want, and
anfwer every endofufeful improvement.
But furely fuch a manner of reprefenting things is not alto-
gether juft, nor is this the moft efFeftual way of promoting real
improvement in wifdom and virtue. Great is the extent, and
wide the field, of fcience. Many noble fubjefts there are of
inquiry, which well dcferve our attention. The defire of know-
ledge is the ftrongeft in the nobleft minds; but comparatively
fmall is the progrefs that a man is capable of m.akmg by his own
iinafTifted ability, within the fhort compafs of this prefent life:
and therefore, be his abilities ever fo great, he wiii need the
aiTiiiance of others, and ought to be very thankful for it. Many
excellent perfons in different ages have employed their pains
this way; and a mighty advantage that man hath, who has the
opportunity, and knows how to im.prove It, of profiting by their
labours. He may, by reading, vaffly increafe his ifock of know-
ledge, may meet with many valuable hints, which t\{& would
not have occurred to him, and may find important fubjefts fet
in a clearer light than otherwife he would have Teen them. The
Author of our beings, who hath implanted in us the defire of
knowledge, and fitted us for comm.unicating our fentiments,
undoubtedly dcfigned, that, in acquiring knowledge as well as
in other things, we fliould be helpful to one another, and not
depend merely upon ourfelves. And this is the great advan-
tage of language, and of letters. We mufl indeed make ufe of
our own reafon, but we ought alfo to take in all the helps and
advantages v/c can get: and he that is careful to improve thofe
helps which are afforded him, and who, without fubmitting im^-
plicitly to the judgments and opinions of others, endeavours io
make the befl ufe he can of their labours and iludies, as well as
of bis own thoughts, is in a far m.ore likely way of improving
his knowledge, and will better approve himfelf to God, and
to all wife men, than he that, from a vain confidence in his
ov.'n judgment, dcfpifeth and reje^ieth thofe helps; and, under
pretence
tORD BOLINGBROKe's LETTERS. 30!
pretence of confulting the oracle of reafon in his own brcaft,
{for, as his Lordlhip cxprefletli it, " every man's reafon is every
^* man's oracle,") will not give himfelf the trouble to read and
to examine what others have faid and thought before him. Such
an high conceit of a man's own capacity and judgment, fuch an
arrogant felf-fufficiency, and a contempt of the labours and
judgments of others, is not a very proper difpofition for finding
Gilt truth. A man of this chara6ler was Epicurus, who boaRed
that his knowledge was all of his own acquiring, and fcorned to
feem to be beholden to any other for his notions.
Having confidered thcfe parts of the late Lord Bolingbroke's
Letters that feem not very favourable to the interefts of litera-
ture, I Ihall now proceed to what is the principal defign of thefe
Remarks, to examine the rCileftions he has call upon the facred
monuments of our religion, He firft attacks the hiflory of the
Bible, efpecially as contained in the books of the Old Tefta-
ment; and then proceeds to a more direft attempt npon Cbrif-
tianity. And this appears not to be a thing he treats of merely
by-the-bye, but to be a point he has formally in view, and for
which he proielles a kind of zeal. I fliall therefore confider
diftinQly what he hath offered.
In his third Letter on the ftudy of hiflory, he fetteth himfelf
to confider the ilate of ancient hilloiy, both facred and profane:
and begins with declaring his refolution — " to fpeak plainly and
*' particularly in favour of common fenfe, againfl an abfurdity
" which is dlmoft fanttified'^." After having made fome obfer-
vations on the flate of ancient prophane hiftf>ry, and (hewn, that
it is full of fables, and altogether uncertain, he next comes to
apply thefe obicrvations to ancient facred Inftoryf. What he
feems at firft to propofe, is, to fhew, that it is " mfufficient to
*' give us liglit into the original of alicient nations, and tlie hif-
*' tory of thofe ag' :s we commonly call the firft ages." But it is
evident, that, under pretence of fnewing this, his intention is,
to reprefent the whole hiftory of the Bib.e as abfolutely uncer-
tain, and not at all to be depended upon for a jiift account of
faBs. He not only denieth, that tlie writers ot the hiftorical
parts of the Old Teftament were divinely infpircd, but he will
*- Solingbroke's Works, vol. i. p. 70. t ^b'-^- P- ^''' ^ ^-'>
not
302 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
not allow them the credit that is clue to any common honefl hlf-
torians. He reprefents thofe hiilories as " delivered to us on
*' the faith of a ruperftitious people, among whom the cuRom and
" art 'of lying prevailed remarkably*. And obferves, that " the'
" Jewifn hiflory never obtained any credit in the world, till
** CKriftiaiiity was elfablifhedf ." He fometimes expreffeth him-
feif, as if he vv^ere willing to allow the divine infpiration of the
ctoftrinal and prophetical parts of the Bible, and were only for
rejefting the hiilorical. And this he pretends to be the belt w^ay
to defend the authority of the .Scriptures J. But it is evident
that this is only a fneer. For he was, no doubt, fenhble, that
the facred hilrory is fo interwoven with the prophecies and laws,
that if the former is to be regarded as lying fiftion, and not at ail-
to be depended upon, the divine authority of the other cannot be
fupported. And w^hat he afterwards repeatedly affirmeth of Chrif-
tianity, tijat the credit of its divme inftitution dependeth upon
fafts, holdeth equally concerning the Old Teltament ceconom-y.
After having done vv^hat he can, in his third Letter, to fhew
the uncertainty of ancient facred as well as profane hiOory, he
begins his fourth with obferving, that as '* we are apt naturally
** to apply to ourfelves what has happened to other 'men; and
'" as examples take their force from hence ; fo v.-iiat v^e do not
*' believe to have happened, we Ihall not thus apply ; and, for
"want of the fame application, the examples v/iil not have the
•'fame eJecl;:" And then he adds, " ancient hiflory, fuch
•' ancient hiflory as I have defcribed," [in which ancient facred
hiftory is manifeflly comprehended] " is quite unfit in this re-
** fpect to anfv/er the ends that every reafonable mian fhould
•♦ promife to himfelf in his ftudy; becaufe (uch ancient hiflory
•' will never gain fufficient credit with any reafonable raan§."
And afterwards fpeaking of ancient fabulous narrations, he de-
clares, that " fuch narrations cannot make the fiightefl momen-
".tary im.prefIions on a mind fraught with knowledge and void
*' of fuperflition. Impofed by authority, and afhlled by artifice,
*• the delufion hardly prevails over common fenfe; blind igno-
*' rancc almoft fees, and rafh fuperflition hefitates: nothing lefs
* Boiingbroke'E Works, vol. 1. p. S7. f Ibid. p. 91.
+ Ibid. p. 93. 9?j9c;. f Jbid.p. 118.
*' than
LORD BOLINGBROKe's LETTERS. 3O3
" than enthuriarm and phienfy can e^ive credit to fuch hiflorics,
*' or apply fuch examples." He thinks, that what he has faid
will " not be much controverted by any man that has examined
.,** our ancient traditions Vv'ithout prepofTeflion :" And that all
the difference between them, and Amadis of Gaul, is this, that
•' in Amadis of Gaul we have a thread of abfurditics that lay no
'* claim to belief; but ancient traditions are an heap of fables,
*' under which fome particular truths iiifcrutable, and therefore
*' ufelcfs to mankind, may lie concealed, which have a juft pre-
" tence to nothing more," [?. <?. to no m.ore credit than Amadis
of Gdul] " and yet impofe themfelves upon us, and become,
*' under the venerable name of ancient hiilory, tiie foundation
*' of modern fables'^'." He doth not dirctlly apply this to the
Scriptures: but no one can doubt that this was bis intention.
It is too evident, that thefe are defigned to be included in what
.be calleth " our ancient traditions;" (a v/ord v/hich he had ap-
plied feveral times before to the facred records;) and which he
reprefenteth as " impofed by authority, and afhlled by artifice."
And I think it fcarce poffible to exprefs a greater contempt ol:
any writing, than he here doth of the hiftory of the Bible, and
the examples it affords.
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol, i. p. lao, iji.
KEFLEC
REFLECTIONS
ON THE LATE
LORD BOLINGEROKFs LETTERS,
PART 11,
SECTION I.
The Hijlory and Scriptures of the Old Tejlament vindicated
againji his Lordjliip's Exceptions.
HAVING given this general viev of the author's defign, I
(hall now proceed to a more clii 18; and particular exami-
nation of the principal things he hatlV offered to invalidate the
authority of the Old Tefiament hiftory. What he faith of
Chriflianity fiiall be confidered afterwards.
I need not take much notice of what he hath urged to {hew,
that the writers of the Sacred Books did not intend an univerfal
hiftory, or fyftem of chronology*. I know nobody that fup-
pofes they did ; {o that he might have fpared that part of his
pains. But notwithftanding the Bible was not defighed for an
univerfal hiftory, or to exhibit a complete fyftem of chronology,
though it may fafely be afhrmed, that no one book in the world
gives fo great helps this way, it is fufficient if it gives us a true
hiftory as far as it goes, and which may be fafely depended upon.
This is what our author will not allow. It is manifeft, that he
placeth it in the fame rank with the moft fabulous accounts of
ancient times. This then is the point we are to confider. Let
us therefore examine what proofs or arguments he hath brought
againft the truth and credit of the Sacred Hiftory.
* Bolingbroke's "Works, vol. i. p. %oi, & feq.
Some
LORD BOLINGEY.OKE S LETTERS. 305
Some of the things offered by him to this purpofe have fcarce
fo much as the appearance of argument. Of this kind is what
he faith concerning the ufe that has been made by JewiHi Rab-
bies, and Chriftian fathers, and Mahometan doftors, of tlic Ihort
and imperfeft accounts given by Mcfes of the times from the
creation to the deluge. Let us grant, that the fables they have
feigned concerning Adam and Eve. Cain and Abel, Enoch,
Noah, and his fons, &c. are fuch as ** Bonzes or Talapoins would
*' almoft blufii to relate;" I do not fee how tlils can be rcafonably
turned to the difadvantage of the books of Mofes, or hurt the credit
of them; fmce his Lordfliip owns, that thefe fables are " pro-
*' phane extenfions of this part of the Mofaic hifiory;" and that
hilicry is certainly no-way anfwerable for the additions which have
been made to it. It would have been eafy for Mofcs, if he had
been a fabulous writer, tc have filled up tliis part of his hillory
with marveilous relations, and to have enibellifl^.ed it with fuch
fiftions, concerning our firft parents, and the moft ancient pa-
triarchs, as our author here rcferrethto: and his not having
done fo is a ftrong prefumption in his favour, that he did not
give way to fancy or inver >n, but vvrote down the. iacts as they
came to him, with an un. lefled fimplicity. His accounts are
fnort, becarJe he kept clofe to truth, and took care to record
no moYe of thofe times than he had good information of, or
than was neceiTcry to the dehgn he had in view; which ieem*
principally tc have been to give a brief account 01 the creation,
the formation of the firil liuman pair, the placing them in Para-
dife, the fall, and the flood, which v/ere the moft remarkab.'e
events of that period; and to continue the line from Adam by
Seth to Noah, as afterwards he docs from him to Abraham.
What his Lordihip obfervcs concerning the blunders of the
Jewifli chronologers^, .is not much more to his purpofe, 'except
he could prove, that thofe blunders are chargeable upon the
Scriptures; which is fo far from benig true, that, it accurately
examined, arguments may be brought from thofe very Script uics
to confute the blunders he mentions.
As to the differences he takes notice of +, between the Scrip-
ture-accounts of the Affyrian empire, and thofe given by pro-
* Eolingbroke's Works, vol. i. p. 104. f ^^^■^- P- ^^'*' ^'•^'
VOL. 11, " X i'^iie
ao6 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
fane aut'aors, i. e. by Ctefias, and them that copy froin him,
very able chronologers have endeavoured to fhew, that thofe ac-
counts may be reconciled. But if not, it would onlyiollow,
that the Scripture-hiHory differeth from Ctefias, who, in his
Lordlliip's own judgment, and by the acknowledgment of the
moft judicious among the Greeks themfelves, was a very fabulous
writer^'; and how this can be fairly thought to derogate fiog^.jl^^,.
credit and authority of the facred hiilory, I cannot fee. ,, ,^., .
But to come to thofe things on which he feems to lay a greater
ilrefs. Trie fum of what he hath offered to deftroy the truth
and credit of the facred writings araounteth to this: " That the
*' Jews, upon whofe faith they are delivered to us, were a people
*' unknown to the Greeks, till the time of Alexander the Great:
*' That they had been flaves to the Egyptians, Afiyrians, Medes,
'' and Perfians, as thefe feveral empires prevailed: That a great
"part of them had been carried captive, and loft in the eaft;
*' and the remainder were carried captive to Babylon, where
'' they forgot their country, and even their language :" And he
intimates, that " there alfo they loft their ancient facred books:
" That they were a fuperftitious people, among v/hom the cuf-
*' torn and art of pious lying prevailed remarkably : That the
•'original oi the Scriptures was compiled in their own country,
*' and, as it were, out of the fight of the reft of the world: That
•' the Jewifh hiftory never obtained any credit till Chriftianity
•* was eftabliftied; but though both Jews and Chriftians hold the
•'fame books in great veneration, yet each condemns the other
** Tor not underftanding, or for abufing them : That the accidents
*' vvhich have happened to alter the text of the bible ftiew, that
"it could not have been originally given by divine infpiration;
" and that they are come down to us ferok^n and. confufed, full
•' of additions, interpolations, and tranfpofitions : That they are,
"nothing more than compilations_-of old traditions, an^ ^bridg-^.
"\^ients of old records rnade in later tifnes: Apd.Uiat.- Jews .a^p,^
*' Chriflians differ' am-ong tliemfelves concerning almoft every
" ^olnt that is necefiary to eftablifli the authority of thcvfe bppksv'
He concludes with " jfoiiie obferyatipn^ on t^h^\|:;v»tfe f?^^, ,l;9 .J3A
^'^'pronoiinbedtiyTN^oa^^ upo^n Canaan '* wliich^er^yo^uldjl^aYe,j)^^fj^
* Solingbrokc's Worlis, vol. i, p.. 7(5. 80.
for
LORD BOLINGBROKe's LETTERS. 307
for " an abfurd fiaioii of the writer of the bpok of Gehefis'/**^^
and lie feemeth to have fingled out this as one of the properelc
inftances he could find for expofing the Scripture.
''Let us confider thefe things diftinctly.
It IS nbjutt prejudice againfl the credit of the Scripture-hiflory,
that the Jews, among whom thofe writings were prcferved, and
whbfe aflpairs are there recorded, were, as appeareth from thofe
writings, *' flaves to the Egyptians, AfTyrians, Medes, and Per-
*' fians, as their feveral empires prevailed '•^" It rather furnifiieta
a proof of the truth and impartiality of thofe records, that thev
give an undifguifed account, not only of the flourifliing times of
their ftate (for there were times in which they were llourifhing,
free, and independent), but of their difgraces, defeats, captivities,
and all the calamities that befel them, which, according to thefe
accounts, were in a way of jnft punirnment for their national
iniquities, their difobcdicn cc and ingratitude. Yet under all
thefe various revolutions, their nation was never entirely loH, nor
incorporated with their conquerors. Though many of them re-
volted, ftill there was a nuir.ber of them that with an unalterable
zeal and conilancy adhered to their ancient religion and laws,
which they regarded as of a divine original : a religion remarkably
diiiinH from that of the nations to which they were fubjefted, and
on the account of which they were frequently expofedto hatred,
perfecution, and reproach^
^itfcMJeWs were unknown to the Greeks before Alexander
tlie 'Great, this affordeth not the lead probable prefumption, that
their ancient hiRory is not to be depended upon. The Greeks, by
tills author's own acknowledgment, did not begin to write hilLory
tiU very late. The knowledge they had of other nations was
very narrow and confined; and, particularly, they were in a
great meaf are ffrangers to the languages, laws, cuftortis, and hif-
tofy, of the eafler n nations. He himfelf obferves, that after the
times of Alexander the Great, and even long after the Jewifh
ScSriptufiss Were tranflated into Greek, the Jews, and their liift<;ry
were neglecled by them, and continued to be almoft as much
unknown as before +. And yet certain it is, that the Jevv^s were .
theh'iacbnfiderable people, and that the Greeks had manyoppor-
* Bolingbroke'sV/orks,vQl.i:p. 84. ; t Ibid. p. 9 c
X 2 Uwiitic*
^Od -REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
tunities of being acquainted with them. Let us grant what he
infinu^itQs, tljiat this was owing, not to w^ant of curiofity in the
Greeks, fince they were, as he obferves, *' inquifitive to the
*• highefl degree, and pubhflied as many idle traditions of other
*' nations as of their own*;" but to the contempt they had for
the Jews. What can be inferred from thence? Doth it follow
that the Jewilh Scriptures are not authentic, nor their hiflories
to be credited, bccaufe the Greeks neglefted or defpifed them,
and did not own their authority ? This is eafily accounted for
by any one that confiders the nature of the Jewifh inflitutions.
It is not to be wondered at, that a people fo excefTively vain as
the Greeks, and who looked upon the reft of the world as bar-
barians, fliould conceive an averfion or contempt for a nation,
whofe laws and religion were fo different from their "own, among
whom all image-worfhip was moft exprefsly prohibited, and no
adoration was paid to inferior deities, in which the religion of the
Greeks, and of which they were extremxcly fond, principally con-
fiiled. If the Jewifli facred books had contained ftrange ftories
of the exploits of their gods, of their genealogies, battles, and
amours, or traditions that tended to fupport a fyllem of idolatry,
the Greeks undoubtedly vv^ould have been ready enough to tranf-
cribe thefe things iBto their writings; thefe fables would have
been fuited to their talle. But it cannot be fuppofed, that they
ilicuid pay any regard to the accounts given of extraordinary
miraculous fafts, that were defigned to eftablifh and give fanftion
to a conftitution, the manifeft tendency of which was to condemn
and fubvert that idolatrous worfliip, to which they were fo ex-
cefTively addifted.
Among all tlie heathen nations, none expreffed a greater enmity
to the Jews than the Egyptians, who were themfelves of all peo-
ple the moft ftupidly idolatrous. One of their writers, Apion
of Alexandria, is particularly mentioned by our author as having
*' fooken of the Jews in a manner neither much to their honour,
'* nor to that of their hiftories." This feems to have recommended
him to his Lordfliip's favour; for he fpeaks of him as a man
*' of much erudition, and as having palled for a curious, alaho-
** rious, and learned antiquary," though he owns that he pafled
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. i. p. 88.
alfo
alfo " for a vain and noify pedant''^. But it we may jiirlcre of
him by the fragments of his work which Jofephus has given ns,
he was, with regard to the Jews, an ignorant and mahcious
writer, who does not appear to have been acquainted with their
hiftories and lav/s, though he pretended to write againft them,
and might fo eafily have procured information, if he had defired it.
And this appears to have been the cafe of feveral others of the
heathen writers that mention the Jews. They feem not to have
given themfelves the trouble to make any diligent inquiry into
their hiftory or laws, as delivered by themfelves, but took up
with idle reports and traditions to their prejudice; and yet in
the accounts given of the Jews by the heathen writers, imperfc£l:
as they are, there are fame valuable hints and traces to be dif-
cerned, which fhew the falfehood of other things they report
concerning themf.
It is therefore a little odd, that Rich a ftrefs fhould be laid
upon this, tli^t " the Jewifli hiftory never obtained any credit in
" the world, till Chriftianity was eftablifhed:" i. e. it obtained
no credit among the heathen nations; or as he elfewhere ex-
preffeth it, '* we do not find, that the autliority of thefe books
*' prevailed am.ong the pagan world ^." ■ How could it be ex-
pe8;ed that it Ihould ? Since the heathens could not acknow-
ledge it, and continue heathens ; for it was abfolutely fubverfive
of the whole fyftem of paganifm. The authority of thofe books
was believed and received among all thofe, by whom it could be
reafonably expeBcd that it fliould be believed and received: that
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. i. p. 90, 91.
t There is an heathen writer, of a very different charp^er from Aplon,
who gives a much more candid account of the Jewiui nation: I mean the
judicious Strabo, of whom our author himfelf fpeaks with the highefi ef>eem.
He makes the caufe of Mofes's forfaking Egypt to be his being difTatitfied
v/ith the falfe notions of God, and his wordiip, that had obtained among th5
Egyptians; and fuppofes him to have entertained jufter and nobler notions
of the divinity than the Egyptians, or Lyblans, or Greeks: that with him
went from Egypt Jnany that honoured the deity, vrox>o\ T.,a«vf«f to Qlm', that he
perfuaded many good men, and brought them into the country where Jerulalcm
is built J andth&t there they continued, />m-rl/>^>^V^ orny.i^o////^A and
being truly religions, or fmcere rjjorfoippers cf God, hi.cci:fQccyov.'.i^yS^ ^-^'-'f <">
J^x«95f 2v7.f, but that afterwards they degenerated.-See Strabo, hb. xvi.
t Bolingbroke's Works, vol. i. p. 87* 9i'
310 > REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
ss, it was acknowledged and received by that nation lamong
tArhomthofe writings, and the memory of the laws and fafts, had
l^een conftantly preferved, and who regarded them with great
veneration, as of a divine original ; and alfo by thofe among the
)ieathens themfelves, who, upon the credit of the Jewifli religion,
]avvs, and records, quitted the heatiien idolatry : and thefe were
0II that could be reafonably expefted to acknowledge the autho-
rity of the Jewifli facred books, even fuppofing their authority
to have been ever fo well founded.
Bat it is urged as a ground of fufpicion againft the Jewifti
Scriptures, that " they ^v^ere compiled in their own' country,
• ' and, as it were, out of the fight of the reft of the world.'*
And it was certainly moft proper, that the books in which their
laws, and the moil remarkable events relating to their nation,
are recorded, fhould be pubiilhed in their own country, the
icene where the chief actions were laid. This is no diminution
of their credit, but the contrary ; and if they had been compiled
in any other country, or by foreigners, and perfons net of their
tDwn nation, it might have been faid, and not without fome
appearance of reafon, that they might be miftakcn, and take up
with wrong and irnperfeft accounts, both of lav/s and fa£ls.
But v/hat this author feems chieOy to inhft upon, to Oiew that
little credit is to be given to thefe writings, is, " that they are
• ' hiftorics delivered to us on the faith of a luperftitious people ;
*' amcng Vvhom the cuftom and art cf pious lying prevailed
** remarkably*.^'
In order to form a proper judgment of this matter, let us take
a brief view of the Jewiih Scriptures, that we may fee what
likelihood there is of their having been feigned by a fuperftitious
and lying people.
in general, it maybe obferved, that if we compare the facred
books of the Jews with thofe of any other the moft admired
r.atfions, fuch as Greece and Rome, v^e (liall foon fee a moft ftrik-
ing and amazing difference. Their whole conftltution was of a
pecaliar nature ; fo vaftly different from that of other countries,
that' it well deferveth the attention and admiration of every
.impartial and coniidering obferver. It was the only conftitu-
i-tson 'Yn ihkr worW,'. yhere. the acknowledgment and worlhip 0 f
* Bolingbroke's Wjorks, vol. i. p. 87. j^],^
LORD BOLINGEPwOKe's LETTERS. 3 1 1
tTie one true God, the fovercign. Lord of the unlverfc, and of
him alone, is made the fundamental maxim of their flate, and
principle of their government, in which all their laws centre,
and the main end to which they are all directed. All worfhip o€
inferior deities is forbidden ; no deified heroes admitted ; no
images fuffered. Many of their facred rites feera to have been
inflituted in a defigned oppofition to thofe cf the neighbouring
nations, that they might not incorporate with them, or learn
their idolatrous cuifoms, to which the Ifraelites, for a long time,
were very prone. Nor is there any likelihood that they would
have embraced or fubmitted to a conftitution fq difTerent from
the then generally prevailing idolatry, if it had not been for the
manifell proofs that were given them of its divine original.
The author of thefe Letters indeed intimates, that many of their
rites were derived from the Egyptians ; but whatever confor-
mity there might be in Tome particular inflances, nothing is -more
■certain and evident, than that the whole fyftem of the Jcwifli
religion was moil eflfentially oppofitc to that of the Egyptians,
and other pagan nations, and tended to caft contempt on their
adored deities, and on that idolatrous worlnip to wh'ica the hea-
thens were fo much addicted, and v/hich was ellablifiicd by the
laws of their refpe6live countries.
As to the moral and devotional treatifes, which make up an-
other part of their facred writings, they are inconteftably excel-
lent. Their poetry is of a moR divinedlrain, far fuperior to
that cf other ancient nations, having an unexampled dignity,
elevation, and fublimity in it, filled with the noblcft fentiments
of the Divinity, and of his glorious incomparable perteftions,
and governing providence.
The fame obfervation may be m.ade on the prophetical writ-
ings, in which we may difcern many remarkable characters of
genuine truth and purity. A fervent zeal for God, and for
pure and undefiled religion, every- where appears : nor is there
any thing in them that breathes the fpirit of this world, or that
favours of ambition, artifice, or impoRure. The whole inten-
tion of them, is manifeftly to reclaim the people from idolatry,
vice, and wickednefs, to engage them to the pure worftiip. of
God, and to the praaice of univerfal righteoufnel's. With a
Roble freedom and impartiality do they reprove their kings,
X i pnuvc?,
312 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
princes, prieRs, people ; denouncing the moft awful threaten^
ings againil them, if they Oioula periift in their evil and fmftil
courfes ; and encouraging them with the moft gracious prGmifes
to rcpcn-tance, and new obedience: and all this mixed with
irany remarkable and exprefs predi61ionsof future events, which
no human fagacity could have fore feen, and which derived fuch
2n authority to them, that though they were often reproached
and perfcGuted when alive, their charafter and writings were
afterwards regarded by the whole nation with the profoundeft
veneration. And it deferveth to be particularly remarked, that
whereas the Jews, as well as mankind in all ages, have been
prone to place religion chiefly in external forms, and ritual ob-
lervances, as if thefe would compenfate for the negle8: of the
moral precepts, there are many pa/Tages in their facred books,
ef^ecially thofe of the prophets, which in the ftrongeft terms
reprefent the utter infuniciency of all ritual obfervances with-
out real holinefs of heart and life, and even fpeak of them in a
very diminutive manner, and with a feeming contempt, when
oppofed to cr abftra£led from moral goodnefs and virtue ; and
fuch writings certainly do not look like the inventions of a fu-
perftitious and lying people.
But as the facred hiftory is what this writer fetteth himfelf
particularly to expofe and invalidate, let us take a brief view of
the hiftcrical parts of Scripture ; and tiiefe are no lefs remark-
able, and v/orthy of our attention, than the laws, the prophecies,
the moral and devotional writings.
As to a general idea of their hiftory, it is of as different a
complexion from that of other nations as their laws, and is of
the fame noble tendency with their other facred books. It every-
v/hcre breathes the profoundeft veneration for the Deity. The
chief defign of it is not merely to anfwer civil or political views,
or to prcfcrve the annals of their nation, or trace it up to its ori-
ginal (lliouglithis aifo is done), but for nobler purpofcs ; to pro-
■zr.dic the true worfhip of God, and the praiitice of piety and
virtue ; to preferve the reinembrance of God's wonderful
n'.'Orks of providence towards his profefiing people ; to fliew the
favours, the bleftings, the deliverances, vouchfafcd to them,
tlie profperity and. happinefs they enjoyed, when they kept clofe
10 the laws' of God, and continued in the practice of virtue and
riditeoufnefs ;
LORD BQLINGJBPvOKE S, LETTERS. 3 { o
iiigkeoufnefs ; and on the other hand, the great calamities which
befel them when th^y broke the divine law and covenant, and
lap fed into idolatry ,;.vic^T and wickednefs. Such are the ufeFul
leflbns which their hiftory is defigned to teach, and to this excel-
lent end is it dire6led.
To which it may be added, that there are obfervable in it re-
markable charafters of fimplicity, and an impartial regard to
truth. It is plain, from the whole tenor of their hiftory, that
it was not compiled to give falfe and flattering accounts of their
nation, or partial and elegant encomiums of their great men.
Their great actions indeed are recorded, but their faults arc alfo
related, with a fimplicity and impartiality that deferves to be ad-
mired. Neither Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, nor any other
people, have formed their hillories fo much to the difadvantage
of their own nation, or charged them with fuch repeated revolts
from the religion and laws of their country. Let us fuppofe
the jews ever fo much poffeiTed with the fpirit of lying, it
would never have put them upon forging a body of hiftory fo
much to the prejudice of their own national charafter. It
tcndeth indeed to give an high idea of the great things God had
done for them, of the privileges conferred upon them, and the
excellency of thqir laws (and that theiij laws are excellent, no
man can doubt that ferioufly reads and confiders them), but at
the fame time it fetteth the ingratitude, the difobedience, the
{lupidity, of that people, their oppofition to God's authonty,
and abufe of his goodnefs, their manifold backOidings and un-
ft;edfaft;nefs in his covenant, in the ftrongeft: light. Their dif-
graces, defeats, captivities, are no- where concealed ; they are
reprefented as frequently brought under the yoke of the neigh-
bouring nations, -in a manner much to their difhonour ; and their
deliverances are afcribed, not to their own wifdom, conduft, and
bravery, but to the mercy of God, upon their repentance. In
a word, their hillory is a continued account of God's goodnefs,
patience, and juilice, exercifed towards them ; and of their own
Ilrange, perverfe, and unaccountable conducl. This is fo mani-
fcft:, that it hath been often turned to their reproach, and hath
given occafion to the reprefenting them as an obftinatCi ungrate-
fiiij-an/d-xcbcilious race,(.aia!d tOiiitcibiar-cjjarr- -': St. Stephen
../. „^ ,^>;» .; u ..,\.,.-..,o., I,;.. advanccili
314 ^.EFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
advanceth again ft them from their own Scriptures: Ye fliff^
necked^ and uncircumciftd in heart and ears, ye do always refifl
the Holy Ghofl : as your fathers did, fa do ye. Which of the
prophets have not your fathers perfecuted? Aftsvii. 51. Thefe
confiderations naturally tend to derive a peculiar credit to the
Jewiili Scriptures, as containing true and faithful accounts,
not forged by a fuperlliticus lying people. Whatever opinion
therefore we may have of the Jev/s, yet their facred books de^
ferve great regard. Nor is there any ground to fuppofe, that
thefe books of records were of their inventing. At l^aft, I
believe, this will fcarce be pretended with reg^lrd to the Jews
in the latter times of their ftate, however they might otherwife
be addifted to fiftion and embellifhment. They received thefe
books as facred from their anceftors, and were themfelves fo
fully perfiiadcd of the divine original and authority of their
laws, and th^ certainty and authenticity of thefe records, that
they adhered to them with a zeal fcarce to be paralleled in any
Other nation. So great was the veneration they had for them,
that after the canon was completed, they vrere extremely fcru-
pulous not to make any additions to their facred boohs, or re-
ceive any others into their number as of equal authority, though
written by the greateft and wifeft men of their nation. And
if any perfons had endeavoured to alter or corrupt them, the
fraud, the impofture, mull have been immediately detefted,
for thefe facred books were not, like thofe of other nations,
confined to the priells only ; they were in the hands of the peo-
ple, conftantiy and publicly read in their fynagogues ; the lav.'s,
and the facls, were v.rhat they v/cre all acquainted with, and
inflru61ed in from their infancy.
If therefore there be any ground of fufpicion, it mufl fall,
not upon the latter Jews, but upon Ezra, and thofe by whom
the facred canon was finilhed. If their hilfory and facred books
were forged or corrupted, the moil likely time that can be
fixed for it, is upon their return from the Babylonifh captivity.
And this feems to be the asra fixed upon by the author of thefe
Letters. He obferv.cs, that *' the Babylonifh captivity lafted (o
"long, and fuch circuraftanees, whatever they were, accom-
'' panicd it, that the captives forgot their country, and even their
r^ - :>■ ' ' " language.
LORD BOLINGKROKES" LETTERS. gl^
^\)lkngiizge; the Hebrew dhleOi, at lead, and chara6ler*." And
Afterwards he intimates, that the Scriptures were " loft during
5fthe captivity t." And he obferves, that *' Ezra began, and
^i.Siinon the Juft iinifhed, the canon of the Scriptures!."
-r: -Let us grant, that in the Babylonifh captivity, the Jews learned
^fee Chaldee langnacre, which thenceforth became mere familiar
t<ir»jtliem than the Hebrew; and that the old Hebrew character
was, as many learned men fuppofe, though it is far from bein,^
certain, changed for the Chaldee; the latter being fairer, caficr,
kiid^'more generally ufed among the people; yet this is far from
proving, either that the Hebrew language was entirely forgotten
by them, or that their facred books were loft in the captivity.
There are many things that plainly fhew the contrary. The
prophet Ezekiel, who prophefied during the capitivity to the
Jews in Chaldea, wrote and publifiicd his prophecies in Hebrew.
So did the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, who pre-
pibefied feveral years after the return from the Babylonifh cap-
tivity: which fhews, that the Flebrew language was ftill in ufe,
and was underftood by many of the people. The fame thing
may be concluded from this; that all the facred books that were
written after the captivity were written in Hebrew, except a
•part of Ezra and Daniel. Nehemiah, who had been a great man
in thePerfian court, wrote his ovrn memoirs in Hebrew: which
fhews, that the Jews who continued in Perfia, their great men
at leaft, ftil! retamed the knowledge of that language. And as
the Hebrew language was not abfolutely forgotten among the
Jews in their captivity, fo neither were their facred books en^
tirely loft. Indeed it were ablurd to fuppofe it. That captivity,
though it lafted feventy.years from the fir ft beginning of it under
Jehoiakim, yet from the time of the utter defolation of Jerufa-
lem, and the temple, and the carryin-g away the laft remainder o-f
the people to Babylon, continued but about fiHy years. AluI
there were not a few of them that had been carried away from
Jerufalem, who furvived the whole time, and lived to come
batk. Many of the pnefls and Leinies, and chtcfoflheja/kers,
who-here^andsnt men, thathad Jan. the firjl kcwfe, when the
foundation of tht fcond hoitfr was laid hfore ihar eyes, zoept
* Bolingbrcke's Works, vol. i. p. 84« t I^^^« P- ^o^* ^ ^^^' P* ^'''
zvitk
Oia KEF LECTIONS ON THE LATE
7mth a loud voice^ Ezra iii. 12. All thofe among them that
jiyed to feventy or eighty years were twenty or thirty years old
when Jerufalem and the temple were deftroyed; and to fuppofe,
that thefe iTiOuld entirely forget their languiige, or their religion,
hiilcry, and laws, is very abfurd: add to this, that the people
were . in expeftation of a deliverance, and rertitution to their
cvv-n land, of which the prophets had aiTured tiiem ; and this
would naturally make them more careful to preferve their laws,
and the ancient authentic records and m.emorials of their nation.
It appeareth from the accounts given of thofe that returned,
that many of the priefts, the Levites, the fingers, the porters,
the Nethinims, &c. had preferved their genealogies during the
captivity, in profpeft of their return, and of their being again em-
ployed in the facred functions; and thofe v^ho could not clearly
ihcw their genealogies, were put from the priefthood, Ezra-ii,
62. Nch. vii. 64. Great num.bers of the people could alfo
prove their genealogies: and where there were any that could
not do this, it is particularly taken notice of, that they could not
iluw their father's houfe^ Ezra ii. 59. It is manifell therefore,
that tiiere were regiflers of genealogies preferved in Babylon;
and is it not reafcnable to conclude, that they would be no lefs
careful to preferve their facred books, cfpccially thofe of Mofes,
in which we're their original records, and the laws on which their
whole conftitution depended?
If the Jcv;s had bedn for changing their own laws and cuiloms,
we may fuppofe it muil have been in order to their adopting
thofe of their conquerors, and cf the country to which they
were tranfplanted, and in which they fettled. But it is evi-
dent, that, in faft, they did not do this; fince the whole fyflcm
of their worlliip and conftitution was, upon their return, very
different from that of the Babylonians. If therefore they learned
their language, or ufed their letters and charafters in writing;
yet flill it is certain, that they worfliipped not their gods, nor
adopted their religion, and facred rites. They flill preferved
their own; and the captivity and defolation of their nation,
whichi they looked upon as a punifiiment for their manifold re-
volts, idoJatiiic^, and deviations from their law,' tencled to ih.-.
crcafe, inftead of extmguilhing," their veneration for itl
By Daniel's folemn ftipplication and faftirg, when the time
came
LOUD eolingbeokl's letters. 31^
came that had been marked out in the prophecies for their return,
it appeareth, tliat he had the book of Jeremiah's Prophecies be-
fore him, Dan. ix. 2. And the confeffion he there maketh is re-
markable: All Ifrael have tranfgrejfed thy law — tJurcfore the
curfe is come upon us; and the oath that is written in the law
ojMofcs, thejervant of God, becaufc zve have finned againjl him —
And he hath coyfrnuid his words which he f pake againfl us, ai:d
againft our judges that judged us — As it is written in the law
of Mofcs, all this evil is come upon us, vcr. 11,12, 13. Here
it is plainly fuppofed, that . there was a written law of Mofes
extant in his time, known to him and to the people, and wliich
was regarded as the law of God himfelf : that they had tranf-
grefTed that law, and thereby had exnofed tliem fel vcs to the
dreadful judgment denounced againft them, and written in that
law, as the juft punidiment of their revolt and difobedience.
Soon after this, when the people returned, under the conduct of
Zerubbabel, Jefnua, and others, we find them gathered together
to celebrate the feaft of tabernacles, in the fcventh month, and
^offering the daily burnt offerings, and thofe of the ncw-mcons^
^.nA fet feafls, hthAe^ free-zuill offerings : and all this is faid to.
be done as written in the law of Mofes, Ezra iii. 1 — 6.: and this
plainly ftieweth, that they had the written law of iVlofes with
them. They alfo appointed the priefts and Levites, in tlieir
feveral courfes, and the fingers, and fervice of the temple, ac-
cording to the ordinances of David, the man of God, Ezra iii.
10, 11. The facred hymns or pfalms, therefore, that had been
ufed in the temple worfliip, were not loft in the captivity ; and
indeed the Pfalms of David carry evident charafters of genuine-
nefs in them. They v/ere many of them compofed on fpecial
occafions, and adapted to his peculiar circumftances, in a man-
ner which plainly fhewed they were not forged in after-times.
And the preferving fo many of the pfalms and hvmns, fome of
which contain an abridgment of their facred hillory, is a mani-
feft indication of the care they took } and that' there was not a
general deftru6lion of their facred books in the captivity. The
fame obfervation may be applied to the prophetical writings,
and to their facred records. It is plain, that the hiflory of their
kings was preferved; to which there is frequent reference in th.e
books compiled after the Bahvlonifl^ captivity.
Tiic
3 i 8 REF LECTIONS . ON THE. LATE .
-The cpmmifTion afterwards given to Ezra by ArtaxerxeSj
plainly fuppofed the law of Mofcs to be then in being, and in
the highefl aiuhority ; and only empowered him to regulate every,
thing according to that law. He is defcribed in Artaxerxes's:
conimiflion as a ready fcribe in the law of Mofes : as one greatly'.
fkiUed in that law, and fit to inftruft others in it; and is re^i^
quired to fet magiftrates and judges to judge the people, fuch
as knezi) the law of God^ Ezra vii. 6. lo. 25. Soon after EztS"
came Nehemiah, a great man in the Perfian court,. and who was
appointed governor of Judea; and everything throughout his
book difcovereth, that he and the whole people profcifed the
higheft veneration for the law of Mofes. Before he cameti&i
Judea, he was w^ell acquainted with that law, and regarded it:fi«5
of divine authority, Neh. i. 7, 8, 9. During his adminiilratioBi^'
•we have an account of a foleran reading of the law, by Ezra, it^
the hearing of all the people; who heard it with the utmoft .re-
verence and attention : in this he was afliifed by feveral LeviteS,
who read i?i the book, in the law of God^ difiinBly, and gave th^
fafe, and caufed them to underftand the reading, Neh.viii. 1— 9^'
Again, we are told of another folemn reading of the law, before
all the people, Neh. ix. 1, 2, 3. And in the admirable* confef^
fion made on that cccafion by the Levites, there is an excellent'-
fummary of the principal events recorded in the hiftorical parts ^
of the books of Mofcs; fuch as the calling of Abraham; their
bondage and oppreiTion in Egypt ; their being brought out front
thence with fmns and v/onders. and dreadful iudfrments executed-
o - Jo
upon Pharaoh and his people ; the dividing of the fea before themv
fo that they pafTed through it as on dry land, v/hilft the Egyptians
that purfued them were overwhelmed in the deep; the promu^-'''-
gation of the law at Sinai, with remarkable tokens of the divitie
prefence and glory; the miracles v/rought in the wildernefs, the-^
leading them by a cloud in the day, and a pillar of fire by night*'-
the giving them m.anna-bread from heaven to eat, and cleaving'^
tlie rock to give them, water to drink : and finally, bringing th^to •
into poffeiTion of the land of Canaan. Thefe things, v/hieh ar^'
tliC moft remarkable facts in the hiPtory of their narioiT,- tbge^Ki^i^'^'
with their fsequcnt rebellions, difobedienGe, and ingrati^tT(5ey'l
particularly their making and worfliipping the molten calf in tKfe*'^
Vi'ilderuefs, the ftariJii?g.di{grace of .their fiahd^a/ antl' th^Kfi^.^ti'
fequent
LORD EOLINGEROKE S LETTERS. Qig
fequent revolts, calamities, and deliverances, afier they came
into the land of Canaan, are there taken notice of in the public
conleffions and acknowledgments made to God in the name and
prefence of all the people; and are mentioned as thinVs com-
njonly known and acknowledged among them, and as of un-
doubted truth and certainty.
. Taking thefe things together, it feqms to appear, with all the
evidence w^hich the nature of the thing is capable of, that the
Jewifh facred books and records were not loft in the Babylonifh
captivity; that they were in pofTcffion of them, and held them in
gi-eat veneration, before Ezra came to Jcrufalem: and it v/ould
be a wild imagination to fuppofe, that he had it in his power,
even if he had it in his inclination, [o far to impofc upon all
the Jews, both thofe in Judea, and thofe that continued in Ba-
bylon, and other parts of the Perfian empire, as to make them
all with one confent receive thofe for their ancient laws, by
which their nation had been always governed, which were not
their ancient laws; and thofe for their ancient authentic hif-
tories, and facred records, which were not the ancient authentic
records. All that his commiiTion from Artaxer7ies extended to,
was, to order things according to the law of Mofes; and this he
effecied. When he came, he found feveral abufes contrary to
that law, countenanced by men of great power and intereft, and
in which feveral of the chief priefts, as well as numbers of the
people, were engaged ; and he fet hirnfelf to reform them accord-
ing to that law ; and thefe regulations would not have been tamely
fubrnltted to, if it had not been well known, that the laws and
conftitutions he urged upon them, were the true original laws of
Mofes.
As to the eftablifhing the facred canon, which is attributed to
Ezra, and to thofe v/hom the Jews call the men of the great {y-
nagogue, the laft of v/hom was Simon the Juft, this is not to be
underllood as if thefe books w^ere not accounted facred, or were
regarded as of no authority before. The bocks were alread/
well known, and looked upon as facred : they had not tlieir au-
thority» becaufe Ezra acknowledged them : but he collected and
publifhed them, becaufe they were known to be authentic. It
may indeed be well fuppofed, that faults and variations might
Lave crept into the copies of thofe bocks, and that they needed
to
320 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
to be carefully revifed : and this was a work for whicl) Ezra was
admirably fitted, by his great llcill in the law, and in the facred
records of his nation, as well as his noted integrity. And if he
accordingly revifed the original facred books, and publifhed a
more correal edition of them, or abridged fome of their ancient
records, to render them of more general ufe among the people,
and here and there inferted fome palTages, for explaining and il-
liiilrating things that were grown obfcure; this v/as certainly a
work of great ufe. And fuppofing him to have done this, and
that this work continued to be afterwards carried. on by fome of
the moft knowing and excellent men of their nation, till it was
with great care completed, 1 do not fee how it in the leaft affefts
the authority or credibility of thofe books. The whole nation
in general were fo fenfible of Ezra's great fidelity and diligence,
that he was always afterwards had in the highell honour : and
they were fo convinced that tliefe were the original facred books,
that they received them with an extraordinary veneration. Nor
did they ever pay the fame regard to any other fubfequent writings
in their own nation : and though the Sanhedrim continued to have
great authority amiong them, they never pretended to put any
other books upon them as divine, or as of equal authority with
the facred books. No\v hov/ comes it, that they put fo great a
difference between them, and that the authority of thefe books
was univerfaliy acknowledged by the v/hole nation, and the other
not ? This fheweth, that however credulous the Jev/s might be
in other things, yet they v/ere particularly c::^ci and fcrupulous
in not receiving any books into the facred canon, but what they
judged they had good reafon to look upon as authentic.
The moft remarkable part of the Jewifli hiftory is, that which
is contained in the books of Mofes. It is there we have an ac-
count of the firft conffcitution of their facred polity ; the promul-
gation ot the ten commandments, with the moft amazing demon-
fl rations of a divine power and jnajefty; and the extraordinary
miraculous fafts done in Egypt and in the wildernefs, by which
the authority of that law was efiablifired. And whofoever al-
loweth this part of tl.»e Jewifli hiftory to be authentic, will not
much fcruple the fubfequent parts of their hiftory. Now it is
Evident, that as it was not Ezra that gave authority to the law of
Mofes, which was; in Uic higheft authority bsfor^, or who caufed
the
LORD BOLINGBROKE*S' LETTERS. 32 if
the people to receive it as divine ; fo neither were the facfs^
whereby the authority of that law was attefted, Jirjl publilhed
by him. They had been all along believed, and the remem-
brance of them kept up, among the people. The books of Mofes
exhibit a remarkable intermixture of laws and fa&s : and it ap-
pears to have been fo from the beginning, though our author
infmuates the contrary, but gives no reafon for it *. Audit
was wifely ordered, that the fafts fhould go along with the laws ;
feveral of v/hich fuppofe thofe fa6ls, and have a manifeft relation
to them. And as the laws v/ere received with great veneration,
fothe fa61s were equally received and believed among the people,
in all ages, from the time in which thofe laws were given. And
it deferveth to be remarked, that the fd61s were of fuch a kind,
that they could not have been impofed upon the people, how-
ever ftupid we fuppofe them to have been, at the time the laws
were given, if they had not been true. If Mofes had only told
the Ifraelites, as Mahomet did the Arabians, inftead of working
miracles before them, as they demanded, of a journey he made
to heaven, where he received the law : or as Numa did the
ancient Romans, of conferences he had with the goddefs
Egeria in a wood or grove, to which no other perfons were wit-
neiTes, and which depended entirely upon his own word ; this
might have adminiftered ground of fufpiclon, that he only
feisrned a divine commifTion, the more effeftually to enforce his
laws upon an ignorant and fuperftitious people. But he took a
quite different method. The faPis he relateth, and upon the cre^
dit of which the divine authority of his laws is refted, were of a'
moft public nature, done in open view before the people, of
which they were all faid to be witneiTes, and in which therefore,
if they had not been true, it would have been the eafieft thing in
the world to have detefted him. And indeed, confidering the
llubborn difpofition of the people, and their great pronenefs ta
idolatry, it can fcarce be conceived, that they would have re-
ceived or fubm.itted to fuch a law and conftitution, if they them-
felves had not been allured of the truth of thofe faBs whereby
the divinity of it was confirmed. In the admirable recapitula-
tion of the law, contained in the book of Deuteronomy, which
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. i. p. 100.
VOL. 11, Y carrieth
322 REFLECTIONS ON TME LAT£i
carrieth as ftrong evidences of genuine antiquity ^ finiplicily , and
integrity, as any writings can pofTibly have, and in which he dc-
livereth himfelf with an inimitable gravity, dignity, and autho-
rity, mixed with the moft afFeflionate tendernefs and concern, as
becometh the lawgiver and father of his people, and exhorteth
them to the obfervance of the law in the moft pathetical and en-
gaging manner; there is a conftant reference to tlie great and
extraordinary fa6ls wrought in Egypt, and in the wildernefs ; an
appeal is made to the people concerning them, as things which
they themfelves had fcen and known. And never was there
greater care taken to prefcrve a remembrance of any laws and
fafts than there v.'as of thefe. He delivered the book of the law,
containing an account both of laws and fafts, not only to the
frieJIs^ but to the elders of IJrad, the heads of the feveral tribes,
before his death: and the original of the lav/ was depofued in the
fides of the ark, in the moft holy place. A moft folemn charge
was laid upon the people, in the name of God, as they valued his
favour, and their own happinefs, frequently to coniider thofe
laws and fafts themfelves, and to teach them diligently to their
children. Sacred rites were inftituted, and public feftivals ap-
pointed, to prcferve the memorials of the principal fa6ts, from
the time in which thofe fa61s were done. And accordingly the
remembrance of them was confiantiy preferved among them in
all ages. In all the fucceeding monuments of their nation,
throughout their v/hcle hiftory, and in their devotional and pro-
phetical writings, and in their public folemn forms of coiifef-
fjon and thankfgiving, there was llill a conftant reference to thofe
facb as of undoubted credit; and upon the credit of thofe fafts,
thofe laws were both at firft received, and continued afterwards
to be acknowledged and fubmitted to : for notv/ithftanding the
IrCv-juent defeftions of the people to the idolatrous rites and cuf-
toms of the neighbouring nations, yet they never totally and uni-
yerfaily apoftatifed from the law of Mofes, but ftill acknowledged
its facrednefs and divine authority*.
* That the law of Mofes, with the fa<5ls there recorded, may be trnced,
from the time in v/hich that law was given, and the facets done, through all
the fucceeding ages of tlie Jewilh nation; and that we have all the evidence
of their having been tranfmitted without any material corruption or altera-
tion, that can be reafonabiy delired ; I have elfewhere more fully ihewn, in
the Anfivcr to Chrifmnity as Qld as thf QrifttiQ?.', vol. ii, chap. 4,
The
LORD BOUNGBrvOKL S LETTERS. ^Q.^
The author of thefe Letters takeih particular notice of the fa^•
bles invented by the Helleniftic Jews, to authorize the Gire^k
verfion of the Hebrew Scriptures^. But I do not fee how any
argument can be fairly drawn from thefe fables to the prejudice
of the facred books themfelves, which were thus tranflated, or to
deftroy their aiuhoriiy or credibility. Tlie ftrong perfuafion
they had of the divine authority of the original Scripture's, migl.t
make the Jews at Alexandria more ready to entertain ftorieS in
favour of the tranflation of thefe Scriptures into Greek, from
which they found great benefit ; this being the language they heft
underftood, and which was then become of general ufe. Kut
thofe ftorics were not generally received by the Jewifli natiorr,
though they all univerfally agreed in acknowledgingthe autho-
rity of the originals ; nor were they ever inferted in the facri:d
writings, or in any books, the authority of which was generally
received among them.
The firft thing that gave rife to thofe flories was, the liiftory
of Arifteas ; which feems to have been contrived on purpcfe to
do honour to that verfion, and gives a pompous accoutht'df'ifc.
And yet even in that hiftory there is nothing faid of tiiofe mira-
culous circumilances, which were afterwards invented to fhew,
that thofe interpreters were under an extraordinary divine guid-
ance. On the contrary, that book, though it be the foundation
of all that is faid concerning the Septuagint, may be proved to
be plainlv inconfiftent with thofe fubfequent fables and fi61ions,
and is fufiicient to deteft the falfity of them. There is therefore
no parallel at all between thefe Helllniftical fables, and the facred
Hebrew records; except it could be proved, that one part of
thofe ancient records is inconuHent with other fubfequent parts
of them, and furnifhes maniFeil proofs of their falfehood; which
neither his Lordfnip, nor any other, has been able to fhew.
Another argument, on which he feems to lay a mighty Itrefs,
in order to fet afide the authority of the Scripture, is drawn from
the accidents that have happened to the facred text. He will
not allow the anfwer made by Abbadie and others, that *' fuch
*' accidents could not have been prevented without a perpetual
*' {landing miracle, and that a perpetual {landing miracle is net
* Bolingbrokc's Works, vol. i. p. S;, 86.
y 2 " i'^
324 RLI LECTIONS ON TK£ LA.TE
*' in the order of Providence." On the contrary, it feems evi-
dent to him, that if the Scriptures had been originally given by
divine infpiration, ** either fuch accidents would not have hap-
«♦ pened, or the Scriptures would have been preferved entirely in
** their genuine purity, notwithftanaing thefe accidents." He
thinks the proof of this " is obvious and eafy, according to our
*' cleareil and moft diflinft ideas of wifdom, and moral fitnefs^.'*
But, befides that the prefent queftion, as he has managed it, re-
lating to the facred hiftory, is not about the divine infpiration
of it, but whether it be a true and faithful hillory, an honeft and
credible relation of fatls, which he abfolutely denies ; I fee no
confequence at all in his way of reafoning, even if the queftion
v/ere, whether thofe facred books were originally written by per-
fons divinely infpired. For all that could be reafonably con-
cluded, fuppofmg any books to have been originally given by
divine infpiration, is, that Providence would take care, that thofe
books fliould be tranfmitted with a fufficient degree of certainty
and integrity, to anfwer the end for vrhich they were originally
intended. Bat it was no-v/ay neceffary to this purpofe, that all
the tranfcribers that fliould ever copy thefe writings in any age
or nation, fiiould be under an infallible guidance, fo as to be
kept by an extraordinary interpofition from ever committing any
iniftake or blunder, or being guilty of any flips or negligences;
or that all thofe that have ever revifed and compared thofe co-
pies, fhould, in every inifance, be infallibly guided in their judg-
ments concerning them. This is evidently abfurd. It would
be multiplying miracles without neceflity, and v/ould therefore
be unworthy of the divine wifdom, and not very confiftent with
the methods of God's moral government of men, confidered as
reafonable creatures, free agents. For, will any man, in good
earnell, undertake to prove, that fuppofmg an excellent revela-
tion given, of doftrines, laws, &c. together with authentic ac-
counts of extraordinary fafts, tending to confirm and eftablifh
the divine authority of thofe do6f rines and lavs^s, this revelation
could not be of any ufe, nor could thofe accounts of fa£ls be at
all fit to be depended on, if there were any variations, omiffions,
tranfpofitions, or miilakes, in any copies of them that fliould be
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. i- p. 95.
taken
LORD BOLINGBROKE's LETTERS. 325
taken of them in any age? If, notwithftan(?Ing thofe variations,
the copies Ihould ftill fo far agree, that from thence a fufficient
notion might be formed of the doftrines and laws contained in
that original revelation, and of the truth of the fafts whereby It
was attefted and confirmed, this would be fufficient to anfwer
the end which we might fuppofe the divine wifdom to have had
in view in giving fuch a revelation. And this is aftually the
cafe with regard to the holy Scriptures. Whatever addiiions^
interpolations y or tranfpofjions, may be fuppofed to have crept
into any of the copies, yet all the main laws and fafts are ftill
preferved. Of this we have a remarkable proof, by comparing
the Hebrew and Samaritan codes of the Pentateuch. There are
differences between them: but the laws, the precepts, the hiftory,
the important fafts, whereby the law was attefted, are the fame
in both. And in general it may be jufily afHrmed, that notwith-
flanding all the differences in the copies, about which fuch a cla-
mour has been raifed, yet there is a fufficient agreement among
them to fatisfy us, that fuch and fuch laws were originally given,
fuch prophecies were delivered, and that fuch fafts were done:
and the variations among the copies in fmaller matters, the mif-
takes that have crept into the genealogies, numbers, dates, cata-
logues of names, ages of fome of the patriarchs, and the like (for
it is in thefe things that the differences principally lie), do really
confirm their harmony in the main; and therefore are far from
dellroying the authority of the facred writings, or the credibility
of the fcripture hiftory.
The learned Capellus, v^ho had thoroughly confidered this
matter, and who, it is well known, allowed himfclf great liberties
in judging concerning the variations in the copies ot the Hebrew
Scriptures, juftly obferveth, in his defence of his Critica Sacra,
that all thefe variations are of little or no moment as to faith or
manners ; fo that in that refpeft it is indifferent which reading,
we follow : Sane omnes ilia, varietates, uti fcepius in Critic a
Sacra repeto, nullius aut pene nullius funt quoad ftdem et mores
moinenti, ut eo refpeBu perinde fit kanc an illam fcquans IcClio-
nem. And I believe there are few competent and impartial judges
of thefe things, but will be ready to own, with M. Le Clerc,
the freedom of whofe judgment in fuch matters mull be acknow-
ledged, that, through the good providence cf God, no books,
Y ^ fron^
*?6 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
from the eadiell. antiquity, have ccinc to us equally correal with
the facred books of the Hebrews, particularly the Maforetical
copies. Nullos hhros ex ultima antiquitate ad nos, Deibsnefi-
cio^ pervznifft ccque emaidatos acfacros Hebraorum codices^ et ,
quidefn Mafordicos. See his Differtatio dc Lir.gua Ecbrcea^
prefixed to his Commentary on the Pentateuch.
What cur author hinifelf maketh a fliew of granting is very
true, that — " amidft all the changes and chances to which the
"books, in which they are recorded, have been exppfed, neither
" original writers nor later compilers, have been fuffcred to make
'• any elTential alterations, fuch as would have fainficd the law
*' of God, and the principles of the Jewifh and Chriflian reli-
*' gion, in any of thofe divine fundamental points*." And in-
deed the precepts, the doctrines of religion inculcated in the
Scriptures of the Old Teflament, are fo frequently repeated, and
the principal fafts there related are fo often referred to, in dif-
ferent parts of thofe facred volumes, as to be abundantly fuffi-
cicnt to anfwer the 6.^{'\q^x\ for which they were originally in-
tended; viz. to inilruft men in the knowledore, adoration, and
f;bedience of the one true God, and to enrage them to the prac-
tice of righteoufnefs, and to prepare the way for a more perfeft
difpenfation, which was to be introduced, in the fulnefs of time,
by that Divine Perfon, whofe coining, charaEler^ cj^.ces^juffer-^
^^^•^' ^'^^n', and kingdom^ were there prefigured and foretold.
Accordingly our Saviour fpeaketh of the writings of Mofes and
the Prophets, as of fignal ufe to infirucl: and direft men in the
knowledge and praftice of religion, Luke xvi. 29, 30, 31. And
though it be not true, which our author alTerteth, that the Jewi{h
Scriptures had no authority but what they derived from Chriftia-
nity (for they had an authority founded upon fufficient credentials
before Chriilianity v/as eftablifhed) ; yet their being acknow-
ledged as divine by Ciirift and his Apoflles, giveth them a farther
confirmation : for when a fubfequent revelation, which is itfelf
faunded en convincing proofs and evidences, giveth tefiimony
to a prior revelation, and referreth to it as of divine authority ;
whe^^, both. together concur to form one fyilem of religion,
and tp exhibit the hiftcry of God's various difpenfations towards
ills Church, the form>cr being fubfervient and preparatory to the
" Ecliagbroks's Wcrks; vol. i. p. 57, 98.
latter^
LORD BOLINGBROKE's LETTERS. 327
htter, and the latter giving farther light and a fuller completion
to the former; this confirmeththe authority of both, and fheweth
one great uniform defign and plan carried on by the divine wif-
dom and goodnefs from the beginning.
It is no juft objeftion againll the authority of the facred books
of the Old Teftament, though the writer of thefe letters feems to
think it fo, that •' though Jews and Chriftians hold the fame books
" in great veneration, yet each condemns the other for not un-
** derftanding, or for abufmg, them*." This is to be underftood,
not of the facred hiltory, which yet he would be thought to have
particularly in view; for, as to this, the Jews and Chriilians are
generally agreed; but of fome paffages in the prophetical writings,
in the interpretation of vrhich they differ. And with refpeft to
thefe, it may be obferved, that if the Jews, at the time of our
Saviour's appearing, had univerfally interpreted the prophetical
writings as the Chriilians do, and applied them to Jefus Chrill;
and had accordingly turned Chriftians, and embraced Jefus as the
Mefliah promifedto their fathers ; it would undoubtedly havebeea
alleged, that they forged or corrupted the prophecies in favour of
the Chriftian fyftem; whereas now there is no room for this pre-
tence. Their vouching and acknowledging thofe vv^ritings, as of
divine authority, notwithilanding the difficulty they have been,
put to in anfwering the arguments brought from thence againil
their own favourite notions and prejudices, giveth their teftimony
to the prophetical books great force.
There is another remarkable paflage in his third letter, which
it is proper to take fome notice of. He obferves +, that *' the
"Jews and Chriflians differ among themfelves, and from one
•* another, concerning almoft every point that is neceflary to be
*' known and agreed upon, in order to eflablifh the authority of
" books which both have received as authentic and facred. Vvho
*' were the authors of thefe fcriptures, when they were publiMied,
•' how they were compofed, and preferved, or renewed; in fine,
" how they were loft during the captivity, and how they were
*' retrieved after it; are all matters of controverfy to this day."
That the facred books were not loft in thecaptivity, and that con-
fequently they were not retrieved 2X1^1 it by innnediate infpiration,
* Bolingbrcke's Works, vol. i. p. 9*. f Ibid. p. 100, tci.
Y 4 luilv
28 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
hath been clearly fliewn : a fiction which feems to have had its
rife from the apocryphal fecond book of Efdras, the authority of
.which never was acknowledged either in the Jewilh or Chrillian
church. There are indeed differences, both among Jews and
Chriftians, concerning feveral points relating to thefe facred
tooks; but thefe differences are, for the mofl part, about things
that do not properly concern the divine authority or credibility
of thofe writings. There is a general agreement among them,
3that the prophetical books were writings by pcrfons divinely in-
fpired; and that the Pentateuch was written by Mofes, thegreateft
of all the prophets; and that the hiftorical writings were either
the very original authentic records, or faithfully compiled out
of them; and were received and acknowledged by the whole na-
tion, as containing true and juft accounts of fafts. And whereas
he urgeth, that it is matter of controverfy, who were the authors
of thofe fcriptures, or, when they were compofed or publifhed;
it is certain, that, with refpeft to the much greater part of the
facred books, both Jews and Chriftians are generally agreed who
were the authors of them.
This is true concerning all the writings of the prophets, the
books of Solomon, moll of the Pfalms, \\-\tfroe hooks of Mofes,
which have been conllantly received by the Jewifh and Chrillian
church, in all ages, as written by Mofes ; though a few in thefe
latter times have attempted to conteft it. The books of Ezra,
Nehemiah, and Daniel, feem plainly to Ihew their authors : and
concerning all thefe, there has been a general agreement. The
books therefore, concerning the authors of which there is pro-
perly any ground of controverfy, are the hillorical books of
Jofliua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. As to the firft
of thefe, viz. the book of Jolhua, the ancient Jews in general,
and the greater part of Chriflian writers, with good reafon look
upon it to have been written by Jofliua himfelf ; though there
are fome particular paffages in it that were infertcd afterwards,
by way of illuHration. It is principally concerning the books of
Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, that there is any co-
lourable pretence for faying with our author, that they were
V abridgments of old records made in latter times*." Some of
* Eoiingbroke's Works, toI. i. p. 96.
them
LORD BOLINGBROKE's LETTErvS.
329
tliem feem plainly to have been compiled after the return from th-;
Babylonilh captivity, probably by Ezra, from anci'-nt authentic
records, which are frequently quoted and referred to in them, as
books of acknowledged credit and authority; fo that there is
little room to doubt of the truth and certainty of tlie account.-;
there given. For that they were faithfully extra8:ed from thofc
original records, to which they refer for a larger account of the
things there related, there is the highcft reafon to believe. And
it was wifely ordered, that thefe fhorter accounts (hould be in-
fertedin the facred canon, when it was to be brought, as it were,
into one volume, for the lading inlbuftion an^ edification of the
church. For as the facred hiftory was intended not merely to
gratify curiofity, but to promote the purpofes of religion, piety,
and virtue, and to keep up the remembrance of the remarkable
aftings of divine providence towards them, both in a way of
mercy and judgment, according to their behaviour, it was proper
that it fhould be brought into as narrow a compafs as was con-
fillent with that defign. This would make it more generally
known and eaftly remembered ; whereas larger and more par-
ticular accounts might have been too voluminous for a book de.
iigned for univerfal ufe.
The only thing that yet remaineth to be confinered, with re-
gard to the facred books of the Old TeHament, is, what he faith
concerning the cz^ry^ pronounced upon Canaan by Noah: of
which we have an account, Gen. ix. 24, 25, 26, 27. This he
feems to have fixed upon as one of the propereff inflances he
could find to expofe the authority of the fcripture. He treatetii
t as an invention of the writer to juftify the Ifraelites in their
invafion of the Canaanites, and reprefenteth this curfeas centra-
diding all our notions of order andjuflice. *' One is tempted to
♦' think," fays he, '* that the patriarch was ftill drunk, and that no
*' man in his fenfes could hold fuch language, or pafs fuch a Wn-
** tence. Certain it is, that no writer but a Jew could impute
^* to the occonomy of Providence the accomphrnment of fuch a
" prediftion, nor make the Supreme Being the executor of fuCh
" a curfe."
His Lordfhip obfervcs, that ** Ham alone offended: Canaaa
*' was innocent — Canaan was however alone curfed, and became,
M according to bis grandfather's prophecy, Txfcrz'ant ojfirvants,
*' I. e. the
336 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
*' i, e. the vilefl and meanefl of flavcs — to Sem, not to Japhet,
,** when the Ifraelites conquered Paleiline ; to one of his un-cles,'
*' net to his brethren. Will it be faid — it has been faid — that
*' where we read Canaan we are to underftand Ham, whofe
*' brethren Sem and Japhet v/ere? At this rate, we fliall never
" know what we read: as thefe critics never care v/hat they fay.
*' Will it be faid — this has been faid too — that Kam was punifhed
*' in his pofterity, when Canaan was curfed, and his defcendants
** were exterminated ? But who does not fee, that the curfe and
*' punifhment in this cafe fell on Canaan and his pofterity, exclu-
" five of the reft of the pofterity of Ham: and were therefore
*' the curfe and punifhment of the fon, not of the father properly ?
*' The defcendants of Mifraim, another of his fons, were the
•'Egyptians : and they were fo far from being fervants of fervants
*' to their coLifms the Semites, that thefe were fervants of fer-
*' vants unto them, during more than fourfcore years. Why
*' the pofierity of Canaan was to be deemed an accurfed race,
** it is eafy to account : and I have mentioned it jufl now : but it
*' is not fo eafy to account why the pofterity of the righteous Sem,
*' that great example of filial reverence, became fiaves to another
*' branch of the family of Ham*."
Before I proceed to a diftinct ccnfideration of what Lord
Bolingbrcke hath offered, it will be proper to lay before the
reader the facred text, as it is in our tranflation. Gen. ix. 21 — 27.
J^oah — was uncovered within his tent: and Ham., the father of
CaTcaan^faw the nakednefs of his father, and told his two bre-
thren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid
it ut)on both tJieirfaoulders, and went backward, and covered the.
nakednefs of their father ; and their faces were backward, and
they faw not their father' s nakednefs. And Noah awoke from
his wine, and knew zuhat his younger fon had done unto him. And
he faid, Curfed be Canaan; afervant of fervants f tall he be unto
his brethren. And he faid, Bleffed be the Lord God of Shem, and
Canaan fliall be his fervant. God f tall enlarge Japheth, and he.
fiall dwell in the tents of Shem: And Canaan f tail be his fervant.
It is acknowledged, that there is a confiderable difficulty in
this paffage. And if we were not able to account for it at all
* Bolirgbroke's Works, vol. i. p. no, in, iiz.
at
•yt'
&f]
LORD BOLINGBROKE S LETTERS. 33 1
at this dillance, it v/ould be much more reafonable to fuppof^*,
that fome circumftances have been paiTed by in this fliort narra-
tive, which, if known, would help to clear it; or that there mav
haVe been fome defefts in the copies, not now to be remedied ;
than, upon the account of one difficult and obfcure paffage, to
throw off all regard to writings, which have the raoft jufl pre-
tenfions both to the greatefl antiquity and mofc venerable au-
thority.
But that the difficulties which his Lordihip hath urged are
far from being unanfwerabie, will appear from the foliowino-
obfervations.
Firft, The foundation of the whole charge, and that upon
which the greatcif ftrefs is laid, is this, that " Ham alone offended:
*' Canaan was innocent. Canaan however was alone curfed:
*' and he became, according to his grandfather's prophecy, a
*' fervant of fervants, i. e. the vileft and worft of Haves." Some
learned perfons have fuppofed, that where the curfe is pronoun-
ced upon Canaan, ver. 25. the word abi, Jathcr, is to be undcr-
ftood, which is exprefsly mentioned, ver. 22. ; and that inftead of
Curfed he Canaan^ it fhould be read, Curfed he Ham^ the father
of Canaan. And though Lord Bolingbroke fpeaks of this with
great contempt, there are inftances of fuch elipfes or omiflions
to be found in fome other paflages of Scripture. A remarkable
one of this kind is in 2 Sam. xxi. 19. where our tranflalion has
it, that Elhanan Jlew the brother of Goliah the Gittite, the
faff of whofe [pear was like a weaver 5 beam: which is cer-
tainly right, as appears from the nature of the thing, and from a
parallel paffage, 1 Chron. xx. 5. where he is exprefsly called tk&
brother of Goliah the Gittite, &c. But the word brother is not
in our prefent copies of the original, in 2 Sam. xxi. 19. where it
runs thus, Elhanan' -flew Goliah the Gittitey &c, inpLcad of
the brother of Goliah the Gittzte. In like manner the \worA fa^
ther may be fupplied here, as well as the word brother in the
place now mentioned; fo that for Curfed he Canaan^ it may be
read, Curfed be Ham, the father of Canaan. So the Arabic reads
it, and fo Vatablus renders it. And it is followed by otlier
learned writers, particularly by the Bifliop of Clogher, in his
Vindication of the Hifories of the Old and Nem TJlament. But
if that be not admitted, as not only the Hebrew, but the Sama-
riian,
33^ REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
ritan, the Septuagint, and all the ancient verOons, except the
Arabic, which is of no great authority, read as we do*, this will
not prove, either that Canaan was entirely innocent, or that he
alone was curfed. The Jews are generally of opinion, in which
they follow a very ancient tradition, that Canaan was the firft
* that faw Noah's nakednefs, and made a jeft of it to his father.
Ham ; who, inltead of reproving him, went himfelf to fee it, and
in a mocking way told it to his brothers, Shem and Japheth.
Lord Bolingbroke makes mention of this, and endeavoureth to
obviate it by obferving, that " the Hebrew and other doftors,
" who would make the fon an accomplice with his father, affirm
•^ not, only without, but againft the exprefs authority of the
*•' text." This is confidently JTaid. But if the text doth not
exprefsly mention Canaan as an accomplice, neither can it be
faid,
* It m^y be juitly laid down as a rule, not to be lightly departed from,
that where the Hebrew znd Samaritan, and beft ancient verlions, agree in any
reading, that reading Is not to be altered or given up without ncceffity; and
I cannot fee any necefnty in the prefent cafe. There are few readings that
have a more general confent in their favour, than that which our tranflators
have followed in the paflage before us. Not only the Hebrew and Samari-
tan, but the Septuagint, in thofe copies that are of the greateft, authority,
particularly in the Roman and Alexandrian, to which may be added the
Complutenfian, and many others, and the remains of Origen's Hexapla,
collefted by Montfaucon, the Targums, both of Onkelos and Ben Uzzie!,
the Syriac, the vulgar Latin, agree in it. There are indeed fome copies of
the Septuagint which read Hatn inftead of Canaan: and fo it was in the firft
Venetian edition : bu!: it appears to me, that both in thofe copies, of the Sep-
tuagint, and In the Arabic, this reading is rather an interpolation, inferted for
avoiding the difHculty, than to have been a verlion taken from the original.
And it mriy more eafily be accounted for, why Ham's name fhould be after-
wards inferted In the text, than why it Ihouldhave been dropped or omitted,
fjppofing it to have been exprefsly mentioned in the original. Nor is it
likely that that oniillion fhould have been repeated three times together in
the compafs of three or four lines.
If the prefent reading be at all altered, that reading which puts the leall
force upon the text is, that which inffcead of Caman {uhiWtiites Hatn, the father
of Canaan. But it does not f^em to me very likely, that Ham fhould be i^o
often over defcrlbcd under the charadlcr of the/^fA^r of Canaan in fo Ihort a
predidion. At ieaftitdoes not feem to me probable, that Noah himfelf, in
pronouncing it, fnould three times over characterize Ham as t\\z father of Ca-
naan. Let any man read over the predidion with this addition fo often re-
peated, and fee if it has not an odd appearance. If it be faid, that it was
Mofes
LORD BOLINGBROKE S LETTERS.
333
{aid, ,j;liat the authority of the text is exprefsly againft that notion.
On the. contrary, whofoever impartially examineth the ftory as
tliere related, will be naturally led to believe, that Canaan was
in fome degree accefifary to his father's crime. Ham is in this
ilory particularly chara61erized as the father of Canaan^ and
Canaan's being fo often mentioned alTordeth a plain intimation,
that he was fome way or other concerned, and might cither be
the firft that faw his grandfather's nakednefs, and acquainted his
father with it, or mi^ht be with his father when he faw it, and
joined with him in making a mock of it. But as Ham was
Canaan's father, from whom better might have been expected,
conhdcring his age, and the dutiful regard he owed to his father,
Noah, with whom he had been faved from the deluge, he alone
is exprefsly mentioned in this fiiort narration ; though the curfe
pronounced upon Canaan leads us to think, that he was fome
way partaker of his father's crime. And fuppofing this to be fo,
Mofes himfelf, who, in repeating Noah's maleciidlcn againft Ham, added
this of his being \k\^ father of Canaan^ to put the ifiaelites in mind that Ca-
naan was the offspring of accurfed Ham ; even in this vicvv the fo fre-
quent repetition feems to be needlefs. The facred hiftorian had in the iStli
verfe of this chapter obferved, that Ham was the/7f/^(?r ofCanaaji; and again,
in the aid verfe, in entering upon this narration, he had cliaraderiled Hani
as t\\Q father of Canaan. The mention of this was certainly very proper in
the beginning of the account, on fupporitlon that Canaan was concerned with
his father Ham in that affair, and alfo to prepare the reader for the difbindl
mention of Canaan, in the predidcion which was pronounced upon occafion of
Ham's v/ickednefs. But this being done, it does not feem likely that Mofes
ihould think it neceifary, in recounting that fhort predidion, to repeat it fo-
often over, that Ham was the father ofCatiaan.
Befides, it feerns to me to be of fome weight, that if that be admitted to be
the original reading, Canaan is not direiftiy pointed out in the prediction at all.
Tiie being the fer-oa?it offr-cants, and ferwmt both to Shem and Japheth, is
not in that cafe fiid of Canaan, but of Ham. At the moi> it is only infinuated,
by calling Ham the father cf Canaan, that Canaan might be involved in the
curfe, as one of Ham's fons ; but it is not exprefsly apphed to him. Whereas
in the common reading it contains a manifefh predidion of the curfe and
fervitude as relating to Canaan. And this was a very good reafon for Mofes'
taking care to record it. It is not improbable, that Noah might have faid
more on that occafion than is mentioned ; but Mofes contented himfelf with
recording that part of the predidion or prophetic curfe which related to Ca-
naan ; as it was that which more immediately anfwered his dcfigo, and which
it moH nearly concerned the Ifraeliies to kuow.
, ■* and
^01 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
and that he was Ham's favourite fon, and like him in his difpo-
fitions, the curfe pronounced upon him was really intended
againllboib. If we met with the fame account in any wife and
credible hiftorian, this is the conftruftion we fhouid have been
apt to put upon it, that both Canaan and his father were con-
cerned in the affair. And it is no very unufual thing in Scrip-
ture, and in other hiftories too, to omit fome circumftances in a
ihort narration, which are plainly implied, and which the reader
is left to colleft. Indeed, if what fome expofitors fuppofe be
admitted, it is not only implied in the text that Canaan was an
accomplice, but is exprefsly fignitied in thofe words, ver. 54.
ihat Noah knew what his younger Jon had done unto him. Where
by younger Jon ^ they underiland his grandfon ; for a grandfori,
-according to the Hebrew idiom, may be properly called a fon;
and they think Ham was not the youngeft of Noah's fons, but
the "m.iddlemofl:, according to the order in which he is always
placed, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: fo Theodoret and Drufiua,
after fome of the Hebrew writers, with whom agrees bi(hop
T*atrick. But whatever becomes oi this conjefture, and though
we fhouid fuppofe Ham to be here intended by the younger Jon^
(which he might really be, though mentioned between Shem and
Japheth, fmce the order of their birth and age is not defigned to
be fignified by it; for Japheth was the eldeft. Gen. x. 21.), yet
ilill the Tirain of the llcry feems to imply, that Canaan had a
guilty part in it, who alone of all Ham's fons is exprefsly men-
tioned upon this occafion.
But fecondly, let us fuppofe that Canaan was innocent, and
no way acceffary to this particular inflance of Ham's impiety
and wickednefs, the prophetic curfe and prediclion may not-
withftanding this be fairly accounted for. It m.ufl be faid in
that cafe, that the curfe was not properly pronounced upon Ca-
naan for Ham's crime, but that, upon occafion of Ham's wicked-
nefs, Noah foretold the miferics and calamities that fhouid befall
his poflerity, and particularly his defcendants by Canaan. And
fuppofing Noah to have been then enabled by a prophetic fpirit
to forefee, that from Ham would proceed a profligate and impious
race, like him in wickednefs, and whofe crimes would at length
bring down the vengeance of heaven upon them, and fubjcil
them to the bafefl fervitude and punifhment, his mentioning it
en
LORD EOLINGEROKE's LETTERS.
3-3:
on this occafion, and pointing to, that branch of his poflerlty on
whom this cuiTe fhould particularly fall, had a manifefl pro-
priety in it. This could not but greatly humble Ham, and had
a tendency to caufe him to reflect on his own wickednefs, and
affeft him with forrow and remorfe on the account of it, if any
thing could do it. For who that has the bowels of the huniari
nature, would not be greatly affe6led at the thought, that his pof-
terity fhould be infarccus and abandoned, and among tlie moll
wretched of the human race ? And though Canaan alone be men-
tioned in this fliort account, it doth not follow that no other of
Ham's pofterity fell under the curfe. Noah might have named
others of Ham's fons or dcfcendants, though Mofes only takes
notice of what related to Canaan, becaufe this was what more
efpecially concerned the people of Ifrael to know.
This leads me to obferve,
Thirdly, That as to the infinuation that this prophecy or pre-
di6lion was feigned to jujlify the cruelties exerciftd by JoJItua
upon the Canaaniies'^j it is the author's own groundiefs fufpicion,
\\rithout producing any proof of it. Suppofing it to have been
a real prophecy originally delivered by Noah, the tradition ot
which had been preferved in the family oi Shem, and which was
tranfmitted by Abraham, who might have had it from Shem him-
felf, to his defcendants, it is eafily accounted for that Mofes
fhould take care to commit it to writing. Nor will it be denied,
that one end he might have in view in recording it, was to en-
courage and animate the Ifraelites, as he knew the time was at
hand for the accomplilliment of that predi8ion, and that the
Ifraelites were to be the inilruments of it. Such a true pro-
phecy, known to have proceeded originally from Noah, was
much more likely to anfwer Mofes's end, than if it had been a
mere fiftion of his own, which had never been heard of before.
And that Mofes did not feign this prophecy may be juilly con-
cluded, becaufe, if it had been invented by himfelf purely to
bring an odium upon Canaan and his defcendants, the llory
would probably have been contrived otherwife than it is. It
* Lord Bolingbroke, in other parts of his works, frequently infiflsupon
thefe cruelties, as a deraonftratlon that the Mofalc coniliLuiion could not be
of divine original. See this fully exa.Tiined, Vit-w of the 'Ddjliccl «'■ iun^
TOJ.ii.p. 136, t?^/^£.
would
33^ p.rrLECTioics on the late
would have been pretended, not that Ham, but that Canaan had
been guilty ot that impiety and irreverence towards Noah, the
fecond father of mankind, and repairer of the world, and who
was had in great veneration. Thus would Mofes have laid it,
if the whole had been his own fiction. He would not have
contented himfelf with leaving the reader to coUecl from the
ftory that Canaan was fome way faulty, but would have taken
care to have made it more direftly anfwer his purpofe, by ex-
prefsly charging the crime upon Canaan hirnfelf. But as it was
2 real prophecy of Noah, Mofes gave it as he had received it,
without altering the original flory, or adding new circumftances.
This leads me to a fourth obfervation upon this remarkablr
paflage, viz.
That if rightly underflood, inllead of furnifhing a juft objeftion
againft the authority of Scripture, it rather confirmeth it, and
ihould increafe our veneration for it. For we have here a moft
remarkable prophecy, which extended to events at the diftance
of many ages, and hath been Vv'onderfully fulfilled in ail its parts.
It is manifeft, that what is here foretold concerning Canaan,
Shem, and Japheth, relateth to them, not merely confidered in
their own perfons, but to their offspring, in whom it v/as chiefly
to receive its accomplilhment: and the bleflings pronounced by
Ifaac upon Jacob and Efau, and afterwards by Jacob upon his
twelve fons, though applied to them by name, were principally
to be underftood of their defcendants. Taking it in this view-,
the prophecy here pronounced by Noah is oi a great extent.
The blefling which Oiould attend Shem is foretold, and it is in-
timated that God would, be in a fpecial manner his God, and
would pour forth fo many blellings upon his poflerity, as would
lay a foundation for praifes and thankfgivings; fo that whofo-
cver obferved it, fhould have rcafon to fay, Bltjfe.d he the Lord
God of Shem. And this was fignally fulfilled; fince am.ong his
poflerity the knowledge and worffiip of the true God was pre-
ferved, when the reft of the world was deeply immerfed in ido-
latry; and from his feed the great Mefliah fprung. It was alfo
fore*t?old, that Godjliould enlarge Japheth: and accordingly his
poiterity wonderfully increafcd, and fpread through a great part
of the world. Bochart and others have obferved, that not only
all "Europe, but the LefTer Afia, Iberia, -Albania, part of Armenia,
Media,
LGP.D BOLINGBROKe's LETTEIIS. ^37
Media, and the vaft regions in the norLhcrn parts of Afia, and
probably America, were peopled by his dcfcendants. It is alfo
foretold that he ihould dzcell in the tents of Shem; which was
accomplifhcd both by his pofterity's poficiring part oF the coun-
tries in which the ShL-mites inhabiLcd, and erpecialjy by their
being admitted to a participation of the fame fi^iritual privileges,
and received into the true church. So that this may be regarded
as an illuPtrious prophecy of the converfion of the Gentiles,
many ages before it happened. As to that part of Noah's pro-
phecy which relateth to Canaan, this hath alfo received a re-
markable completion. Noah was enabled to foretel the curfe
and puniihrnent which a long time after befell the Canaanites,
for their execrable wickednefs and impurity. For that the true
and proper ground of the punidimcnt which was infiicled upon
themL was. their ovv^n wickednefs, is evident from many cxprefs
tleclarations of Scripture, particularly Levit. xviii. 24, 25. 27^
28. Deut. ix. 5. This wickednefs of theirs God perfeftly fore-
faw^ and determined, on the account of it, to inflift exemplary
puni{hm.ent upon thera ; though he v/ould not fuiTer the threat-
ened punifhment and curfe to take place, till their imquities
were full, i. e. till they were arrived at the height. And whea
this was the cafe, it tended to render the punifimient more remark-
able, that it had been foretold fo long before. And it was wif-ly
ordered, that this prophecy (Iiould be recorded by Mofes, that,
when it came to be vifibiy accomplitlied in Canaan's poilerity,
the hand of Providence in it might be more dillintlly obferved.
It is far therefore from being true, that Noah pronounced this
in 2i pajjion or drunken ft^ as his Lordfliip feems willing to re-
prefent it. It was not properly an imprecjtion, but a prophec)',
and it might be fitly rend.ered, Curfedfhall Canaan be. It was
aprcdiftion of what (hould befall Ham'§ defcendants by Canaan,
who refembled Ham, their anceilor, in wickednefs and impu-
rity.
Lord Bolingbroke hath feveral little cavils, which are defigned
to invalidate the credit of this prophecy. One is, that Canaan
was a fervant of fervants, not to his brethren, as is foretold,
ver. 25. but to his uncles, viz. Shetr. and Japheth. But this ob-
jection feems to betray an utter ignorance of the Hebrew idiom,
according to v;hich the vv,?rd brethren is of a l^rge extent, and
SOU II. Z t'i-^:^-«i
33^ REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
laketh in net orJy brothers ftriftly fo called, but even diflant
rQJtitions, of which many inftances might be given. And it muil
be farther confidered, that the prophecy was not properly defign-
edto fignify. that Canaan, in perfon, fhould be fcrvant of fervants
to his uncles Shem and Japheth, but that his pofterity fhould be
fervants to theirs, who iriight, by reafon of the original relation
between them, be called their brethren.
It is farther urged, that Canaan became difervant of fervants
unto Shem indeed, but not to Japheth, though this is foretold,
ver. 27. But this cavil is no better founded than the former.
For the Canaanites became fervants to the pofterity of Japheth
as well as of Shem, The moft powerful and famous of Canaan's
defcendants, the Tyrians and Carthaginians, after having made a
great figure in the world, were deftroyed, or reduced to the moft
miferable fervitude ; the former by the Greeks under Alexander
the Great, the latter by the Romans, both of whom defcended
from Japheth.
Another obje£lion, Vvhich he infinuates, is, that Shem's pofte-
rity -wtTQ fervants of fervants for above four/core years io the -
Egyptians, who v;ere the defcendants of Mizraim, another of
Ham's fons. But there is no pretence for urging this as a breach
of the prediction, (ince no exprefs mention is made there of any
of Kain's- fons, but Canaan, concerning vv^hora it is foretold,
that he fhould be a fcrvant of fervants unto Shem and Japheth,
which was remarkably fulfilled. Or, if we fuppofe, as many
great divines have done, that the curfe was defigned to extend to
others of Ham's pofterity, as well as the Canaanites, though not
particularly mentioned in this fhort account, becaufe Mofes' de-
figh led him only to take exprefs notice of that part of the curfe
which related to the Canaanites, who were more than ordinarily
corrupt, and upon whom the curfe took place in the fuUcft man-
ner; even on this view of it, the prophecy may be fully juftified.
Ham's defcendants have had a brand upon them, and been gene-
rally am.ong the moft abjeft and wretched of the human race. It
is true, that the Ifraelitcs, who were a branch of Shem's pofte-
rity, v»^ere for a time held in the bittereft. bondage by the Egyp-
tians, who proceeded from Ham. This was permitted for very
valuable ends, and ended in a glorious deliverance of the former
fvom the tyranTiy and opprefTion of the latter. To which if'
jnay
LORD BOLINGSROKE's LETTERS. 33^
may be added, that nolwlthftanding the Egyptians were for a
long time a flouriihing people, and bad great power and domi-
nion, yet they alfo hecame remarkably fubjefted to the pofterity
of Shcm and Japheth, and fo have continued for a great number
of ages. They have been fubjected fucceffively to the Pcrfians,
Grecians, Romans, Saracens, Maraalukes, Turks, {o as to verify
that remarkable prophecy of Ezekiel, that Egypt flioiild be ihe
hafejl of kingdoms, neither fhould it exalt iljfelf any more among
the nationSy Ezek. xxix. 15.
Thus it appears, that this boafted objeftion, upon v;hich fa
mighty a ftrefs has been laid, as if it were alone fnfficient to
overthrow the authority of Holy Writ, tLimeth out rather to the
confirmation cf it:
SE
3.49f REFLECTIONS ON TH'E LATE
>^ SECTION II.
Mi Lordjkip's Attempt againfl the Gofpel Hi^Hory, and the
"^Divint Authority of the Chrijlian Religion^ coiifidcred.
HAVING examined what the late Lord Bolingbiokc hath
urged againft the authority and credibility ot the Scrip-
tures of the Old Teftament, let us next confider the attempt he
raakes againTi the authority of the New. He had indeed, whilft
he exprelTed a great contempt of the Jev/ifli fcriptures, afiefted
to fpeak with a favourable regard to Chi iftianity. But he after-
wards throws off the dirguire,*lind makes it plainly appear, that
lie hath as little veneration and efteem for the one as for the
other. It is no great fign of his refpeft for Chriftianity, that
at the fame time that he does all he can to dedroy the credit of
the Jewifli hiftory, and to fhew that it is not at all to be depend-
ed upon, he declares — " that the foundation of the Chriuian
*' fyftemi is laid partly in thofe hiftorics, and in the prophecies
*' joined to them, or inferted in them'-'." But, not content with
this general infinuation, he afterwards proceedeth, in his fifth
jLetter, to a m.ore dirett attack upon the Ghriftian revelation t,'*
He infifteth upon it, that the rafts, upon whicli the authority of
the Chriftian religion is iourided, have not been proved as all
hiflorical fafts, to Vvhich credit fliould be (liven, ouaht to be
proved. He declares to the noble Lord to whom he writes,
" that this is a matter of great moment ; and that therefore he
*' makes no excule for the zeal which obliges him to dwell a
*' little on it if." And after having endeavoured to fhe^.v, that
"there remains at this time no llandard at ail of Chriftianity,"
either in the text of Scripture, or in tradition, he argues, that —
•' by confequence, either this religion was not originally of di-
" vine inllitation, or fi\{^ God has not provided effeftually for
•' preierving the genuine purity of it, and the gates of hell have
*' actually prevailed, in contradiB on to his promife, an-?.inft the
* Bolingbroke's Wurk?, vol. i. p. 91, 92. f Ibid. p. 174—185.
X Ibid. p. 1 7 6.
" Chiuxh,"
LORD BOLINGBROKE S LETTERS. 34t
*■* Church." He muft be worfe than an atheift that affirms the
laft ; and therefore the beft effecl of this reafoning that can be
hoped for, is, that men fliould fall into theifm, and fubfcribe to
the firft. And accordingly he roundly declares, that *' Chriftia-
*' nity may lean on the civil and ecclefiallical power, and be
*' lupported by the forcible influence of education : but the pro-
*' per force of religion, that force v/hich fubdues the mind,
** and awes the confcience by convl6?:ion, will be wanting '•'."
He adds, *' Since I have faid fo much on the fubjecl:, in my
" zeal for Chriilianity, I will add this further — The refurreclion
*' of letters was a fatal period : the Chrifliian fyllem has been
" attacked, and wounded too, very fevercly fince that time+.'"*
And again, fpeaking of thofe of the clergy who aft for fpiri-
tual, not temporal ends, and are defirous that men fhould believe
and praftife the doftrines of Chriilianity, he faith, that " they
*' will feci and own the weight of the confiderations he offers j
*' and will agree, that however the people have been, or may be,
*• amufed, yet Chriilianity has been in decay ever fince the re-
*' furreftion of letters j." This is an odd proof of his pretended
zeal for Chrijlianity, to infinuate, that all good and honeft divines
will agree with him, that Chriilianity has been lofing ground
ever fince the revival of learning and knowledge ; as if it could
not bear the light, and only fubfifted by darknefs and ignorance.
It will help farther to fhew his defign in this, if we compare, ii
with what he faith in his fixth Letter § ; where he mentions the
rcfurreftion of letters, after the art of printing had been invent*
ed, as one of the principal caufes that contributed to the diminu-
tion of the papal authority and ufurpations. And he obfervcs,
that " as foon as the means of acquiring and fprcadin? infor-
*' mation grew common, it is no wonder that a fyP^em was un-
*' ravelled, which could not have been woven vv'ith fuccefs in.
*' any age, but thofe of grofs ignorance, and credulous fuperfti-
** tion." We may fee by this v/hat a compliment he deugns
to Chriilianity, when he reprefents it as havuig received a. fatal
blow at the refurrettion of letters, and as having been in deqay
ever fince. He plainly puts it on a level vrlth the pap^ilLa.v^^v
* Bolingbroke's Works, tcI. i. p. iSo, i8ij i?2. ■\ Ibid. p. tSz.
J Ibid. p. iS^. y Ibid.p.•2c6,^S(Kf
Z 3 rity
«42 REFLECTIONS CN THE LATE
rityand ufurpatlon, and fuppofesthe fame of Chriflianlty that he
does of popery, that it was a fyflem which could only have been
woven in the ages of ignorance and fuperPation, which owed its
reception and prevalency to times of darknef?, and has been de-
caying ever fince the means of acquiring and fpreading informa-
tion grew common.
This may fuffice to fnew the refpecl that the writer of thefe
Letters bears to Chriftianity. Before I enter on a dillinft exa-
mination of what he hath offered, I would obferve, that he en-
deavoureth to prepare his way by declaiming, for feveral pages
together, againft the priefts, divines, and ecclefiailicai hiilorians,
en the account of that fpirit of lying that hath prevailed among
them in all ages*. But he himfeif well cbferves and proves,
inoppofition to an hiftcricai Pyrrhonifra, that though there have
been abundance of lies and faife hiflory put upon the world,
this ought not to diminiih the credit of the true. And therefore
the frauds and falfehoods of many that have profefTed a zeal for
Chriftianity, ought to be no prejudice againll the authority of
the New Teftament, or the credibility of the fafts on which it
is fupported, provided it can be fhewn, that thefe fa61s come to
lis with a fufficient degree of evidence to make it reafonable for
us to receive them as true.
If, as he aiTerts, " numberlefs fables have been invented to fup-
>' port Judaifm and Chriftianity; and for this purpofe falfe hif-
*' tory as well as falfe miracles have been employed;" it is
certain, that no pcrfons have taken greater pains, or been more
faccefsful in their attempts to detecl and expofe fuch frauds and
faife hiftory, than Chriftian divines and critics; many of whom
haveexercifed themfelves this way v/ith great judgment and im-
partiality, as being fenfible that Chriftianity needeth no fuch
fupports, and that fuch frauds difiionour the caufe they are in-
tended to ferve. If we examine the New Teftament, v/e fhall find
no encouragement there given to fuch methods. A remarkable
limplicity, and impartial regard to truth, every-v/here appear.
And to lie fur the glory of God, or to do evil that good may
come of it, is there moft exprefsly condemned. It was when
men began to fall irom the true original fpirit of Chriftianity,
* BolIf)£broke's Works, vol. i. p. izz> &/<r?. m
and.
LORD BOLINGBROKe's LETTERS. 34^
and, not content with the fimpliclty of religion as Chrift and his
apoftles left it, attempted to bring in innovations, additions, al-
terations in the Chriftiaa do61rine, and worfiiip ; it was then that
fraud and impofture, or a foolifli credulity, began to prcvriihand
grew more and more, the farther they removed from th.e firft and
pureft ages. And it is capable of a clear proof, that it was prin-
cipally in favour of thofe corrupt. 'additions and abufes of Chrif-
tianity, that falfe hiftory and falfe miracles have been artfully
contrived, and zealoufiy propagated. And why fhould it be
turned to the difadvantage of the gorpei-liiOory or miracles, that
hiftory has been corrupted and falfified, in favour of dcftrinesor
praftices, ^.^. the invocation of faints, purgatory, the luorjkip of
i?nagest relics y &c. which Chriftianity has not countenanced or
authorized? To which it may be added, that it is plainly fore-
told in the New Teftament, that there flipuld be a great apoflacy
from the purity of religion, and that the corruption fhould be
introduced, and carried on, hyfgns and lying wonders. And
if this hath aftually been the cafe, inftead of furnifhing a proper
objection againft true original Clairiianity, it afibrdeth a mani-
feft proof of the perfeft foreknowledge of its divine authority.
He feems to lay a great ftrefs upon it, that ** the church has
*' had this advantage over her adverfaries — that the worlds oi
** thofe who have written againft her have been dellroyed ; and
" whatever (lie advanceth to juftify herfelf, and to defame her
*' adverfaries, is preferved in her annals and the writings of her
*' doftors'*'." — And betakes particular notice *' of Gregory the
^' Great's proclaiming war to all heathen learning, in order to
♦' promote Chridian verity t." But it is certain, that the humour
of deilroying the heathen writings never generally obtained in
the Chriftian Church. On the contrary, it was principally
owing to Chriiliians that fo many of thofe writings have been
tranfmitted to us. The Mahometans, and fome of the barbarous
nations, deftroyed libraries, and monum.ents of learning, wb.ere-
ever they came. But it is a matter of fa6f not to be contefted,
that great numbers of heathen w^ritings and monuments have been
preferved; by Chriftians they have been preferved; and from
thence the learned have been able to give an ample account of
* golingbroke*s Works, vol. i. p. 127, 128. f I^^*^- P* ^Z^-
Z 4 their
^^. liEF LECTIONS ON TKL LATZ
their religion; rUes; lazt's, and hiflory. And this is fo far from
Ireing a difedvantagef to- Chriftianity, that great life hath been made
of'the heathen learning to ferve and. promote the Chriftian eaufe.
The emperor JuHan was io fenhble of this, that he formed a
dafign of modelling the fchools, fo that the ChrilHans fhouid not
be acquainted with the heathen writers. As to the books that
have been ivTitten againft Chriftianity *, it is poffible that the ill-
jttdg^ed zeaf of fome Cnriilians may have occafiCtTied the iofs of
fame of them: but I am apt to think it was owing in mofl in-
iiances to the fame canfes and accidents, to which we may at-
tribute the Iofs of fo many ancient monuments, and admired
writings, not only of the heathens, but of eminent fathers, and
ancient writers of the Chriflian church. Many celebrated apo-
logies ior Chriftianity, and books in defence of religion, have
been loft; when, on the contrary, the wurks even of Lucretius,
gt fyftcm of Epicurifm, the lite of ApoUonius Tyaneus, and
others of the like fort, have come down to our times.
:" Thefeinlinuations do not properly come up to the main point.'
But in his fifth letter, under pretence of givingadvice to divines,
an<i ftiewing that it is incumbent upon them to apply themfelves
to the ftudy of hiftoiy, he fets himifelF more direftly to attack the
authority ot the Ciniftian religion, and to fubvert, as far as m him
lietb, the foundations on which the proof of its divine original
depends. And the courle of his reafoning is plainly this : that
Glinftianity is wholly founded upon laHs, and that thofe fa6fs
do not come to us with a fufficicnt decree of evidence to be re-
lied on : they have not been proved as matters of facf ought to be
proved. He declares, that — " it has been long matter oi'aftoniih-
* The heathen v/ilters againft Chriftianity feem not to have been much
cfteemsd among the Pagans themfelves ; and this may be one reafon why
they were not very carefully prefcrved. There Is a remarkable paftagc of
Chiyloft^^ni to this purpofe, who, in a difcourfe addreftcd to the heathens,
ojjfcrvGS, That ,the philofophcrs, and famous rlictoricians, uho were againft
Chriftianty, had only rendered themfelves ridiculous: that thcr/ had not
b<icn able to perfuade any one amonp; fo many people, either v/ife or fimple,
rfian or wonian^ that the books written by them were had in fuch contempt,
that they d'fappfared aln>Cift as focn as they were publifned: and that if any
of them were prcfcrved, it was among Cfjiiftians that one miglit find them.
Chf-yl'.ciotoi ii. p. 559. \^r,iQ<KfJ. . ,
^' ment
LORD BOLINGBROKE S LETTERS. O^^-
^^ ment to him, that Chriftiaii divines, thofe of them that can b<5
*' called fo v/ithout a fneer, could take fo much filly pains to
*' eftablifh myftery on metaphyfics, revelation on philofcphy»
^ and rnatters oi faft on abftraft reafoning. A religion founded
*' on the authority of a divine mifTion, confirmed by prophecies
*-^ and miracles, appeals to fafts: and the fafls mufi: be proved,:
*' as ail other fach that pafs for authentic, are proved. If they
*' are thus proved, the religion will prevail without the affiilance
*' of fo much profound reafoning; if they are not thus proved,
*' the authority of it will fink in the world, even with thi»
*' aiTjilance*." — He therefore blames the divines for ufmg im-
proper proofs in their difputes with deifts. He all:s — ''• What
" do they mean to din improper proofs in ears that are open to
*' proper proofs?" — Thus it is that he characlertzcs the deifts;
and afterwards defcribes them as perfons — *' ol minds can-
"did, but not implicit; willing to be informed, but curious
*• to examine +." But how different is the account he giveth
even of the moft learned Chriftians! He affirms, that " they
*' have not been hitherto impartial enough, to take an accurate^
*' examination of the Jewilh and Chtiilian fyllem, or have not
*' beenhoneft enough to communicate it :{:." — This is a very fe-
vcre and confident cenfure. There have been many perfons, not
only among divines, but among the laity, of diilinguiflied emi-
nence for probity and virtue, as well as for learning and judg-
ment, and who, to fpeak modcftly, were in thefe refpeHs no
way inferior to the late Lord Bolingbroke, that have proielled to
examine with all the attention they were capable of, and with an
carneildefire of knowing the truth, the evidences of the JewiHi
and Chriftian fyilem : but becaufe, as tlie refult oi their inquiries,
they were confirm.cd in the belief of the divine original of the
Jewilh and Chriftian revelation, therefore in his judgment, not
one of them was honcft or fagacious enough to make an accurate
examination: and I apprehend they have no other way of ob-
taining the charafter of fagacity or impartiality from writers of
this caft, but by renouncing Chriftianity. If they do this, they
fhall be allowed to be fagacious and impartial inquirers; but,
9therwire, they muft be conient to have their judgment o^iteffi
* Bolijigbroke's Works, vol. i. p. 175- t I^^^- P- ^79- t Icid. p. i3r, •
nelly:
34'
ACTIONS ON THE LATE
neily caikd in queftion. But if we may judge by the writings
of the deifts that have hitherto appeared, not excepting thofe.of
his Lordihip, they have not given very favourable indications,
eithcF of an uncommon fagacity, or of a candid and impartial
inquiry.
He tells the noble Lord to whom he writes, — " You will find
*' reafon perhaps to think as I do, that it is high time the clergy
*' in ail Chrifiian communions fhould join their forces, and
*' eilabliih thofe hiftorical fafts, which are the foundations of
*' the whole fyftem, on clear andunqueflionable hiftorical autho-
" rity, fuch as they require in all cafes of moment from others,
*• and rcjeB; candidly what cannot be thus eftablifhed*."
Chriftian divines have frequently done what his Lordfliip
blames them for not doing. The fa6ts on which the Chriftian
fyftem is founded, relate principally to what is recorded in the
writings of the Nev/ Teftament, concerning the /^t?/)' Ufe^ and ex-
ceilent charaRa', of cur blefied Saviour, his admirable difcourfcSy
the many illuftrious miracles he performed during the courfe of
his perfonal miniftry in proof of his divine miffion, his refurreC'
lion from the dead, and Q.or\{tQ^^xi\. exaltation, the extraordinary
tffufi6'n of the Holy Ghcfi upon his difciples, and the miraculous
^ttellations that v/ere given to his apoftles, and the firft publifhers
of the Chriftian revelation. The queftion is, v/hat reafon have
v/e to think that thofe fa6tS vrere really done? His Lordftiip
requires, that thefe fa6ts fhould be proved, as all other fafts that
pafs for authentic are proved: and that divines fhould eftablifh
the credit of thofe fafts on clear and unqueftionable hiftorical
authority, fuch as they require in all cafes of moment from others.
The Chriftian divines are willing to join ifihe on this point.
Tlie beft, the propereft way of proving the truth of ancient fafis
is undoubtedly by authentic accounts publifhed in the age in
which the ,fa6ls were done, and tranfmitted with fufiicient m^arks
of credibility to our own tim.es. And feveral things are to be
confidered, in order to our judging whether, and how far, thofe
accounts may be depended on. — II the fafts there related were
of a public nature, done for the moft part in open view, and for
which an iippcal is made to numbers ofwitnefTes: — if the ac-
* Solirgbroke's Works, rck i. p. 183.
counts
LORD BOLINGBROKE S LETTERS.
34r
counts of thofe fa6i:s were given by perfons that were perfeftly
well acquainted with the fa8s, and who, having had full oppor-
tunity to know them, were thcmfelves abfolutcly perfuaded 06
the truth and reahty of thofe fafts : if they appear from their
whole chara61er to have been perfons of great probity, ziid ua-
defigning fimplicity, and who could have no worldiy interefl to
ferve by feigning or difguifing thofe fa8:G; audit their preju-
dices had not any tendency to bias them in favour of thofe fafts,
but the contrary: if the writings therafelves have all the charac-
ters of genuine fimplicity, and an impartial regard to truth, that
can be reafonably defired : and if they can be clearly traced from
the age in which they were written, and the facis wciQ faid (.0
be done, through the fucceeding ages, to our own times: and
finally, if it is undeniably evident, that there were furprizing
effctls produced in the very age in which the ia£ls were faid ta
be done, and which cannot otherwife be accounted for, than bv
allowing the truth of thofe fafts, and the effefts of which con-
tinue to this day: where tliefe feveral circumftances concur,
they lay a jufl: foundation for receiving the accounts given ot
fa£ls as true. According tothejuflefi rules of criticiur], fuch
accounts of facfs may be depended on: and many faQs are
generally received and believed, that fall greatly fiiort of this
evidence.
Now it is capable of being proved, and has been often proved
with great clearnefs and ftrength, that all thefe circumftances
concur in relation to the important fafts on which the Chridiaa
fvflcm is founded. The fa6ls themfelves were, for the moil
part, done in open view, and of which there were many wit-
neffes. Chrift's whole perfonal miniilry was a very public thing.
The fcene of it was not laid in a dark obfeure corner, nor v*ras it
carried on merely in a private way. His admirable difcourfes
were, for the mod part, delivered, and his miracles wrought, in
places of the moil public concourfe, before great multitudes of
people, and even before his enemies themfelves, and thofe who
were moft llrongly prejudiced againd him. Many of his won-
derful works are reprefented as having been done at Jerufalem,
at the time of their folemn feftivals, when there was a vail con-
courfe of people from all parts. The fame may be faid of the
vemaijcable circumftances which attended his crucifixion, the
ear^h-
348 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
earthquake, the fplitting of the rock, the extraordinary preter-
natural darknefs that covered the whole land tor the fpace of
fhree hours, Sec. ; which things happened at the time ot the JewiQi
piiiTover,. and could not have been impofed upon the people of
that age, if they had not been known to be inconteftably true.
And the relating fuch things was, in effeft, appealing to thou-
fands of witneHes. And though Jefus did not appear publicly
after his refurreftion to all the people; yet, befides that he {hewed.
hiiTifelf alive after his paffion by many infallible proofs, to his
apoftles and others, who bed knew him, and were therefore moft
capable of judging. that it was he himfeif, and not another; and
was feen even by five hundred at once, who all concurred in
their teftimony j befides this, the extraordinary effufion of the
iloly Ghoft upon his difciples on the day of Pcntecoft, which
was the raofl illuftrious confirmation of his refurre6lion and af-
cenfion, is reprefented to have been of the mod public nature,
^n the prefence of vafl multitudes, then gathered together at
Jeruf^lcm from all parts of the world. To which jt may be
added, tfiat, many of the miracles that v/ere wrought in the name,
and by the power, of a rifen Jefus, and which were fo many
additional proofs of his refurre6lion, were alfo done in open
view, before great numbers of people. The accounts ot thefe
fa£ts were written and publilhed in the very age in which the
fa£ls \>'ere done, and the laws and do6lrines delivered, which ara
there recorded, and by perfons who appear to have been per-
fe6liy acquainted with the things they relate, and fully perfuaded
of the truth of them. And many of the fa6fs were of fuch a na^
ture, ,and fo circumfianced, that they could not be deceived in
them, allowing them to have had their fenfes, which I think it
is but reafonable to fuppofc.
The v/riters ot thefe accounts appear to have been perfons of
plain fenfe, and of great probity and fimplicity, and to have had
a fincere regard to truth. They write without art, without paf-
fion,:or any of that heat which enthufiafm is wont to infpire :
they take no pains to prepoffefs or captivate the reader; but
content themfelves with a plain firapl.e narration of facls, witht
out ornament, amplification, or difguife: they relate with a calm
fimplicity,. and in a manner that hath, not the leall fign of an
^y^efrh^eqLteaiina^.inaticji, Chrift's wonderful adionSj and-Qxcel-
lent
LORD EOLINGBROKE S LETTERS. §4^
lent difcourfes, without interpofmg any refleftions of tTieir own.'
With the fame coohiefs tliey relate the bitter cenfurcs, the feoffs
and reproaches, that were call upon him by his adverfaries, ailcl
the grievous and ignominious fuuerings be endured, without ex'i
prefTing their indignation again'l the authors of thern. And'it
is obfervable, that they do not reprefent him, as one might 'Ir^
apt to expeft they would have done, as triumphing over thofe
fuiTerings with an exulting bravery, but rather as manifelling
great tendernefs of heart and fenfibiiity under them, though
mixed with remarkable conftancy and refignation. 4^
It is a farther proof of that impartial regard to truth, whiifri'
is obfervable in the v/riters of thofe accounts, that, though fdfne
of them were apoilles themfelves, and others their fpecial friendss
and intimates, yet they relate, without difguife, things whiclt
feem to bear hard upon their charafters. They relate not only
the lovvnefs and meannefs of their condition and circumdances,
but their ignorance, their duUnefs of apprehenfion, the weaknefs
of their faith, the pov;er of their prejudices, their vain ambition,
and contentions among them.feives who ihould be the greatef^,
the reproofs they received from their Lord, their cov/ardjy for-
faking him in his lafl: fufferings, and particularly the fliamefui
fall of Peter, one of the chief of them, and his denial of his Lord
and mailer, with the aggravating circumflances that attended iL
They have not attempted to conceal any of thefe things, which
they might eafily have done, or to excufe or difguife them;
than which nothing could better fliew their impartiality, and
love of truth..
It farther ftrengthens the credit of their relations, when it is
confidered, that they had no temptation to difguife or faifify the'
great fafts recorded in the gofpels, in order to ferve anv worldly
intereft, or to humour and confirm any darling prejudices. On
the contrary, it appeareth, that they were themfelves brought,
by the irrefiflible evidence of the fa£ls they relate, to embrace a
religion, which v/as not only contrary to their worldly intereffs,'
and expofed them to all manner of reproaches, perfecutidnS",
and fufferings, but which was alfo contrary to their former moff
favourite notions, and rooted prejudices. For v/hat could fe'^'
more contrary to the notions and prejudices, which then untvet;'
fally poiT^ffed the minds of-tbe Jews; both of the iearia^d^tid cvf
tlj«
3J0 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
the vujfi^ar, than the clo^hine of a crucified MelTiah, who was fa
crs6t a kingdom, not of this world, but of a fpiritual nature, in
the benefits and privileges of which the Gentiles were to be
joint ihareis with the Jews? And, finally, they gave the higheft
proof of their being themfelves perfuaded of the truth of thofe
iafls, by their perfifting in their teftimony with an unfhaken con-
ftancy, in oppofition to all the powers and terrors of this world.
To this it maybe added, that the writings themfelves have all the
characlers of genuine purity, fimplicity, and nncorrupted in-
tegrity, that any writings can have; nor is there any thing in
them that gives the lead ground of fufpicion of their having
been v;ritten in any later age, or that favours of the fpirit of
this world, of ambition, avarice, or fenfuality. And thcfe writ-
ings have been tranfmitted to us v/ith an unquellionable evidence,
greater than can be produced for any other Vv^ritings in the v/orld.
We can clearly trace them through all the intermediate ages np
to that immediately fucceeding the apoftles, and have the moH;
convincing proof of their having been ftill extant, and ftiil re-
ceived and acknowledged among Chr*ftians. There are great
numbers of books, now in our hands, that were written and
publifhed in the feveral ages between that time and this, in which
there are continual references to the gofpels, and other facred:
hooks of the New Teftament. And by the numerous quotations
from them, and large portions tranfcribed out of them in every
age, it is inconteftably manifefl, that the accounts of the fafts^
difcourfes, doftrines, &c. which now appear in them, are the fame
that were to be found in them in the firft ages. Innumerable
copies of them were foon fpread abroad in different nations :
tliey have been tranfiated into various languages : many com-
mentaries have been written upon them by different authors,,
v/ho have inferted the facred text in their writings: they have
been conflantly applied to on many occafions, by perfons of
different fefts, parties, inclinations, and interefts. Thefe are
things which no mnn can be fo hardy as to deny. And by this
kind of evidence, the greatefl and the moft convincing which
the nature of the thing can poifibly admit of, we are affured,
th.at the evangelical records, which are now in our hands, have
been tranfmitted fafe to us, and are the fame that v/ere originally
publifhed in the apollolical age; and that a general corruption
of
LORD BOLINGBROKE's LETTERS. 35 1
of them, or a fubftitution of other accounts inftead of them, if
any had attempted it, would have been an impoflible thing.
Taking all thefe coniiderations together, it appeareth, tKaC
never were there any accounts of h£is. that better deferved to be
depended on. And what mightily confirmeth the credit of thofe
writings, and of the fatls there related, is, that it cannot be con-
tefted, that great numbers, both of Jev/s and heathens, upon the
credit of thofc fafts, forfaking the religion of their anceilors,
were brought to receive the religion of Jefus in the fir ft age,
when they had the beft opportunity of inquiring into the truth
and certainty of thofe fafts : and this in oppofition to their moil
inveterate prejudices, and when, by embracing it, they cxpcfed
themfeives to all manner of evils and fufferin'^js. The fnrcadinfr
of the Chriftian religion, as the cafe v/as circumllanced, fur-
niflieth a very ftrong proof of the truth of the fafis on v/hich it
was founded, and cannot otherwife be accounted for.
Our author aflcrts, that " if the fafts can be proved, the Cbrif-
** tia^n religion will prevail, without the affiftance of profound
*' reafoning: but, if the faSs cannot be proved, the authority of
" it will fink in the world, even with this affiftance*." I think
it may be fairly argued from this, that if the extraordinary fa61s
had not been true, on the evidence of which alone ChriHiar.ity
is founded, it muft have funk at the very beginning, and could
never have been eftablidied in the world at all ; confidering the
nature of this religion, and the difficulties and oppofuions it had
to encounter with. It was manifeflly contrary to the prevailing
prejudices both of Jews and Gentiles: it tended entirely to fub-
vert the whole fyflem of the pagan fupernition and idolatry,
which was wrought into their civil conftitution, and upon which
the profperity of the Roman empire, and the eftablifhment of
their Rate, v/cre thought to depend. It alfo tended to fet afule
the peculiar polity of the Jews, upon which they fo highly valued
themfeives, and to fubvert all the pleafmg hopes and expecta-
tions of the temporal kingdom of the MefFiah, v.'ith v/hich they
were fo infinitely delighted. It obliged them to receive one that
bad been igncminioufly condemned and crucified, as their Re-
tkemer and their Loid, the Son of God, and Saviour of the world,
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol.. i.p^ ?5« '
It
25^ REr LECTIONS ON THE LATE
It propofed no temporal advantages to its votaries, to bribe men
to embrace it; gave no indulgence to their corrupt lufts, nor
had any thing in it to footh and gratify their vicious app'etites
and inclinations. At the fame time it had all the powers' of the
world engaged againll: it : yet it foon triumphed over all oppofi-
tion, though propagated hy the feemingly meaneft inftruments i
and made an aftonifhing progrefs through a great part of the'
Roman empire, then the mcft knowing and civilized part of the
earth. This is a ftrt)ng additional confirmation of the truth of
th.ofe accounts which are contained in the gofpel records; fmce
there could not be, as the cafe was circumftanced, any pofTible
inducement to Jews or Gentiles to embrace Chriftianity, but a
thorough con vifiion of its divine original, and of the truth of
thofe extraordinary fa61:s by v/hich it was attefled.
And if the firfl propagators of this religion had offered no'
ether prooi but their own words in fupport oi it, and in confir-
maiion of the divine authority of a crucified Jefus, it cannot,
with any confiftency, be fuppofed, that a fchcme of religion, fo
deflitute of all worldly advantages, and fo oppofite to men'^s
prejudices, as well as vices, and vwhich fubjefted thofe that made
proieflion of it to fuch bitter reproaches and perfecutions, cculd
pofTibly have prevailed in the world.
If, at the time when Chriftianity made its firfl appeal an ce in
the world, it had been embraced by the Roman emperor, as it
iifterwards was by Con£antine the Great, if it had been counte-
nanced by the higher powers, there might have been fome pre-
tence for afcribing the progrefs it m.ade to the encouragement
it mxet with from the great and powerful. The author of thefe
Letters, fpcaking of the miracles faid to be wrought at the tomb
of the Abbe Paris, cbferves, *' That, if the firii minifter had.
*' been a Janfenift, all France had kept his feflival ; and thofe
*' filly impoflures would have beentranfmitted, in all the folemn
'• pomp of hiffory, from the knaves of his age to the fools of the
** next*." But this very inffance, in which the deiits have
triumphed fo much, m^ay be turned againft them, fince it afford-
cth a plain proof, how difScuk it is to maintain the credit of
miraculous fafts, when they are difcountenancei by the civil
' ^* BoJ'ngi-Mokc's Works, vol. I p. 125, ia6.
pov/erc
L0PJ5 BOXIIsGBROKE S LETXEljlS.
'•' power. The miracles fuppofed to be wrought at the,touil^„.o^
the Abbe Paris were quafhed, and a fiop put to the courfe of xhff.
mhaculous operations, and the ialfehood oi forae of theqi plainly
detefted, notwithftanding there was a numerous, a powerful,-,
and artful body of men engaged, in reputation and intereit, to fupv.
port the credit of them. It may therefore be jullly concluded,,
that if the extraordinary fa6ls, on which Chridianity wasfounded,'
had been faife, the credit of them muft Toon have funk, and that
religion with it, when ail the reigning powers of the world, ,
Jewi(h and heathen, joined their forces and influence to fup-
prefs it*.
In what hath been faid above, to ihew the credit tliat is due
to the accounts given of the fafils by which Chriilianity is eifa-
bliftied, it is fuppofed, that thefe accounts were written byr,
Chrift's own difciples, or their moft intimate companions^ and
in the firft age, the age in which the fafts were done, i. e. by
perfons perfetlly well acquainted with thofe fafls. But this is.
what our author Teems unwilling to allow. In his fifth Letter,
after having obferved, that — " falfe hiftory has been employed
*' to propagate Chriftianity formerly, and that the fame, abufe
" of hiflory is ftill continued" — -he inifances in Mr. Abbadie's
faying, that—*' the gofpel of St. Matthew is cited by Clemens,:
*' biihop of Rome, a difciple of tiie Apollles ; that Barnabas cites
*' it in his Epiftle ; that Ignatius and Polycarp receive it ; and.tliat
" the fame fathers give teiiimony for St. Mark." He adds,
that — "the biOiop of London, in his third Pauoral Letter,
" fpeaks to the fame effeft." And then he proceeds — '.' I. pre-
*' fume the faft advanced by the minifler and the bifhop, is a
*' miUake. If the fathers of the firfl century do mention fome
" pafTages that are agreeable to what we read in our Evangelifls,
*' will it follow, that thefe fathers had the fame gofpels before
" them ? To fay fo, is a maniieil; abufe*of hiHory, and quite
** inexcufable in writers that knew, or might have known,. that"
*' thefe fathers made ufe of other gofpels, wherein fuch palTagea
*' might be contained, or they might be preferved in unwritten,
"tradition. Befides which, I would almoft venture to affirm,- .
* The difficulties Chriftianlty had to encounter with, are elegantly repie-
fcntedby Mr. Wed, in his adniirable Treatife 02 the R^f^rredion.
^^L, ji . A a ^ ~ ~ '' that
254 REf LECTIONS ON THE LATS
** that the fathers of the firll century do not exprefsly name the
*' gofpcls v/e have oF Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John ■"." His
defign is plainly to (ignify, that there is no proof, that the Gof-
pels, the books of the Evangelifis which we now have in our
hands, v/ere v/ritten in the firit age of Chriftianity.
As this is a matter of importance, I fhall offer fome obferva-
tions upon it.
And, firft, it is to be obferved, that tliough but few of the
writings of the fathers of the firft century are coine down to
us, and thofe generally very fhort ; yet it cannot be denied, that
in all thefe writings the facts recorded in the gofpels, efpecially
relating to our Lord's pafiion and refurreftion, and tlie fcheme
of religion thcie taught, are all along fuppofed, and referred to,
as of undoubted truth and certainty, and of divine orighial : fo
that thofe writings of the apofloiical fathers bear tefiiinony ma-
terially to the gofpels, and to the facls there related, and come
in aid of thofe accounts. It is alfo manifeii, that there are fe-
veral particular paffages quoted in thefe writings, which feem
plaiulv to refer to paffa^es that are now found in the Evantreiins ;
iand thefe paffages are mentioned in a manner v»^hich fhews, that
they regarded them as of divine authorhy. Nor is it a valid
objeftion againil this, that they do not cite the gofpels of
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, by name: for it is not their
cuftom, in mentioning paiTages of Scripture, to name the particu-
lar books out of which thefe palTages are €xtra61ed ; they con-
tent themfelves with producing the pafTages, or giving the fenfc
cf them. This th^y generally do with regard to teilimonies
produced from the facred books of the Old Tellament : and
yet no one will deny, that they had thofe books in their hands,
and acknowledged their divine authority.
Barnabas, in his Epiille, has fome plain references to pan'ages
that are to be found in St. Matthew's gofpel : and with regard
to one of them, he introduced it with faying; ILzs u^riitai / whicji
was a form of quotation ufual among the Jews in citinor their
facred books, and feem.s plainly to fhew, that he referred, to
v/ritten accounts of the a£^tions and difcourfes of our Saviour.
Clement, in his Eniflle, mentions feveral remarkable uafT^^cs-
* Bollcgbrckc's Works, vol. i. p. 1 77. 178.
in '
LCllD BoI.!XCZ?.CIvE S LILTTERS. 35 j
in our Lord*s difcourfes, recorded by the Evangclifls, Mattheu%
Ma^-k, and' Luke ; he calls thern, the words of the Lord J ejus ^
which hefpdke, and reprefcntG them as of the highcll authonty,'
and deferving the greateft regard. . " ;'
Ignatius hath feveral paffagcs, which' eitlier are plaint' ^refe-
rences, or manifcft alhifions, to pafTages that are to. be found in
St. Matthew's gofpel, and to feveral other boolis of the' Ne\v-
Teliameht. He tells thcfc to v/hom he writes, that they "ought
^*t6 hearken to the Propliets, but efpecialiy to the goTpel, in
"'which the paiTion has been manifeiled to us, and the refurrec-
*' tion pcrfefted *." Where, as by the Prophets are undoubt-
edly to be underfiood the prophetical writings, fo by the Gofpel
feenis plainly to be underfiood the writings of the Evangelifts,
colIe6led into one book called the Gofpel. And in other paf-
fages he fjpeaks to the fame purpofct, and in a inanner whicli
fhews,' that this bock of the p-orocl v/as of the mcfl facred autho-
ritVaraonff Chridi^ns.
'Poly carp, in his Epiflle, though very fliort, hath many pafTages
that platnly refer or allude to texts of the New^ Teltameht ; and
ouoting forae paSTages which are exprefsly found in the Evange-
fiils, he ' introduces them thus, The Lord hath /aid. He ex-
prefTcs his' confidence, that the Philippians, to v;hom he wj-rtes,'
wei-e well exercij'ed in the Holy Scriptures. And it is manifsfl
froin what he there adds, that by the Holy Scriptures he 'particii-
larly intends -the facred ^vritings of the New Teflan:ent : which
fliews, that the V werehadin the ffreatefl veneration by the Chrif-
tians 01 that age.
He that would fee a more di{lin8; account of thefe things,
may Confult the learned Dr. Lardner's accurate collection of tne
pailages from the apoftolical fathers, in his Credibility of the Gof-
pet-Hif}ory, part ii. vol. i.
It appeareth from this brief account, that the apoflolical fathers
have taken as much notice of the evangelical writin^.s^ as could
be reafonably expected, or as they had occafion to'do. And
therefore I fee net' v/hy Mr. Abbadie (hould be charged with
an abufe of hiftory, for reprefenting tlie fathers of the firll: cti)-
* Ep. ad Smyrn. S. 7. f Fp. ?.d Phlla^ddph. S. 5» '-^ 9-
A a 3 tiuy
S£)^ .REFLSCTIONS ON THE LATE
tury as having cited the books of the Evangelifts ; fince tbotigb
ifhey do not exprefsly quote them by narfie, yet they quote pailages
asof lacrcd authority, which are to be found in thefe books :
and therefore it may be reafonably fuppofed, that they rfefer
tQ.thofe books, which, as I fhall prefently fhew, were tbej^ex-
tant, and the authority of which was then acknowledgedv^sj -lev/
But it is urged, that if the fathers of the firft century 4^i^en^-
tion fome pafTages that are agreeable to what we read in pur
Evangehfts, it does not follow, that they had the fame gcfpels
before them; becaufe " thofe fathers made ufe of other gofpels,
*• wherein fuch paiTages might be contained, or they might be
*• preferved in unwritten tradition." But this way of Hating
the cafe does not afford the leaft prefumption, that the books of
our Evangelifts were not then extant. It is only fuppofed, that
there might be other accounts in that age, in which the fame
things might be contained ; and that the aftions and difcourfes
of o.ur Lord were well known among the Chriflians of the hrn
age, both by written accounts, and by tradition received from
the preaching of the Apolfles. And this certainly confirmetb,
inftead of invalidating, the accounts given in the gofpels, and
fuppofeth the fa£ls there recorded to have been of well-known
credit and authority. But he ought not to mention it as a thing
that is and muft be acknowledged by all the learned, that thofe
fathers of the firft century made ufe of other gofpels befides
thofe of the Evangelifts. It cannot be proved, that they ever
refer to any other gofpels. The only paffage in all the apofto-
Jical fathers, which feems to look that v/ay, is one in Ignatius,
which fome fuppofe was taken out of the gofpel of the HebrevvS,
which itfelf was really St. Matthew's gofpel, with fome inter-
polations and additions ; and yet that palFagemay be fairly intcr-
, preted, as referring to the words of our Saviour, recorded by St.
Xuke, chap. xxiv. 39*.
: . It may be gathered indeed from theintroduftion of St. Luke's
gofpel, thafmany in that firft age had undertaken to write an
account o{ the hiftory of our Saviour's life, miracles, difcourfes,
&.C. but it does not appear, that thofe writings were generaUy-re-
; ;,, , t %^Lafi4»er''s prcdihiUiy^ZiQ. part ii, v«l i. p. 184, iSjjiS^r^-j^c';
LORD BOEINGBROKE's LlSTTERS. 3^7
ceived among ChrlOians as authentic ; probably becaufe they
were not don^ with fafficient exaftnefs, and had a mixture of
things falfe or uncertain. And therefore it is not likely, that the
paffages referred to by the fathers of the firft century, were
taken from thofe writings: it is far more probable, that they
were taken from the books of the Evangelills, wliere v/e ftilj
find them, and which were then extant, and their authority
acknowledged among Chriftians.
• i That the gofpels which we have now in our hands were un-
doubtedly extant in the apoftolical age, and regarded as au-
thentic, admitteth of a clear proof, if it be confidered, that in
the age immediately fucceeding we find them iiniverfally re-
ceived and acknowledged in the Chriftian church. There are
feveral books come down to our times, which were written by
-authors who unqueflionably lived in the fecond century, in which
thefe gofpels are frequently and by name referred to as of di-
vine authority, and many exprefs quotations drawn irom them ;
l)y which it is manifeft, that they were then received with great
veneration in the Chridian churches. And it appeareth from
the firft Apology of Juftin Martyr, publifhed about an hundred
years after the death of our Saviour, that it was then the drdi-
. iiary praBice to read the memoirs of the ApoJIles, and the wtk~
Hnp-s of the Prophets^ in the religious afTemblies of Chriilians.
Arid thsrt by the memoirs of the Apofiles he means the books
•6f'^h6- Evan gel ifts, is evident from feveral paffages in his writ-
ings;;^ and particularly from a paiTage in this very Apology,
•^vhei:-e;%aving mentiontA the mefnoirs c^ntpofed by the Apbfl-les^
■be adds'- which arc called Gofpels :■ and there are frequent cka-
fioiis from all of them in his writings ; which pkinly fhew,
W?iV he looked upon thofe books as authentic hiftories of Jefps
^hrife 'The fame may be obferved concerning other writers ;i:i
that century. And fince it is manifeft, that the four gofpels
tv^te generally- received, and had in the bigheft eft^etii ah"^ i^ne-
''Tati6n, among Ghriftians in the fecond century, "even iii the
ft)rmer^art bf it (for that Apology was written about-the year
139 on 40), this plainly Iheweth, thatthegofpels mul! have been
written and publiOied in the apoftolical age itfclf. And it was,
becaufe they were known to have been written by the Apoftles,
Ql theii" companions and intimates ; and that the accounts there
A a 3 ^'^ •ci'^
f,j8 iHEFLEGTIONS ON THE LATE
given were aiuhentic, and abfolutely to be depended upcn; that
Jtliefe writings were fo early and generally received. Eufebiui,
fpeakingof Quadratus, and other eminent perfons, who "held the
.!'fc;firft rank in .the fucccllion of the Apoflles," infcrnis ns, ** that
.^^ttiey travelled abroad, ^performed the work of Evan.:^eii{ls,
^' being ambitious to preach. Chrift, and deliver the .Scripture
-" of the divine Gofpels*." The perfons he fpeaketh of floari&cd
in the reign of Trajan, in the beginning of the fecond century,
and had undoubtedly lived a good. part of their time in the
ill ft: and their carrying the books of the gofpels with thera
where they preached, and delivering them to their converts,
fheweth that thofe gofpels were then well known to be genu-
ine, and had in great elleem. And indeed if they had not been
-w'iiitcn in the apoftolical age, and then known to be genuine,
it cannot be conceived, that fo foon after, even in the next age,
they could have been fo generally difperfed, and ftatedly read in
the Chriflian alTemblies, and regarded as of equal authority with
the writings of the ancient prophets, which had been for Tome
ages read in the fynagogues on the Sabbath-days. And though
a great clamour hath been raifed concerning fome fpurious
goipels which appeared in the primitive times, there is nothing
capable of a clearer proof, than that the four gofpels, and
thofe only, vrere generally received as of divine authority in the
ChriRian church, in the ages neared; the Apoftles ; and have
CGHtinued fo ever fince, and have besn all along regarded with
tlic protojLindeil veneration.
To this ought to be added, that the heathen v/riters, who
lived iicareu- thofe times, never pretended to deny, that the
bcKJ^ks (fkf the Evangel ilts received among Chriflians were writ^
ten by Chrift's own difciples. Celfus lived in the fecond cen-
tury. Hje fpeaks of Jefus, the author of. the Chrifrian religion:,
as having lived TTpo Tctvu o'A«Vi3vt'rwv, a very ftw years before. He
in^mions^ many things recorded in our Evangelifls, relating to
t}ie:'^?:r^'3, life, mira..Qhs^ J'ujferings, and rejurreciion, of Jefus
Chrift,;. and lells the Ghi'xHians — -" Thefe things we have pro-
" d>tced out. of your own writings." He all along fuppofeth them
to have been written by Chi ift's ov/n difciples, that lived and
cunverfcd with him, though he does all he can to ridicule and
* E:ifeb.Ecclpf.Hi;i. lib. iii. cap. 37.
expofig
LORD BOLINCBROKE's LETTERS. 3J5
expofe them^'. To this it may be added, that the Emperor
Julian, who floiiriCned about the middle oitbe fourth century,
and who was both of great acutenels, and very well difpofed to
take all advantages againd Chriftianity, and had, no doubt, an
opportunity of reading whatfoever books had been v/ritten againfl:
the Chriilians before his time, never pretends to conteft the
gofpels being written by Chrift's own difciples, and thofe whofe
names they bear, Matthew, Ivlark, Luke, and John ; whom he
cxprefsly mentions as the writers of thofe books t ; though, no
doubt, he would have been very well pleafed, if he could have
met with any proof or prefumption that could make it probable,
that the books of the Evangelilts, fo generally received- among
Chriftians, were written, not by Chrift's own immediate dif-
ciples, or their com.panions, or in tjie apoitolical age, but were
compiled afterwards, and faifcly afcribcd to the Apoftlcs. To
which it may be added, that none of the Jews, in any oi then-
writings againif Chriftianity, though they often mention the
books of the Evangclifts, have ever pretended, that thofe books
were not written by thofe to whom they are attributed, but
by others, in after- times, under their naines : nor do they ever
mention any charge or fufpicion of this kind, as having beea
brought againft thofe books by their anceilors.
Thus we find, by the acknowledgment of Friends and enemies,
who lived neareft to tlipfe times, that the accounts contained
in. the books of the Evangelifts v/ere written in the apoiiolical
age ; the age in which thofe facls are faid to have been done,
which are there recorded. Tiicrc are plain references to them,
and palTages produced out of them, in the few writings that re-
main of the firft century. And in the age Imm.ediately fucceed-
ing, we have full proof, tiiat they v/ere univerfally received in
the Chriftian church as of divine authority, and read as fuch
in the Chriiiian affernblies, and were afcribed to Chrift's own
immediate attendants, or their intimate companions, Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John, by name. This hath been univerfally
admitted ever fiuce in all ages : and thefe books have been tranf-
mitted down to our times v^iLh fuch an uninterrupted and con^
•••;- ''/~- *^ ''"^' .^ji^.-..*^; .. V
^( C^rii .ile^^contraJuHan, lib. K. p. 327 ' Edit. S^anheim,
BpO pi/jRf&FrfcdECTiOXS -t^N'/THI^ LATE :
*Y^0€Ki,jevi4^iiEe, as eanpot be produced for any other books .wliat-
|ig>pVT^r-v;sKe: Ivoul^d beiaeeouoted a very unieaforiable uian, that
•^,(5u!d-der\y, or m^en _queilici) it,-: whether tbe books of Livy,
:!&^Uu/l, y^citus, were writteijby thofe whofe names they bear.
j3^;ut. tbei,deiftsj and his Lordfhip among the reft, moft iinreafon-
..^blyTeje^; that hiftorical teftiTiiony and evidence in behaH" of
.. ih^, fGriptures, which -they' would account -to be '%{Ecie|ife3 4wilh
^gard to any other books in the world. n -.r^Ri ■'7\P)fui}fh ton:
..^--Itgiyes a mighty force to all this, that, upon a careful e >da-
mimng and conridering the books themfelves, they bear the plain
-marks arid charafters of the firft, the apoftolical age, and Rot
lone mark' of a later date. Though three of the Evangelifls make
r|>articular mention of our Saviour's prediftions concerning the
. <,0:eilru61ion of Jerufalera and the temple, yet there is not any
-intiraation given, in any one book of the New Teftament, of that
lleftruftiori as having been aftually accompliihed, which yet W3S
,, in forty years after our Lord's crucifixion. And it could fcarce
^%j^yeb0j3n. avoided, but that fome or other of them muff have
. Ifcake:^ notice of itj confidering the many occafions there were
^iorrmsutioniDg it, if thefe books had been generally written after
• tt^r evQ.ot. It: ^ppeareth, from the beginning of St. Luke's
rjgofpelj compared with the introduftion to the Ac! s of the Apof-
ytieg, that he wrote his gofpei before he wrote the A6fs. And
.,jret.thislattcr;was, evidently: written in the apoftolical age, and
.|i>nietime before the death of St. Paul. For it is plain, from
.jfhe -accounts given in that book, that the writer of it was a com-
,,panion of St. Paul in his labours and travels, and particularly was
.>Ykhhira in his voyage to Rome; with an account of which, and
.^of, his preaching there two years in his own hired houfe, the
ibppk^ei^ds. ; Ittaketh no notice of his after-labours and travels,
sr.d of.bis m.artyrdom at Rome; which it would undoubtedly
^liavie done, as well as of the martyrdom of St. James, if it had been
}9ji%ien ^htr thofc events happened. And it is a great proof of
;ths-high veneration the firlt Chri;ftians had for thofe v/ntings,
ai>,d.how careful they were not to infert any accounts into them
w\i\Q\\YieTQJ(kQt originally there, that none of them ever pretend-
ed to make fupplemental additions to that book, either with r«-
g^aid'tof St: Paul lumfelf, or any other of the apoftles. And as
:'W m0.^juAiyc.QBclud8, that St. Luke's gofpei was pyblifliedin
"p-^'o:: : ''■VL.L ^- . the
LORD BDLINGBROKE'S LETTERS. 36^1
the apoflollcal age itfelf, whilft many of the apodles were yet
livings To it hath been generally agreed, that St. Matthew's gofpel
was p;ublilhed before that of St. Luke; and that the gofpel of St,
John was written laft of all. And yet this laft, as is manifeft
IVom the book itfelf, was written by one of Chrift's own difci-
liplsSy' the tiijcipie whom Jefus loved. And it appeareth to have
H:Jjeen principally defigned to record feveral things, which were
rot diftinftly taken notice of by the other evangelical writers.
Aeciordlngly we find, that though the fafts are there plainly^fup-
•pofed, which are related by the other Evangelifts, yet thofe mi-
racles and difcourfes of oar Lord are chiefly infifted upon,
iW^hich either were omitted by them, or but (lightly mentioned.
Indeed whofoever impartially confidereth the writings of the
\Hew Tedament, will eafily obferve in them many peculiar cha-
^Jfbflers, which plainly point to the time in which they v.^ere
^.written; And there is all the reafon in the world to think,
- that if thefe books had been written in any fucceeding age, they
■would have been in feveral refpefts different from what they
now are. The Chriftian religion here appear eth in its primi-
tive fmiplicity, without any of the mixtures of following ages.
Theidea that is given of the Chriflian church, in the writings of
the New Teifament, is fuch as is proper to the fird ^^g^., and from
; which there were fome variations, even in that which immediately
Sfollowed, The difcourfes of our bleffed Lord, as recorded by
(.the Evangeliifs, are of fuch a nature, fo full of divine v/ifdom,
-and admirable fentiments, as would manifeftly appear, if there
were room in this place to enter on a particular confideration of
them: .they are delivered with fo much gravity and authority.
Hnd yet, for the moft part, in fuch a particular way, that they
carry the evident proofs of their own genuinenefs. The cha-
ra6fer given of our Saviour, in the books of the Evangelifts,
jeems plainly to have been drawn from the life. And it may be
^^^uftly affirmed, that it was not in the power of fuch writers, delli-
tute,. as they appear to be, of all art and ornament, to have feigned
fuch a charafter: a charafter, in which is wonderfully united,
_k -divine dignity becoming the Son of God, and an amiable
humility and condefccnfion becoming the Saviour of men ; ati
admirable wifdom, in conjunaion with the greateft candour and
fimplicity of heart ; an ardent zeal for the glory; of God, and
.the mofl exteafive charity and benevolence towards mankind ;
^6{i - .'<^ft£FLECTiaNS ON THE LATE
art impaVliat'freevloiti and feverity in reproving faults, and great
teockFirefs i^ bearing with men's weakneflcs ^nd infirmities; aix
iiTipitraiiensd purity and fan^^ity of manners, withoul: any thing
ibiir o* unfociable, or a fuperciliaus contempt of others; the
inoil exemplary patience and fortitude under the greateft fufFer-
itngs, joined with a remarhable tendernefs and fenfibiHty of fpirit.
To this mav b.e added, the beauty of his maxims, the foliuity of
liis reikStions, the jufl and fublime notions of religion which he
evcry-where incu]cateth,far fuperiorto any thing that was taught
by the inoft celebrated doftors of the Jewifh nation. The mo-
raU he is reprefented as having taught are the moft pure and re-
fined, and yet without running into any fnperflitious extremes,
fuch as were the affe^led ftriftneiles of the Pharifees and Erfenes,
OF the falfe refinements of fome Chrillians in the following ages.
The motives there propofed are the moft powerful and effica-
cLcus that can be prefented to the human mind, drawn from all
the charms of the divine love and goodnefs; from the engaging
offers" of grace and mercy made to the truly penitent, which yet
are fo ordered as not to give the lead encouragem.ent to the ob-
{linately wicked and difobedient ; from the promifes of divine aids
to airiit our fmccre endeavours in the performance of our duty;
from the important folemnities of the future judgment, and the
eternal retributions of the world to come; the inexprcffible glory
zrA felicity prepared for good men, and the dreadful punifh-
nients that ihall be infiitied upon the v/icked. In a word,
fo perfect is the idea of religion contained in thofe writings,
that all attempts to add to it in fucceeding ages, or raife it
to an higher degree of perfection, have really fallen fliort of its
original excellence, and tended to tarniin its primitive beauty
and glory.
Taking all thefe confiderations together, they form a very
flrong and convincing proof of the truth and authenticity of the
gofpel-records; and that, whether we confider the m.ethod of
conveyance, whereby they have been tranfmitted to us, and
which we can trace up with a continued evidence to the firll age,
or the internal charafters of original truth and purity, and gcnuine^
integrity, which appear in the writings themfelves.
To take off the force of the evidence brought for the facis on
which Chriftianity is eftabliflied, it hath been urged, that thefje
fa£ls arc only attefLcd by Chrirrians. • The author gf thefe Let-
ters
LORD BOLINCBROKE's LETTERS* ^6^
ters obforvcs, that the church has this advantage over her adver-
farie*,; that the books that were written againft her have been
dedroyed, whilll whatever tends to juftify her has been prefervci
in her annals: And that " he muft be very implicit in<ieed, who
*' receives for true the hiftory of any nation or religion, and
*r,inu!ch more that of any fe8: or party, v/hhoiit having the means
1? of confronting it with fome other hiflory*." He here feems
t-o fuppofe it as a thing certain, that there had been hidorical
evidence againft Chriftianity, but tliat the church had fupprehed
itt. But this is a precarious fuppofition, without any thin? to
fupport it. The account of the fa'jls on which Chriifianity is
founded, was pubHihed, as hath been fhewn, by perfons who
pretended 10 be perfe6fly well acquainted with thofe fafts, and
in the age in which they v/ere done, and v^ho fpeak of them as
things publicly known, and of undoubted certainty. The pro^
per way therefore for the enemies of Chriflianity to have taken,
would have been, to have pablifhed, if they were able, contrary
authentic accounts, in that very age, for difproving thofe fa£is;
Vv'hich it v.'ould have been eafy to have done, if they had been
tdlfe: for, in that cafe, thoufands mufr have known them to be
xo; fince many of the facls are reprefented as having been done
in public view, and in the prefence of great multitudes. But
that no fuch contrary hiftorical evidence was then produced cr
puibliihcd, we may confidently affirm ; not only becaufe there
is no account of any fuch evidence, but becaufe if the fafts on
which Chriflianity is eftabHified had been autlientically difproved,
even in the age in which they were faid to have been done; and
if there had been good hiftorical evidence produced en the ether
lide, by which it appeared that thofe facts were faife; the Chrif-
* Bolingbrokc's Works, vol. i. p. laS. 132.
: f Lord Bolingbroke feems to have laid a great llrefs upon this thought,
for he eUewhere qbilrves, that *' if time had brought to us all the proof for
*' Chriflianity andagainll it, we (hould have been puzzled by contradifcory
" proofs. See his works, vol. iv. p. 270. v/here he prefumes upon it as a
thing certain, though he does nat attempt to produce the lead evidence for
It, that there v/as formerly proof againft Chiimanity, which, if jt had come
(dcvv n to us, would have deftroyed the evidence brought for it, or, at leafc,
have very much weakened the force of that cvifiencs; and kept tl:e mind in
fafpcnce,
tiaa
364 ''^-iftgl-LMTioNs ON riA§\M£':
ti^tlTeligi^h, confidering the other difadvantages tbat att^nQM'9f}
and'that'k was principally lupported by thof'e fafts, muft hav^<i
flirik; at bncfe. ' ' ^How is it conceivable, that in that cafe it would
bave flourifhed more and more; and that vaft numbers, and
iifiany of them perfons of confiderable fenfe and learning, ^vduld
li^^^coR'tinued to embrace it„ in the face of the greatefl diffi(iul-
tids" 'and difcouragements? How comes it, that none of' th^
Aijoloa-us fo7- Chrijlianity ihTai were pubhflied very early, atid
prcfented- to the Roman emperors, fome of which are flill '.^^
tant, take any notice of fuch contrary hiflorical evidence-' or
endeavour to confute it, but ftill fpeak of thofe fa61s as incoil-
tellably true and certain? The firft heathen author that appears
to have written a formal book againft the Chriflian religion, h
Celfus: and v;hat he advanced to this purpofe, we learn from his
©-Wn-wbrds, prcferved by Origen, in his excellent anfv/er to him.
He endeavoureth, as far as he can, to turn the gofpel-accounts
to ridicule; but he never referreth to any authentic hillory, or
book of credit and authority, which had been publiflied, to Ihew
that the faBs, recorded by the Evangel ills, and believed by the
Chriftiaiis, were falfe. He pretended indeed, that *' he could
** tell many other things, relating to Jefus, truer than thofe things
"that were v/ritten of him by his own difciples; but that he
** willingly paiTed them by*:" but we may be fure, that if he
liad been able to produce any contrary hiHorical evidence, which
he thought was of weight fufficient to invalidate the evangelical
records, a man of his virulence and acutenefs would not have
failed to produce it; and his not having done fo, plainly fhsw-
eth that he knew of none fuch; though, if there had been any
fuch, he raufl have known it. Nor do I find that Julian, when
he v/rctc againfl Chriflianity, pretended to produce any contrary
hifiorical evidence for difproving the fafts recorded 'in the gbf-
pels: if he had, fomething of it would have appeared in Cyril's
aafwcr, in which there are many fragmeiib of His book prc-
ferved. I think therefore the pretence of there having been
contrary evidence to difprove the faQs recorded in the gofpel,
Avhich evideilce was afterwards fuppreffed by the Chriftiany,^fs
^bfcluiely vain and groundiefs. And to refufi? pur aflent-f-o the
f prig, contra ClelC li|>. ii. ;p,,$^. Edit. Spcnca^ .jiitii:^ t
. / gofpel-
LOJID BOLINGBROKE's LETTERS. 365
gofpel-hiftory, for want of having an opportunity to confront
it with contrary hiflorical evidence, when we have no rcafcin iq
think there ever wa^ fuch evidence, would,be the moil unirear
fonable conduft in the world. : ;v;<ui;l( ^•■:sf{
:;,! -But ftili it is Urged, that the accounts of thofe f^6i{;, iin .qftJef
to their obtaining full credit from any impartial perlon, ougiit
to be confirmed by the tellimony of thofe who were not them-
felves Chriflians; fincc Chriftians may be excepted againfi; as
prejudiced perfons; and that, if there be no fuch teftjiiiQny* it
adminiilers juil ground ol fufpicion. As a great Arefsto be^a
frequently laid upon this, 1 fliall confider it dininftly. , .;.,,.'
,.To expeft that profefTed enemies, v/ho reviled and periecuted
the Chriftians, (liould acknowledge the truth of the main fa61s on
which Chriftianity is founded, is an abfurdity and ccntradiclioiii
And if any tellunonies to this purpofe were now to be foundAin
their writings, it would undoubtedly be alleged by thofe gentle:-
men, who now complain of the want of fuch tellim.oniesj that
thofe paffages were foifled in by Chriftians, and ought to bei.rc^
jefted as fuppofitiiious. But yet we have the teftimony of adveN
faries concerning many fafts relating to Chriftianity, as far' as
can be expelled from adverfaries. Jt cannot be expelled, that
Jews or heathens, continuing fuch, fiiould acknowledge Chn.ft's
divine miffion; that he was the Son of God, the Saviour of .the
world : but none of them ever pretended to deny, that there w.afe
fuch a perfon as Jefus Chrift, who was the author of toe Ghrif-
tian religion, and appeared in Judea in the reign of Tibei^ius.
Tacitus's tellimony, as well as that of Celfus, is very exprefs to
this purpofe *'*■. And fome of the heathens went fo far as to
fpeak very honourably oi him. So did the emperor Alexander
Severus, who would have built a 'temple to him, if feme of the
pagans about him had not made ffrong remonftrances againfl it,
as Lampridias informs us in his lifet. And even Porphyry himr-
iej;!, jwhofe words Eufebius hath preferved, fpeaks of him as a
pious man, whofe foul was talien into heaven;}:. It would be
unreafonable to expe£l, that the enemies of Chrifiianity fliould
9cIvi?LOwledge the accounts given of Chrtft by the Ev::ngelifls to
* Tacit. Annal. lik' xv. '
f Cap. xxix. xlili. Hlfl. Augufl. torn, i, Edit. V?.r.
$ Eufeb. Demsr.flrat. EvajigeLlib. iii.p. 134'
fee
S66 EIFLZCTIONS ON THE LATE
be true and authentic, and abfolutely to be depended upon; ^ot
then they muft have turned Chriilians. But yet they nevet
<3enied,. what feme of our niodern unbelievers fec:n unv/ilUi^g
to acknowledge, that Chrifl's own difciples, who had lived irA
converfed with him, had written accounts of his life, and a6lions,
and difcourfes, Vv'hich were received bv Chriftians as true and
authentic. The teftimony of Celfus, as was obferved before, is
very full to the purpofe. It cannot be expecled, that Jews and
heathens fhould acknowledge Chrift's miracles to have becii
really wrought by a divine povv-er. But they do not deny, thM
he did, or feemed to do, wonderful works. And the .way they
take to account for them amounteth to an acknowledgment of
the fafts. Some afcribed them to magical arts, as Celfus, who
faith, that, on the account of the ftrange things he performed,
Jefus claimed to be regarded as a God"^. Others, as Kierocle.^,
oppofed to them the wonders pretended to have been v/rought bv
Apollonius Tyanasus. The Jews afcribed the works he performed
to the virtue of the ineffable Name, which he flole out of the
temple. And the emperor Julian exprefsiy acknov,rledgcth fcni.e
or his miraculous works, particularly his healing the lame and
the blind, and cafting out devils, at the fame tim.e that he aflefts
to fpeak of them in a very fiight and diminifhing manner t. As
to Chrift's having fuffered under Pontius Pilate, the heathens
and Jews were fo far from denying it, that they endeavoured to
turn it to the reproach of Chriflians, that they believed in, and
"worfliipped, one that had been crucified. It cannot be expecl'cd
indeed, that they fhould own, that he really rofe again from tlie
dead on the third day, as he himfelf had foretold; but they ac-
3;.ncwledge, that his difciples declared that he did fo, and pro-
fcffed to have feen him, and converfed with him., after his refur-
reftion. This appeareth from the teftimony of Celfus, at the
fame tim^e that he endeavours to ridicule the account giveti by
the Evangelifts of Chrift's refurreclion|. The Jews, by pre-
tending that the difciples ftcle away the body of Jefus, whilil
the foldiers that were appointed to guard it flept, plainly acknow-
'■i fc'nL':^ ''-^dj v/oIl£ 0-1 toe
* Orig. contra Celf. lib. i. p. 7. 22. ;,o.
t See his words in Cyril contra Julian, lib. vi. p. izt. Edit. SFrtnhcim.
+ Orig. contra Cclf. lib. ii. p. 94. 9C, 97. lib. vii. p. 355.
iedged.
LORD BOLINGRROKE's LLTT^RS. 36^
iedged, that the body di<l not remain in the fepulchre where it
had been laid after his crucinxion; and that therefore he iniglit
have lifen from the dead, for any thing they could prove
to the contrary. The early and remarkable dilFufion of Chtif^
tianity, notwitbuanding all the dimcnllies it had to encounter
witb, and the perfeciuions to v/hich the profeffors o-f it v/ere ex-
pofed, is a very important fact, and which, as the cafe was cir-
cumflanced, tends very much to confirm the truth of the gofpel-
accounts. And this is very fully atteUed by heathen writers^
though it cannot be expefted, that they would afcribe this pro-
pagation of CliriOianity to its proper caufes, the force of truth,
and a divine po^vel• accompanying it.
Tacitus, in a pafTage where he expreffeth himfelf in a manner
that flievvs he was ftrongly prejudiced againft ChriilianiLy, infqrms
us, that there was a great Tnidtiiude of Chriilians at Rome i:i
Nero's time, v/hich was in little more than thirty years attcr
the death of our Saviour ; and gives an account of the terrible
torments and fufferings to Vv'hich they were expofed ''*■. Julian^:
fpeaking of the Evangelid John, v/hom he reprefents as oiie
of Chriil's own difciples, faith, that in his time a great multitude,
in moft of the cities of Greece and Italy, v/ere feized v.'Uh tliar.
difeafe (for fo he calls ChriRianity), and that John, obferving
this, was encouraged to affert that Chrifl v/as God, wliich nene-
of the other apoflles had done t. And we learn fromj the
younger Pliny, that in the reign, of Trajan, i. e. about feventy
years after our Lord's crucifixion, the Carircian faith had made
Tuch a progrefs in fevcral parts of the Rom.an empire, that the-
tem.ples of the gods were almoft defolate ; their folemn facrecl
rites long negleftcd ; and that there were very few that would
buy the facrihces J. It cannot be expected, that heathens, con-
tinuing fuch, fhould acknowledge that the Chriftians' were right
in their notions of religion ; but the lall mentioned celebrated
heathen gives a noble teftimony to the innocency of their lives
and manners, and that they bound themfelves by the mofl facred
engagements to the practice of righteoufnefs and virtue, and-
not to allow themfelves in vice and wickednefs, falfidiood and
* Tacit. Anna], lib. xv. f S-2 '.h- p^Tag-e In Cyril, VHo.^- P- 3^7.
% Plin. lib. X. Ep. 97. ad Trajaa,
impuritv.
368 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATE
iiEpurity. Even Celfus, than whom Chriftianity never had ai
more bitter enemy, owns, that there were among Chriftians
Tiiany temperate^ modefl^ and undtrjlanding perfons^J'' And
Julian recommends to his heathen pontiff Arfacius the example
of the Chriftians, for their Idndnefs and humanity to flrangers,
and net only to thofe of their own religion, but to the heathens ;
and for their apparent fanftity of life ; and this he fuppofes to
be the chief caufe why Chriftianity had made fuch a progrefs +.
If none but Chriflian writers had celebrated the conllancy of
the ancient martyrs, fome would have been ready to have fufpeci:-
ed, that they feigned this to do them honour, or, at leail, greatly
heightened it: but it appeareth from the undoubted teftimonies
of the above mentioned Pliny, of Arrian, who flourifhed under
the reign of Hadrian, and of the emperor Marcus Antoninus, that
the ancient Chriftians were very remarkable for their fortitude
and contempt of torments and death, and for their inflexible
firrnnefs and conilancy to their religion under the greateft fuf-
ferings %.
Though therefore it were abfurd to expeft, that the enemies
cf Chriilianity, continuing fuch, fhould direftly atteft the truth
and certainty of the main fa6ls on which the Chriftian religion
is founded; yet v/e have feveral teftimonies from them, that con-
tribute not a little to the confirmation of thofe fafts. Befides
vv'hich, what ought to have great weight with us, we have the
teflimony of perfons who were once Jews or heathens, and
iirongly prejudiced againft the Chriftian fyftem, who yet, upon
the convincing evidence they had of thofe fa£ls, were themfelves
brought over to the religion of Jefus§. Of fuch perfons there
were great numbers even in the firft age, the age in which the
fatts were done, and in which they had the beft opportunity oC
inquiring into the truth and certainty of them. But there could
not be a m.ore remarkable inftance of this kind than the apolllc
Paul. Never was there any man more ftroiigly prejudiced
againft Chriftianity than he: which had carried him fo far, that
he was very a£tive in pcrfccuting the profefforsof it, and thought
'^' Orig. contra Celf. lib. i. p. 23. f Julian. Ep. xllx. ad Arfac.
i Plin. ubi fup. Arrian Epi6t. lib. iv. cap. 7. Marcus Anton, lib. xi. 5.
$ See Addifon's Treatrfe of the Chriiliar, Religion, fedt. iii. ii.
that
tbat in doing fo he had done God good fervic^, Hc^vzs at the famci
time a perfon oi" great parts and aeutenefs, and who had.a learned-;
^u.C(3tion; -yet4j€ wasbrouglxfc over to t|ilBi)Ghriftiaa f^^^ byist
divine power aod evidence, which he,v/as not able to rcfii]; ; aiid
theii^eiorth did. more than any other of the apoPues. to propagate
th^^:eligion oC Jefus: thoughrthereby he not only lorfehed <jU ijis-
hopes ot worldly- intereft and advancement, hut expofed himfelf
to a fucce-ffion of the raoft grievous reproaches^ pcrfecutionSjand
fpfFerings ; all which he bore with an inviiicihle eonftancy, ,and
even with a divine exultation and joy. In his admirable epiftles^
"which were undeniably written in the firftage of Chrillianityj.ancl-
tkan which no writings can bear more .uncontefted .ma.rksc;<>€-f
genuine purity and integrity, there are continual references ta'.
the principal fafts recorded in the gofpels, as of undoubted t.ruti>.
and'Certainty. And it maniieft ly appeareih, that great mi?9cl§s^'
were then wrought in the name of Jel'us, and that extraordinary
gifts were poured forth upon the difciples. And why lliould no.t
his teftimony in favour of Chriftianity be of the greatefl iore^,?"!^
Muft it be difregarded becaiife of his turning Chriifian, i, c.
becaufe he was fo convinced of thofe faCls by the llrongell evi-
den.ce, that: it over-ruled all his prejudices, and brought him oyer
to Chrilllanity, in oppofition to all his ionner. notions, inclina-
tions, and interells? Whereas it is this very thing that giveth his
teftimony a peculiar force^. And if he had not turned Chrif-
tian, his teftimony in favour of Chriftianity, if he had given any,
would not have had-fo ^reat weight, as beinc^ infufticient tor his
own conviftioa; or it would have been rejefjed ^as a Corgeiry,
under pretence that ,he could not fay, aad: feeijeye ;fu<jhT,thii?gS'
without embracing the Cliriftian faith, w-,.-. , , U.r.^. *• >.. -v^j dtv^
This very pretence rhas^jbe^nm^de ufe of- to fet afide^the>iFe,-
markable teitimony of Jofephus. . And indeed, ii that tellimo;ny
be genuine (and a great deal has been ilrongiy urged to prove
it fo, at leaft forthel'ub.ftance of it), Jt, mull be aekno^w hedged ^.lihae
he was far from being an enemy to Chridianity, though' he was
perhaps too mucK.a Gpurtier openly to protefs -it. , :> .
There is another argument, which the ingenious author of
* See tliis.clearly.and folidly argued.in: Sir Giarrge-l.ytteltoa'-s excfellent
Obfervations^'Oii.the: GQQserfioniaiid-Apcllleiliip sf St. Paul.
-- ■ B b tl^el^
«70 REFLECTIONS ON THE LATS
thefe Letters propofeth, and upon which he la.yeth no fmall firefs,
as if it were a deraonftration againft the divine authority oi the
Chriftian religion. He obferves, that — ** the writers of the
*' Romifh religion have attempted to fhew, that the text of the
** holy writ is on many accounts infufficient to be the fole cri-
** terionof orthodoxy;" and he apprehends they have (hewn it:
•* And the writers of the reformed religion have ere6led their
** batteries againft tradition: and that they have jointly laid their
*' axes to the root of Chriftianity : that men will be apt to rea-
*' fon upon what they have advanced, that there remains at
*' this time no ftandardatall of Chriftianity : and that, by confe-
" quence, either this religion was not originally of divine inftitu-
" tion, or elfe God has not provided effe6lually for preferving
*' the genuine purity of it, and the gates of hell have aftually
*' prevailed, in contradiftion to his promife, againft the Church.
•'^He muft be worfe than an atheift that affirms the laft : and there-
" fore the beft efieQ of this reafoning that can be hoped for is,
*' that men fhould fall into Theifm, and fubfcribe to the firft;" —
7nz. that the Chriftian religion was not originally of divine in-
ilitution". He feems to think this dilemma unanfwerable; and
in order to this, he pronounceth, on the fide of the Romifh
church, that their writers have ftiewn, that the facred text is —
*' infufficient to be the fole criterion of othodoxy;" — or, as he
afterwards exprefleth it, that — *' it hath not that authenticity,
** clearnefs and precifion, which are necCiTary to eftablifti it as a
■** divine and certain rule of faith and praQicc." — Why his Lord-
fhip giveth the preference to the Romifti divines in this contro-
verfy, is very evident. It is becaufeit beft anfwereththe defign
he hath in view; which manifeftly is, to fubvert the credit and
authority of the Chriftian religion j and leave it nothing to de-
pend upon but ih^Jorce of education^ and the civil and ecclefi*
ajlical pozver.
It cannot be denied, that fome writers of the Romifti Church,
tvhilft they have endeavoured to ftiew that the fcripture is in-
fufficient to be a complete rule of faith and practice, have faid
as much to expofe the facred text, as if they were in league with
the infidels againft it, though they, as well as we, profefs to o\yn
* Bolingbroke's Works, vol. i. p. J79, i8o, 181.
its
LORD BOLINGBROKE S LE-TTERS. 37 f
its divine original. The enemies of Chriftlanity have not failed
to take advantage of this. And indeed there cannot be a greater
abfurdity than to fuppofe, that God fhould infpire men to reveal
his will to mankind, and to in{lru6l tlicm in the way of falvation,
and order it [oy that they fliould commit that revelation to writing,
for the life and benefit of his church ; and yet that it fliould be
infufficient to d.ni'yrer the end, or to guide thofe that, in the fince-
rity of their hearts, and with the attention which becomeih them
in an affair of fuch infinite importance, apply themfelves to the
underffanding and praftifing of it.
What his Lordfliip here offers (and it contains the fum of
what has been advanced by the Romifh writers on this fubjeft),
is this — " I am fure that experience, from the fird promulgation
** of Chriftianity to this hour, fhews abundantly, with how much
*' eafe and fuccefs, the moll oppofite, the rnoft extravagant, nay,
*' the mod impious opinions, and the moft contradiftory faiths,
** may be founded on the fame text, and plaufibly defended by
** the fame authority*." — This way of arguing beareth a near
affinity to that which lieth at the foundation of all fcepticifm,
viz. that there is no certain criterion of truth, or right reafon,
becaufe reafon is pretended for the moft contra-di6^ory opinions ;
and that it is impoffible to be certain of any thing, becaufe of the
differences among mankind about every thing: that there are na
certain principles at all, even in natural religion or morality;
fince there are none, not even thofe relating to the exigence
andperfeftions of God, a Providence, a future flate, the natural
differences of good and evil, but v/hat have been controverted,
and that by perfons who have pretended to learning, to wifdom,
and philofophy. But the abfurdity of this way of arguing is
very evident. The principle is fallacious, that whatever hath
been controverted is uncertain. As well might it be faid, that
wha.ever is capable of being abufed is not good or ufeful. It doth
not follov/, that the fcriptures are not fufficiently clear and de-
terminate to be a rule of faith and praft ice in all that is efiential
or neceffary to falvation, becaufe there have been men in every
age that have interpreted them in different fenfes. The plaineil
paflages in any v/ritings whatfoever may be perverted; nor is-
* Boliogbroke's Works, vol. i. p. 179.
^ b a men's
37 2 REFLECTIONS ON THE Lx\TE
men's difiering about the meaning of the facred text any argit^
mentagainll its certainty or perfplcuity. Laws rnay be of great
ufe, t]iough they do not abfolutely exclude chicanery and eva-
fion. That can never be a good argument to prove, that the
fcriptures are not a rule to be depended upon, which would
equally prove, that no revelation that God could give could pof-
fibiy be a rule of faith and practice, or of any ufe to guide men
to truth and happinefs. If God fliould make a revelation of his
will, for inilrufting mankind in what it mofl nearly concerneth
them to know, and fordirefting them in the way of falvation (the
pofhbiiity of which cannot be denied by any theifl), and fhould
for this purpofe appoint a code to be publiftied, containing doc-
trines and laws.; it may be juilly queftioned, whether it could
poffibly be m.ade fo clear and explicit, as that all men in all ages
fhould agree in their fenfe of it. This could hardly be expelled,
except Godfliouldmiraculoufiy interpofe, with an irrefiilible in-
fluence, to caufe them ail to think the fame way, and give them
the fame prccife ideas of things, the fame meafures of natural
abilities, and exactly the fame means and opportunities for ac-
quiring improvement, the fame fagacity, the fame leifure, the
fame diligence; and except he fnould exert his divine power in
an extraordinary manner, for fubduing or removing all their pre-
judices, and over-ruling their different paiTions, humours, incli-
nations, and interefls; and ihould place them ail exaftly in the
fame fituation and circumfianccs. And this would be by no
means conliftent with the wifdorn of the divine government, or
with the nature of man, and his freedom as a moral agent, and with
the methods and orders of Providence. Nor is there any necelTity
for fo extraordinary a procedure : for it would be abfurd to the
bit degree to pretend, that the fcripture can be of no ufe to any
man, except all men were to agree about it ; or that it is not fufn-
ciently clear to anfwer the end, if there be any perfons that per-
vert or ab ufe it.
Yet, after all the clamour that has been raifed about differences
among Chriftians as to the ftnfe of Scripture, tliere are many
things of great importance, about which there hath been in all
ages a very general agreement among profeffed Chrillians: They
aie agreed, that there is one God, who made heaven and earth,
and all things which are therein: That he prefervetli all things
by
373
by the word of his Power, and governeth all things by his Pro-
vidence: That he is infinitely powerful, wife, and good, and is
to be loved, feared, adored, obeyed, above ail: That as there is
one God, fo there is one Mediator between God and man, Jefus
Chrift the righteous^ whom he, in his infinite love and mercy,
fent into the world to fave and to redeem us : That he came to
inftru^l us by his doftrine, and bring a clear revelation of the
divine will, and to fet before us a bright and mofl perfcft ex-
ample for our imitation : That he fubmitted to the mofl grievous
fuP/erings, and to death itfelf, for our fakes, that he might ob-
tain eternal redemption for us : That he rofe again from the dead,
and afccnded into heaven, and is now crowned with glory and
honour, and ever liveth to make interceffion for us: That through
him, and in his name, we are to offer up our prayers, and hope
for the acceptance of our perfons and fervices, and for gracious
afliffances in the performance of our duty: That in him there
is a new covenant ellablilhed, and publiflied to the world, in
which tiiere is a free and univerfal offer of pardon and mercy to
all the truly penitent, and a mofl exprefs promifc of eternal life,
as the reward of our finccre, though imperfe6l obedience: That
it is not enough to have a bar? fpeculative faith, but we mufl be
formed into an holy and godlike temper; and, in order to be pre-
pared for that future happinefs, muil live foberly, righteoufly,
and godly, in this prefent world : That there fliali be a refur-
reclion both of the jufl and of the unjufl, and a future judgment,
when Chrift fliall judge the world in the Father's name, and give
to every man according to his deeds: That the wicked fhall be
doomed to the mofl grievous punifhments; and the righteous
fhall be unfpeakably happy to all eternity. Thefe are things of
great confequence, and which have been generally acknowledged
by Chriftians in all ages. And if there have been feveral things
advanced by thofe that call themfelves Chrillians, which are not
xvell confiftent with thefe generally-acknowledged principles ;
if there have been controvcrfies among them about points of
confiderable importance, as well as many contentions about
things of little or no moment, this is no argument againil tiie
divine authority or ufefulnefs of the facred wrt-ting3. Thole
that ii:r.ijl the Scriptures muil be accountable to him that gave
them/ for that perverfion and abufe; as men muil be-account-
B 1) 3 *bls
374 REFLECTIOisS ON THE LAT2
able for the abufe of their reafon : but this is far from proving,
that therefore the Scriptures anfwer no valuable purpofe, and
could not be of a divine original. Still it is true, that whofoever
will, with a teachable and attentive mind, and an upright in-
tention to know and do the v/ill of God, apply himfelf to read
and confider the holy Scriptures, in an humble dependence on
God's gracious affiftances, will find vafl advantage for inftruft-
ing him in the knowledge of religion, and engaging him to the
praftice of it, and for guiding him in the way of falvation.
It appears then, that the foundation, on which this formi-
dable dilemma is built, will not bear. There is at this time zi
Jlandard for Chrijiianity; even the do£irines and laws of our
Saviour and his apoftles, as contained in the holy Scriptures.
It mull be and is acknowledged by all that profefs themfelves
Chriftians, that whatever is revealed in thofe facred books is true
and certain, and whatever can be {hewn to be contrary to what
is there revealed is lalfe. The R >;naniils as well as Proteftants
own the divinity and authenticity of the facred text, though for
particular views they would join unwritten tradition with it:
and are forgiving the church alone the authority to interpret
the Scriptures. The reafon of their conduct is evident. It is
iict becaufe they look upon the facred text to be fo obfcure and
ambiguous, that it cannot be underftood by the people; but be-
caufe they think the people, if left to themfelves, will underdand
it fo far as to fee the inconfillency there is between true primi-
tive Chridlanity, as laid down in the New Teftament, and the
papal fyllem, and becaufe their corrupt additions to Chriflianity
cannot he proved by Scripture-authority.
I have already taken notice of what he faith concerning the
fatal blow that Chriflianity received by the refurrec^ion of let-
ters. I fuppofe we are to take his word as a decifive proof of
this; for no ether proof of it is offered. But it may be affirmed
on the contrary, that true primitive Chrillianity, that is, Chrif-
tianity as laid down in the New Trftament, had then a gh^rious
revival. Many corrupt aduiiions that had been made to it were
thrown off. It hath never been better undciHood, nor its evi-
dences fct in a clearer light, than fince that time. Some of the
moil admired names in the republic of letters have thought them-
felves worthily employed in endeavouring to illuflrate the beau-
ties
LORD B0L1NGBR0K.E S LETTERS. 375
ties of Scripture, and to clear its difficulties. It were eafy to
Ihew, if it were not a thing fo well known as to render it need-
lefs, that thofe who have done mofl for the revival and fpread-
ing of learning and knowledge in all its branches, and who were
moft celebrated for their genius, judgment, various reading, and
probity, have been perfons that exprefled a great admiration for
the holy Scriptures, and an hearty zeal for Chriftianity.
Thus I have confidcred what the late Lord Bolingbroke halli '
offered in thefe Letters again ft the authority of the holy Scrip-
ture, and the Chriftian religion, as far as may be neceflary to
take off the force of the objeftions he hath raifed againft it, and
which feem to have nothing in them proportioned to the unufual
confidence with which they are advanced. It is hard to fee
what good end could be propofed by fuch an attempt. But per-
haps it may be thought an advantage, that by " difcovering error
" in firft principles founded upon fa6ls, and breaking the cliarm,
" the inchanted caftle, the fteepy rock, the burning lake will
** difappear*.'* And there are perfons, no doubt, that would be
well pleafed to fee it proved, that Chriftianity is no better than
^lelufion and enchantment; and particularly, that the wicked have
nothing to fear from the burning lake, fome apprehenfions of
which may probably tend to mal^e them uneafy in their vicious
courfes. But I (liould think, that a true lover of virtue, and of
mankind, who impartially confiders the purity of the gofpel-
morals, the exccHent tendency oi its doftrines and precepts, and
the power of its motives for engaging men to the praftice of piety
and virtue, and deterring them from vice and wickednefs, will
be apt to look upon it as a very ill employment, io endeavour to
expofe this religion to contempt, and to fet bad men free from
the wholefome terrors it infpires, and deprive good men of the
fublime hopes and facredjoys it yields. But Chriftianity hath
withftood much mere formidable attacks, and w^ill, I doubt net,
continue to approve itfelf to thofe that examine it, and the evi-
dences by which it is eftabliflied, with minds free from vicious
prejudices, and with that fmcerity and fimplicity of heart, that
ierioufnefs and attention, which becomes them in an affair of fuch
vaft importance.
* See his Letter 9n the Ufe of Study mtd Retirement^ vol. ii. p. 221.
Bb4 LET^
]y6 X^EKERAL REFLECTIONS ON [I^/. XXXV.
LETTER XXXV.
IVie Account of the Dei/i.icallVriters clofcd — Geiicrod B^eJleEiions
on thofe JVriters — The high Encomiums they beftozu upon
the/rifelves, and their own Performances, and the Contempt
they exprefs for others— They differ among themfelves ah out
the viofl important Principles of natural Religion — The un-
fair Methods they take with regard to Chrifianity — No
Writers di [cover Jlronger Marks of Prejudice — The Guilt
and Danger ofrejeBing theChriflian Revelation — An Averfion
to the Laws of the G of pel, one of the principal Caufs of Tnfi^
delity — Terms propofed by the Ddfisfor making up the Dif-
. ferences hetzveen them and the Chriflians — Their Pretence of
plating Religion wholly in PraElice, and not in vf clefs Specu^
lations, confdered.
SIR,
SHALL now clofe the account of the deiftical Vv'riters
who have appeared among us for above a' century pall, and
{hall take occafion to fubjoin fome reflections which fcem natu-
rally to arife upon this fubject.
If we v.'cre to judge of the merit of thefc writers, by the en-
comiums they have bellowed upon their own performances, and
the account they have given of their defigns and views, we fiiould
be apt to entertain a very favourable opinion of them, as perfons
to whom the world is under great obligations. Dr. Tindal
begins and ends his book with declaring, that his fcheme tends
to the honour of God, and the happinefs of huma?i focieties ;
that there is none who wifJi well to mankind, but niujl alfo zvifii
his hypothefis to he true; and that it moft effeclually prevents
the growth both of fcepticifn and enthufiafm. The Moral Phi-
lofopher every-whcre fpeaks very advantageoufly of himfelf, as
having nothing in view but to vindicate and promote the caufc
qf real religion, and moral truth and righteoufnefs. The author
of Chrifianity not founded on Argument, fpends fomc pages in
recapitulating and extolling his ov^n work. The fame obferva-
tion may be made concerning the author of the Refurre8io?i
Ltt, XXXV.] THE DEISTICAL WRITERS, 377
of Jefiis conjidered. He declares, " that reafon is his only
*' rule, and the difplaying truth his only aim : that his defi^-a
*' is to recover the dignity of virtue, and to promote tliat ve-
*' neration for wifdom and truth, which have been deflroyed
*' by iaith*." And he concludes with exprefTing his hooe,
that his " treatife will be of real fcrvice to religion, and make
*' men's praftice better, when they find they have nothing elfe
*' to depend upon for happinefs, here and hereafter, but their
*' own perfonal righteoufnefs, with their love of wifdom and
*' truth t." In like manner Mr. Chubb has, in his Fartwdl to '
Jus Readers, with great folemnity, told the world how much
they are obliged to him for having taken care to leave the3;n
his in{lru6Hons in matters of the higheft importance. Mr. Hume
afTumes the merit of throwing light upon the moft curious and
Juhlime JuhjeBs, with regard to which all the received fyjleins
had been .extremely defedive, arid which had efcaped the mojl
elaborate fcrutiny and examinoAion. He propofes to reconcile
profound inquiry with clearnefs^ and truth with novelty, and
to undermine the foundations of an ahjirufe philofophy, which
feems to have ferved hitherto only as a fnelter to faperflition^
and a cover to ahfurdity and error %. And he begins his EJlay
upon Miracles with declaring, that " he flatters himfclf that he
" has difcovered an argument, which, if jufl, will with the wife
" and learned be an everlafting check to all kinds of fuperili-
" tious delufion, and confequently will be ufeful as long as the
" world endures \, Lord Bolingbroke makes the moH pompous
profefllons of his intentions to feparate truth {torn falfchcod,
knowledge from ignorance, revelations of the Creator from in-
ventions of the creature, dilates of reafon from the f allies of
tnthufafni — and to go to the root of that error, zuhichfy fains
our pride, fortifies our prejudices, and gives pretence to dela-
fan — to df cover the true nature of human knowledge — how far
It IS real, and' how it begins to be fantaflical — that the ^jz/^
* ReJurreElionofJefus conftdered, p. 72.' \ Ibid. p. 82.
X Hume's Phiiofophical ElTays, p. 18, 19. and his Enquiry cone emhig the
Principles of Morals, p. 172,. ~
§ See Hume's Philofophical EiT.iys, p. 174.
v\ujns
378 GENERAL REFLECTIONS OM [Zf^XXX\\
vijions of error heing difpdltd^ men may he accujlomed to the
Jlmplicity oftruth^.
Nor do thefe gentlemen only join in reprefcnting tbemfelves as
perfons of extraordinary penetration, and of the moft upright
intentions ; but they fometimes feem to claim a kind oi infalli-
bility. They talk of having their under Jlandings irradiated
with the beams of imiiiutable eternal reajon, fo that they are
furenot to run into any errors of moment. And that they have
an infallible mark and criterion of divine truths in v/hich men
cannot he miftaken f . They 'propofe to direft men to the eter-
nal and invariable ride of right and wrongs as to an infallible
£uidey and as the folid ground of peace and fafety \. They
afTure us, that deifm, or the religion they would recommend,
is *' bright as the heavenly light, and free from all ambiguities ;
*' th^t it makes all men happy that embrace it ; that it perfe611y
*' fatisfies 3II doubts, and procures the troubled foul unfhakcn
*'re{l§."
And as they take care to recommend tbemfelves, and their
f>wn writings, to the elleem and admiration of mankind, fo they
give a very difadvantageous idea of thofe that {land up as advo-
cates for revealed religion. They fpeak in a fneering contemp-
tuous way of fuch books as Stillingfleet's Origines Sacrce, Dr,
Clarke's Difconrfe of Natural and Revealed Religion^ the Ana^
logy of Re af on and Revelation, &c. and the excellent difcourfes
at Boyle's leftures ||. A writer of great note among them
thinks fit to reprefent the Chriftian divines, as, for the moft
part, mortal enemies to the exercife of reafon, and' below brutes **•
Another charges them, as afting as if they wanted either under-
Jlanding or honefly. And he allures us, that •* thofe who think
*' moft freely, have the leaft fhare of faith, and that in propor-
** tion as our underftandings are improved, faith diminifhes."
The fame writer exprefsly calls it foolfhfaith, and faith, that
* BoHngbroke's Works, vol. iii. p. :.%%. 331.
-(■ Chrijtianity as old as the Creation, p. 336. edit. SvO. Mor, Phil, vcl.i. p. 92.
I Chubb's Pofthumous Works, vol. ii. p. 249.
^ RefurrcElion of Jcfus conf.dered, p. 9.
j] Chrijiianity not fo7i?:ded on Argument.
sf * Qhrijiianity as eld as the Creatm^. p. 25 o^ ajl.
«' i^
Let. XXXV.} THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. 07A
" in this glorious time of light and liberty, this divine hag,
*' with her pious witchcrafts, which v^cre brought lorih in dark-
*' ncfs, and nourifhed by obfcurity, faint at the approach of day,
*' and vaniih upon fight *." And one of their lateft and mofl;
admired authors hath thought fit to pafs this arrogant cenfure
upon all that believe the Chriflian religion — that *' Whofoever
*' is moved by faith to afTent to it, is confcious of ^a continued
*' miracle in his own perfon, which fubverts all the principles
*• of his underifanding, and gives him a determination to believe
" whatever is moll contrary tocuHom and experience t." Lord
Bolingbroke brings it as a charge againft both clergy and laity,
v/ho believe Chriilianity, that they have been hitheri:o either not
impartial^ or Jagaaous enough^ to take an accurate examina^
tion, or not honcji- enough to communicate it \. And he takesr
all occafions to pour forth the moft virulent contempt and re-
proach upon the moft eminent Chrifhan divines and philofophers,
both ancient and modern. Many inftances of this kind have
been obferved above in the firft volume of this work, 22d Let-
ter, and this vol. Letter 25th.
After fuch fpecious profeffions, it would be natural to expe6l,
that thefe gentlemen fhould oblige tlie world v/ith clearer di^
re&ions thap have been hitherto given to lead mankind to truth
snd happinefs. But this is far from being the cafe : they indeed
all join in endeavouring to fubvert revealed religion, but they
are hy no means agreed what to fubftitute in ifs room. They
often fpeak magnificently of keeping clofe to the eternal rcaforji
and nature of things, and prcfefs a high efteem for what they
call the uncorrupted rtUgion of reafon and nature^ zohich is
always invariably the Jame:i. But when they come to explain
themfelves more particularly, it is not eafy to know what they
intend by it. Someof them have reckoned among the principles
of natural religion, and which are of great importance to man-
kind, the belief of God's univerfal and particular providence,
his moral crovernment of the world and of mankind, the obli-
* Refurredion ofjefiaconfidered, p. 4.8.-*' 2. -f Ibid^
% Bolingbroke'si^?;;-"^ or.the Study andUfe of Bijiory^vm. i. jr>, igj,
^ Chubb's PoUhuincus Works, vol. ii. in the Appendix.
3^0 GENERAL REFLECTIOICS ON [I(f/. XXXV.
gations we are under to pray to him and worfliip him, the natu-
ral differences of moral good and evil, man's free agency, the
immortality of the foul, and a future ftate of retributions. Others
of their apphmded writers deny feveral of thefe principles, or,
or lead, reprefent them as abfolutely uncertain. And though,
when they want to make a fair appearance to the world, thefe .
principles are to pafs as making a part of the deift's creed, yet it
cannot be denied, that the general cffeft and tendency of their
writings has rather been to unfettle tliefe foundations, and intro-
duce an univerfal fcepticifm and indifference to all religion.
When fuch perfons therefore fet up for benefaftors to rnankind,
it puts one in mind oT the boafts of the Epicureans, who fpeak
in high terms of the obligations the world was under to their
great mafier Epicurus, for undertaking the glorious work of
refcuing mankind from the unfufferable yoke of fuperftition, by
freeing them from the fear of God, and the apprehenfions of
providence, and a future frate of retributions. And even with
regard to thofe of the deifls that put on the faireft appearances,
I think it may be truly faid, that it is not among them that we
mull look for the bell and moil perfe6l fcheme, even of natural
religion. What has been done to greateff advantage this way
has been done by Chriftian writers, who have produced the no-
bleff fyftems of natural r-eligion, and have taken paius to eftablifh
its great principles on the fureft foundations. And to what cart
this be reafonably afcribed, but to the clearer light which the
Chriflian revelation hath thrown upon this fubjeft, and the
excellent helps and affiflances it hath brought us ? It appeareth
then, that if it be of any advantage to mankind to have natural
religion fet in a clear light, and flrongly enforced, the deids have
no right to appropriate the honour of this to themfelves, or to
fet up for benefaftors to mankind on this account. Much lefs
have they reafon to value themfelves upon their oppofition to
the Chriilian religion. If the account fome of themfelves have
given of the nature and defign of Chriflianity be juft, they mufl
be very badly employed that endeavour to fubvert its credit and
authority. Lord Herbert calls it the heft religion, and faith,
that all its do61rines, ordinances, precepts, facraments, aim at
the cllablifhmcnt of thofe fivo^ important articles, in which he
makes
Let. XXXV.] THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. 38 1
makes all religion to confill*. Dr. Tindal owns, that " Chrif-
** tianlty itfeU', dripped of all additions that policy, miflake, and
*' the circLimflances of time have made to it, is a moft holy re-
*' ligiont." The Moral Pkilofopher frequently exprefleth him-
felf to the fame purpofe; and Mr. Chubb acknowledgeth, that
•• Chriftianity, if it could be feparated from every thing that hath
*• been blended with it, yields a much clearer light, and is a more
*' fafe guide to mankind, than any other traditionary religion, as
*' being better adapted to improve and perfe6l human nature:^.'*
Lord Bolingbroke reprefents it as a mojt amiable and lipful lU'
Jlitution, and that its natural tendency is to promote the peace
and hapjnnefs of mankind. That \\\^fyflem of religion it teaches
is a complete fyflem^ to all the purpojes of religion natural and
revealed, — and might have continued fo, to th^ unfpeakable ad^
vantage of /nankind, if it had been propagated with the fame:
fimplicity zvith which it was taught by Chrifi himfelf^. If there-
fore they had laid out their pains in endeavouring to feparate
true original Chriftianity from the corrupt additions that have
been made to it, and to engage men to a ftricter adherence, in
principle and praftice, to the religion of Jcfus in its primitive
purity and fimplicity, as delivered by Chrift and his apoules in
the New Teflament, they might have had fome pretence to the
charafter they feem willing to claim,- of friends and benefactors
to mankind. But the method they have taken is very diiTerent :
at the fame time that they have affetled to commend pure origi-
nal Chriftianity, they have ufed their utmoft etTorts to fubvert
its divine authority, and thus to deprive it of its influence on the
minds of men, and fet them loofe from all obligations to believe
and obey it. This is a manifeft proof, that it is not merely the
corruptions of Chriftianity that they find fault with, but tliQ
Chriftian revelation itfelf, which they have not fcrupled to re-
prefent as the produft of enthunafm or impofturc.
Various are the ways they have taken to deftroy its credit and
authority, as fufticiently appeareth from the account which hath
* Herbert relig. laiciy -p. 9, 10.
\ Chrijlianity as old. as the C; cation, p. 382. edit. 8v'0.
X ChubVs Pofthiimous Works, vol. ii. p. 370. ^
^ Several other PafTages" to this purpofe arc colicf^cd atcve 13 the 3ifl
Xetter,
been
^82 GENERAL REFLECTIONS ON ^Let. XXXV.
been given in the Foregoing Letters. And confidering how many-
writers have appeared in this cauTe within this century pall, and
what liberty they have had to propofe their reafonings and their
objeftions, it can hardly be fuppofed they have left any thing
iinattcmpted that had the face of argument, by which they thought
they could anfwer their end. And therefore if it appears, as I
hope it does, upon the view which hath been taken of them,
that their moll plaulible objeclions have been folidly anfwered;
it is to be hoped, that their attempts, however ill intended, will
turn to the advantage of the Chriftian caufe; as it will thence
appear, hew little its enemies have been able to fay againll it, con-
fidered in its original puritv, even where they have had the ut-
moll freedom of propofing their fentim.ents. They have appealed
to the bar of reafon ; the advocates for Chrillianity have followed
them to that bar, and have fairly lliewn, that the evidences of
revealed religion are fuch as approve themfelves to impartial rea-
fon, and, if taken together, are fully fuuicient to fatisfy an honeil
and unprejudiced mind.
Although therefore it cannot but give great concern to all
that have a jull zeal for our holy religion, that fo many, inllead
of being duly thankful for the glorious light of the gofpel which
Ihineth among us, have ufed their utmoll endeavours to expofe
it to contempt and reproach: yet, on the other hand, it yields
matter of agreeable refleftion, that there have been as many valu-
able defences of Chrillianity publifhed among us within this cen-
tury pad, as can be produced in any age. Befides thofe men-
tioned in the foregoing Letters, there have been many excel-
lent trcatifes, fetting forth the reafons and evidences of the Chrif-
tian religion, which the nature of the work I have been engaged
in did not lead me to take notice of, as they were not written
profelfedly in anfwer to any of thofe deillical books which I had
cccafion to mention.
It is a reflection that mull obvioufly occur, upon a review oi
the account which hath been given of the authors who have ap-
peared againll Chrillianity, that they have been far from con-
tenting themfelves with fober reafoning, as might be expe6led
in a cafe on which fo much depends. The weapons they have
chiefly made ufe of, arc thofe of mifreprefentation and ridicule,
and often even low jell and bulTooncry. This feems to be a pre-
fumption
Let. XXXV.] THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. 383
fumption in favour of Chrilllanity, that its adverfaries are tliem-
felves fenfible that little can be done againft it, in a way of plain
reafon and argument. It is true, there are no writers who make
greater pretenfions to freedom of thought, or inveigh more Ikongv
]y againft prcpoffeflion and bigotry; fo that one would expeft,
that they (hould every-where difcover minds open to convift ion
and evidence: and yet it may fafely be affirmed, that no writer^
whatfoever difcover ftronger figns of prejudice; and there is
great reafon to complain that they have not carried on the debate
with that fairnefs and candour which becomes the importance of
the fubjeft''^
Any one that is acquainted with their v/ritings muff be fen-
fible, that it is not their way to make a fair and jult reprefenta-
tion of true original Chriflianity as contained in the Holy Scrip-
tures. They throw it into falfe lights, in order to expofe it, and
often charge it with corruptions and abufes, v/hich they them-
felves well know do not really and originally belong to it. In
fome of their books which are v/ritten in the way oi dialogue,
they introduce Chriftian dialogifts, who are to make a fhew of
defending the Chriilian caufe; but it is evident that it is only to
betray it. Thefe dialogifts make a moft defpicable figure in their
writings, and are fcarce allowed to fay any thing that difcovers
learning or even common feafe, nor ever fairly ftate the argu-
ment or evidence on the fide of Chriftianity. Any one that has
read Tindal's ChrtfuoMity as old as the Creation, or the firft
volume of the Moral Philofopher, cannot but have cbferved this.
In their treatment of the fcriptures, they have every-where dif-
covered an eager defire and refolution to expofe and run them
down at any rate. In examining writings of venerable antiquity
and authority, a man of candour, and an impartial inquirer alter
truth, would be inclined to put the moft favourable interpretation
upon them that they will bear; but inftcad of this, thefe writers
feemonly felicitous to find out fomething thjat may make the fcrip-
tures appear ridiculous. They take pains to w^reft and pervert
them, as if they thought it meritorious io treat thofe facred v/ri-
tings in a manner that would not be borne v/ith regard to any
* See this clearly ftiewn in Dr. Duchal's Preface to his excellent Ser-
mons on the prefuiBptiye Evidences of Chrillianity.
«thef
384 GENERAL REFLECTIONS ON [Z^/. XXXV.
Other books 'of the leall credit. Of this many inil^nGes might
be produced. If they meet with any paffages of fcripture that
have difHcujty in them, and which at this diftanceare not eafy to
explain ; and fome fuch paffages muft be expefted in books of fo
great antiquity, written in times and places, as well as diaiefts,
l"o different from our own; this is immediately improved, as if
"it were fufficient to fliew that the whole facred volume is falfe,
orfb corrupted as not be depended on. Thus a late celebrated
'aiUhbr, who has endeavoured to expofe the fcripture hiftory, has
thought the cnrfe faid to have been pronoimced by Noah upon
Canaan, fufiicient to deftroy the credit of it; but not to repeat
•what has been offered for explaining or vindicating that paffage,
fuppofing v/e were not able in any manner to account for it,
v.'ould it not be far more reafonable and becoming a man of
fenfe and candour, to fuppofe that in fo fliort a relation fome cir-
cumfiances are omitted, which, if known, would fet it in a fair
light, rather than, on account of an obfcure paffage, to reje6l and
difcard the authority of the whole?
What cau'be a plainer proof of the power of their prejudices,
than to advance rules, in judging of the truth and credibility of
fcripture liiilory, which would be abfolutely rejeBed and ex-
ploded, if applied to any other hillory in the world ; and to rejecl
the evidence as infuScient v/ith regard to the facts recorded in
-the gofpel, which they themfelves would count fufficient with
xegard to any other fa£ls done in pad ages ? What greater fign
of prejudice, than when they are not able to invalidate the truth
of the go fpel- records, or to fliew that they have not been faiely
tranfmitted to us, to fiy out into general clamours and invectives
sgainft £>;i uillorical evidence whatfoever, as abfolutely uncer-
tain ? Tlie author of Chrijtianity not founded on Argu?nait
fpeaks out, and plainly declares that no man ought to believe
anv thing but what he fees with his own eyes. *' To believe a
**- thing," fays he, " becaufe another man fays he faw it, is a very
*' unprecedented and new fort of logic*." And it is a conllant
topic with thefe writers to declaim aigainft every thing as un-
certain, that :<:omes to us through the hands of fallible men. As
if no man could be fure that there is fuch a place as Paris,
* Chnjliamty not founded on Ar^twientf p. 53.
-vi except
Let. XXXV.] THE DEISTIC.\L WR.ITERS. 3^<5
except be had been tbere, or tliat there bad been fucb a perfon
as Queen Elizabeth. Moral certainty is ridiculed and cxpofed;
though nothing can be more plain, from the very frame of our
nature, and the circumftances in which we are placed by divine
providence here on earth, than that the author of our bcmgs
defigned that we iliould in many cafes i^c dv^termined by moral
evidence and teftimony, and that welhould acquicfcc in it, as iully
fufRcient^'. It is what all men, even the wifeft, do in number-
lefs inftances, and think it rcafonable to do To. And to rcjetl:
all this at once, is a certain fign of their being reduced to the
laft dillrefs in point of argum.ent. And if the advocates for
revelation were driven to fuch fiiifts, they would no doubt be
treated as irreconcileable enemies to reafon and common fenfe.
Many other things might be mentioned which fhev/ the llrength
of their prejudices againft Chriilianity. They often make ufe
of argum.ents, which, if they were good {"or any thing, would
hold for cafting oft all religion, all certainty of reafon, all learn-
ing and inftruftion, and, if purfued to their genuine confequences,
would introduce univerfal barbarifm. And what a ftrange pre-
judice does this argue, to have fuch an averfion for Chrircianity,
as to be willing to throw off all religion, learning, and know-
ledge, rather than admit it ! If they can but expofe revealed
religion, it feems to give them very little concern, though natu-
ral religion falls with it: fome of their admired authors argue
againft all methods of education, all attempts to inftru6i: chil-
dren in the principles of religion or morality. This is an extra-
ordinary refinement of the prefent age. The beft and wifeft men
of all form.er ages have looked upon it to be a thing of vaft con-
fequence, to feafon the minds of children betinles, with good
and juft notions of things. But fome of our m.odern fFce-thinkers-
have, in their fupcrior wifdom, found out, that the beil'way
would be to leave children entu'ely to themfelves, w^ithout any
inftru6lion or cultivation at all. This is the fchem.e of the author
of Chrifiiamty not founcUd g.i Argument; and another of
their applauded writers, Dr. Tinda!, feems fometimes to de-
clare againft all inilruftion, by word or writing, as ufeiefs or
* See this cx;d!cntly {lited and cleared in Ditton or the Kerarreaioii,
part ad.
VQL, lU Cc ]^ced]tis^^
3^^ GENEPvAL REFLECTIONS ON [Lft. XXXV.
jieedrefs, and as only tending to turn men afide from attending
to the things themfelves, and to the pure fimple dictates .of
natlire.
Their defire at any rate to fubvcrt Chriftianity has involved
tliem in many inconfillencies. Sometimes, to Ihew that there
is no need or ufe of divine revelation, the powers of reafon in
ihatters of religion are mightily extolled, as if it were able to
do every thing by its own force, without any aflidance. At
ether times, to render us indifferent to religion, reafon is de-
graded; and it is exprefsly declared, that " it is not her proper
*' province to judge of religion at all ; nor is this an affair in
'*\which fne has tlie leaft concern ^^." Sometimes all m.en,
even thofe that cannot read their mother tongue, are fuppofed to
be fo clear- figliied, as to be able, without any inftruftion, to
know the whole of religion. At other times, the bulk of man-
kind are reprefented as unable to knew any thing of religion,
and therefore not under any obligation to believe it, and as n >t
<!apable of judging where there is any thing oi induftion or in-
ference in the cafe.
• If the do6irines of the gofpel appear, upon a drift examina-
tion, to be luch as right reafon approves when once they arc
difcovered, then it is urged that reafon alone might have difco-
vered them, and that a revelation in fuch cafes is pericftly need-
lefs. and of no ufc at all. But if there be any thing in thefe
diicoveries which was not difcoverable by unaffiiled reafon, and
v/hich we could not have knov/n but by extraordinary revela-
tion, this is made an ckjcftion againft receiving it ; and to believe
■hithat Cafe is branded as an implicit faith, and a giving up our
reafon.
": Sometimes -the apoftles are reprefented as hot-brained enthu-
fiiattSj who t-ealiy believed themifclvcs to be infpired ot God, and
were fo mad as to imagine that they wrought miracles, and had
exi-raor dill ary gilts of the Holy Ghoft,^ when there was no fuch.
tbiwgi At' other times they are reprefented as artful impoftors,
whxi . formed a fcheme of workl'y power and grandeur under
fpiritual' fyretences, and fatged facls and evidences which they
krvaw- to-be faHc.
* Cl'rJJian'-ty not f<.nm4^^ m 4f'ltimcntj p. 7,
The
Let. XXXV.] THE EEISTICAL WRITERS. 3^87
The chara6ler of our blefTed Lord, as fet before us in tha
gofpel, is fo excellent and admirable, that the enemies of our
holy religion know not well hovi^ to fix a ftain upon it. But
when they can find nothing in his doctrine, or in his temper or
conduft, that favours of the fpirit of tliis world, or of a carnal
policy, they are willing to fuppofc, that under thefe fpccicus
appearances he concealed ambitious' and interefted views, which
were to take effe^l; in the proper time. Lord Shaftelbury had
infinuated this; and it was a part of Mr. Woolfton's fcheme to
charge Chrift with a fecret dengn of afpiring to temporal power
and dominion, and with encouraging the Jews to take him for
their king. The fame thing is pretended by tho^ Moral Philofc^
pher, and by the author of The Ri'J'iirreclion of J ejus confidered.
Thus, tliis malignant infmuation is repealed by one of thefe
writers after another, without any thing to fupport it but the
malice of the accufers, and an earnefl defire to find a fiaw in the
moft perfeft charafter: fince both the whole of his life and con-
du6f, and the entire llrain and tendency of the religion be taught,
afford the ftrongeft proofs to the contrary. And at this rate
the bell and nobieft charafters may pafs for the worft ; and the
greater marks there are of felf- denial and difinterercednefs, the
greater will the ground of fufpicion be.
Sometimes Jefus and his apofties are reprefented as teaching
wholly in a way of authority, and never applying to men's
reafon at all, and even abfolutely forbidding them to ufe their
underftandings. This is what the author of Chrijliamty not
founded on Argument has laboured to prove. At other times,
it is afferted, as it is particularly by i\\Q. Moral Philofopker^ thac
Chrill appealed wholly to men's own reafon, and would not
have them take any thing upon his authority at all as a teacher
lent from God, or upon any other evidence than the reafon and
nature of the thing ^.
Vvhen tliey are not able to produce any ancient evidences-
againll Chrillianity, they prefume upon it as a certain thing,
that there was evidence formerly againil it, but that this evi-
dence was deftroyed, and that it waswbecaufe oi the ftrcngthioi-
the evidence, that it was found necefiary to deflroy it. Thub',
* Moral Phibfoph«r, vol. ii. p. ^ij, 24. ^1, 4i«
• c c 2 >^er^
S8S GENERAL REFLECTIONS ON [Let. XXXV*
tiiefe 'gentlemen know how to turn even the want of evidence
againft Chriftianity, into an argument againft its truth. I fhall
not here repeat v»'hat has been above offered to fhew the vanity
and unrcafonablenefs of this pretence. I fhall only obferve, tliat,
accoi'ding to their ufual way of repeating continually the fame
objeftions, this has been urged v/ith great confidence by Mr,
Wool (Ion, by the author of The.RefurreBio?i of J ejus conjidtred,
and very lately by a writer of quality, who hath diiiinguiihed
himfelf in the fame caufe.
Many other inliances might be produced, by which it appears,
that no writers whatfoever fhew more apparent figns of ilrong
prejudice and prepofTefTion, than thofe that honour themfelves
'ivith the title of Free-thinkers. It were greatly to be wifhed for
their own fakes, as well as for the fake of others, whom they
t.^kc pains to pervert, that they v/ould endeavour to diveft them*
felves of their prejudices, and would conuder the evidences for
Chriflianity with that ferioufnefs and attention which becomes
them in an affair of fuch vail importance. lam fenfible indeed,
:hat many are ready to reprefent this as a thing of no confequence
at all. They look upon all forms of religion to be alike with
regr;rd to the favour of God, and that it is perfeftly indifferent
what a man profelfes, provided he be a man of virtue. But
real piety and virtue will engage a man to receive whatever he
jias reafon to think is a true fignification of the divine will. And
if Chriilianity be indeed a true revelation from God, as it claims
to be, and if the declarations there made in the name of God are
to be depended upon, it cannot poiTdijly be a matter of indifference,
whether thofe to wliom it is publiflied and made known, receive
or rtjecl it : the believing and receiving it raufl in that cafe
Heeds be of great confequence to our happinefs, and to diToe-
lieve and rejtcl it is infinitely hazardous. It therefore highly
concerneth us to inquire, wllether Chriflianity be in reality a
trM^e divine revelation; whether the laws there prefcribed in the
name of God be indeed his laws, and be obeyed as fuch; whe-
ther the terms of acceptance there propofed be of his own ap-
pointment; whether the pipmifes there made are to be regarded
rtS his prornifes, and the threatcnings there denounced are to be
fonfidcicd as really enforced by liis authority. For if they
jtiiily be foj and we i'cjc6t thci^ without examination, or refufe
Let, XXXV.] THE DSISTICAL WRITErvS. ^tg
to confider them, as if they were not worthy of a ferlous thought,
we iiiall beabfokitely Vv^ithout excuTe, and (hall never be able to
juftify our condiift to God, or our own confcienccs.
A noted deiftical author, after having infinuated th?.t we need
not give oi;rrelves the trouble to inquire into the fevera) pretend-
ed revelations that have appeared in the world, yet thinks fit to
ov/n, that " when a revelation which alFumes a divine charafler
*' comes io our ov,m door, and offers itfelf to our confideration,
** and as it may pofiibly be what it is pretended to he, and as.
•* fuch we may polTibly be intcrefted in it, this may excite our
*' concern to try and prove it; otherwife we can be under no
" obligation with regard to it*." Where he plainly fuppofes,
that, in the cafe he puts, we arc under an obligatjon to try and
prove a revelation whicli affames a divine charafter, and offers
itfelf to our confideration. And it flrengthens tliis, if the re-
velation itfelf, fuppofing it to be really given by God, does in
his name require and demand our attention and fubmilFion, as a
condition of our being interelled in his favour. In fuch a cafe,
it mufl be no fmall guilt to difregard and rejcQ it at once v/ith-
out a due inquiry, but efpecially to call contempt and reproach
upon it, and endeavour to engage others to rcjeft it.
And the guilt and danger of rcjecling that revelation is might-
ily heightened, if it fiiouid be found, that the true caufe of that
infidelity, and of the difregard (liewn to that revelation, is the
ftrength of vicious appetite, and an avcrfion to the holy and ex-
cellent laws which are there prefcribed. And this, it is to be
feared, is the cafe of the generality of thofe am.ong us who reject
the gofpel-revelation. When we fee them, under pretence oi
difbelicving the doflrines, difcarding the morals of the g^ofoel ;
when with Chriftianity they feem to throw oiT the fear of God,
and give themfelves up to boundlefs licentiouniers; there is t(-o
jull reafon to apprehend, that the true caufe of their diHlke to
the Chriifian revelation, is not fo much their being diffatisfied
with the evidences produced for it, as becaufe they cannqf bear
the rellraints it lays upon their corrupt luRs and pafTions. The
real end they aim at is expreiTed by one of themfelves to be, \' to
*' fave a foul from the difmai appreheniions'of eternal damakion;**
C c 3 to
39^ GENERAL REFLECTIONS ON [^Li^L XXXV.
to relieve a perfon *' from labouring under that uneafinefs of
*' mind, which lie often is under, when plcafure and Chriflianity
" come in competition*." And a late noble writer mentions it
as an advantage of the way of thinking he recommends, that the
burning lake will then d'Jappear '\. And if, by (hutting their eyes
againft the evidence, they could alter the real ftate of the cafe,
Tiwdi. render their condition fafer than it would otherwife be; if
their not believing ^^^r/i^/ damnaticn would fecure them* againft
the danger of that damnation ; it would be wifely done to take
pains to difbclicve it. But if their unbelief in fuch a cafe, in-
flead ot making the danger lefs, only, aggravates their guilt, and
heightens their danger, and puts them off from taking the pro-
pereft methods for avoiding it, the folly of fuch a condu6t is very
apparent. Chrirrianity profclTes to direcl to a true and certain
way, both of avoiding that future punifhment, and of obtaining
the greateft glory and felicity that can poflibly be propofed to
the human mind. But if thefe gentlemzcn will rather venture
to cxpofe themfclves to that future punillimcnt, than endeavour
to prevent it by a true repentance, and by abandoning their vi-
cious courfes; and if they will choofc rather to forfeit tlje hopes
of everlalling happincfs. than go ox\ in that uniform courfe of
piety and virtue that leads to it ; there is no remedy : they mull
take the confequcnces. But certainl)' the bare poITibility of the
torathic come is (o dreadful a thing, that a v/ife man v/ould not
run the hazard of it for a i{::\'^ tranfient vicious 'gratifications.
For what one of their own admired authors fays, though in a
fneering way,'i& ^ fober and momentous truth, and what the rea-
fon.oi mankind C3nnot but approve, that *' where there is a hell
*' ienthe^other fide, it is but natural prudence to take readily to
'^tjieiafeft fid^^,^'
- I fliall conclude this letter with taking notice of a propofal,
made by a deiftical writer, for putting an end to the important
coAtroverfi?' between the Chridians and the deiils. *' If thcrfc
♦>-l,^a!i«n2dgentkitjeti," fays'he, " that arc the dircclors ofiH^Wrs,
i- ,-. .r-:-i ■■: . ; .; '.■rj. . . :;.!;.:''; ,' ' ^ ,■ ^ .• . ... ._:
^ See two Xettcfs froiti a Delfl to his friend, p. 17. 39^ cited by Dr. Wa-
tcrlund in his preface to the iirfl part cf Script. Vind.
t Lord Bolingbroke's Letters on the Study and Ufe of Kiftory, vol. ii.
p. 221.
■t C- r^(''?V:;r?r^5- ?%vt fij^mded r^n Arp-f-vient^- p . S 8.
^' will
Let. XXXV.] THE DEISTICAL W1UTEK3. 39 1
•' will choofe to give up rpeculative principles, and an liiRoiical
*' faith, and infift only on that praftice which will recommend
*' men in every religion to the favour of God, the good-wiU
*' of men, and peace of their own confcience, and own, that the
** whole of the Ciirillian religion, which is worth contending
*' for, are all relative and focial virtues, then th.e contention be-
*' tween the Chriftians and deifts will drop''"." So then we fee
here upon what terms the deills arc willing to be at peace with
the Chriflian divines. They muft give up fpcculatixje principles^
and an hijiorical faith. By an hifiorical faith, in thefe gentle-
men's language, muft be underftood faith in Jcfus Chrift, a
belief of what is related in the gofpcls concerning him, concern-
ing his perfon, minillry, miracles, fufferings, refurreftion,
afcenfion ; and all this maifl. be given up as of no confequence
to mankind at ail. And fpeculative principles muft alfo be
abandoned. And what is intended by thefe, and how far this
dem.and is to extend, it is hard to know. Willi fome that call
themfelves deifts, the moft important principles of natural reli-
gion, the beliei of a providence, of the immortality of the foul,
and a ftate of future judgment and retribution, are looked upon
to be needlefs fpeculations, and either denied, or treated as mat-
ters of doubtful difputation. But let us fuppofc that no ftrefs
is to be laid upon any doftrines or principles at all, and that
pra6fice alone is to be infifted on, though- fome principles feem
to lie at the foundation of a good and virtuous pratlice,yet ftill
it will be found no eafy matter for the Chriftian and deift t<j
agree what that praftice is which is to be regarded as neceffary.
This writer would have the divines own, that the whole of the:
Chriflian religion, which iszoorth contending for, are all relative
and facial virtues. Here is not a word faid of the duties of piety
and devotion, of love, reverence, adoration, fubmiffion, affiance,
and refignation towards the .fupreme Being, or of prayer»^con-
icHion ot fins, thanl^fgiving, praife, and, the. outward .ac^s of
religious homage which. we owe to God. Yet thi& is an import-
ant part of our duty, on which Chriftianity, and even right rca-
fon itfelf, teacheth us to lay a great ftrefs; though it is treated
fey many among th^ 'deifts- as- a thing of fhfali*aynfrddi?¥^^
* ILfurrc^Jon of 'Jcjus cMftilcicd^ p. oj.
C c 4 i.:i
39^ GENERAL RErLECTIONS ON \_L(:f. XXXV.
is there any thing here fald of the duties of felf-government,
chaftity, purity, humility, temperance, and the due regulation
.of our appetites and paflions. And when this comes to be
explained, there is likely to be a wide difference between the
Chrillians and deiih, as to the particulars included in this part
of our duty. It is vcrj probable, that thefe gentlemen will plead
for allowing much greater liberties, in indulging their fenfual
appetites and pafiions, than is confident with the morals of the
gofpel, and with that purity of heart and life which Chriilianity
requireth. And even as to relative and focial virtues, in which
this author makes the v/hole of religion to confifl, the deiils have
often obje8.ed againft that forgivenefs of injuries, that charity
.«nd benevolence, even tovv'ards cur enemies themfelves, that
returning good for evil, which the great author of our religion
hath urged upon his difciples, both by his do£trine and by his
exam.ple. It is to be feared, upon the whole, that they v/ill be
as far from agreeing to the morals as to the do6irines of the gof-
pei; and that feme of its lav/s, and praftical precepts Hand more
in their way, and create greater prejudices againft it, than its
mylleries themfelves, though it is a little more plaufible and
decent to put the reafon of their rejetlmg Chriftianity upon the
latter than upon the former.
This may help us to judge, whether there be any jud ground
'for their pretences, as if the world were greatly obhged to them
for endeavouring to take men off from ufelefs fpeculations,
and teaching them to lay the whole ilrefs upon pratiice. The
lail-mentioned author concludes his treatife againll the refurrec-
tion of Jefus with declaring his hope, that it *' will be of real
"■ (crviceto religion, and make m.ens practice better, when they
** (hall find they have nothing elfe to depend upon for hap^pinefs
" here and hereafter, but their own perfonai nghteournefs, v/ith
" their love of v/ifd(>m and truth*." And others of them have
made ihe fame boall, but very undelervediy. F<n- can the necef-
ijly oi perfonai obedience and righteoufnefs be more exprefsly
infilled upon than in the gofpel of Jtluj, or be bound upon
us by ftronger and more facred arguments? Do thefe gentlemen
pretend to teach more excellent morals than the ChrilHan reli-
^ ^ffurr el-lion of Jefus (onftdtred, p. Oj.
sfion
Let. XXXV.] THE DEISTICAL WRITERS. 393
gion does, or to carry piety, charity, benevolence, purity of man-
ners, and univcrfal riglueoufnefs, to a nobier height, or to en-
force the praftice of" it by more powerful and prevailing motives ?
Or, do they propofe to make men's pra6lice better, by leaving
them at large, without any exprefs divine precepts determining
the particulars of their duty, and by taking away the glorious
hopes and promifes of the gofpel, Vv^hich are dcfigned to animate
us to obedience, and the awiul threatenings which are there de-
nounced againft vice and wickednefs ?
But enough has been faid of thefe gentlemen and their pre-
tences ; and I intended here, as a proper conclufion of this v/ork,
to have given a fummary reprefentation of the principal argu-
ments and evidences for the truth and divinity of the Chriftian
revelation. But as you will probably think this letter to be
already of fuHicient length, I chocfe to referve it for the fubje^l
of my next.
I am yours, &c.
J. Leland,
LET.
394 A SUMMARY OF THE ^Lei. XXXV!,
L E T T T E R XXXVL
An extraordinary Revelation from God to Mankind pqjjihle to
he given — The Propriety and Ufefidnefs of fuch a Revelation
Jhewn — ThoJ'e to whom it is wade known indifpenfahly obliged
to embrace it — The Marks and Evidences by which we may be
J'atisfied that fuch a Revelation is really given, viz. when the Re-
velation itfelfis of an excellent Nature and Tendency, and when
it is accompanied by the mojl extraordinary divine Attejlations,
efpecially Miracles and Prophecy — The Proof from Miracles
vindicated — Confeffion of fome of the Deifs tliemfelvcs to this
Purpofe — The Revelation contained in the Holy Scriptures
confirmed by a Series of the mofl extraordinary JVorks, which
manfefly argued a divine Interpofition — The Nature of
the Revelation itflf confdered — Difingiiifned into three
Periods^ under each of which the Religion, for Suhfance, the
fame — Firji, The Patriarchal Religion — The Second relates
to the Mofiical Difpcnfation — The Third, which was the
Perfeclion of all the re.fl^ is the Chriflian Revelation — The
God-like Characler of its Author — The Nature and Tendency
(f the Religion ztf elf particularly confidered, and fiewn to be
VJorthy of God — It could not be the Effed either of Impoflure
or Enthufiafm, and therefore mufl be of divine Original — •
The Chrijlian Scheme of the Mediator wife and excellent — -
The Difficulties attending it, nojufl Objetiion againfl Chrif-
tianity — The Conclufon.
SIR,
HAVING finifhed the account of the dzif.ical writers^ it
vvrill not be improper to lay together fome coiifideratio^s,
relating to the reafons we have to believe that Chriflianity is a
true revelation, from God, and that therefore they to whom it
is publifned and made known are under indifpen fable obligations
to believe and embrace it.
\Vith regard to revelation in general, the firft thing that
^omes to be confidered, is the poflibility of it. That God can,
if
Let, XXXVI.] EVIDENCES FOR CHRISTIANITY. 5*^5
if he thinks fit, make extraordinary difcoveries oi his will, and
communicate important truths to one or more men, to be by
them communicated to others in his name, cannot be denied
with the leaft appearance of reafon. For upon what founda-
tion can any , man go, in pretending that this is impoITible ? Is
there any thing in it which iraplieth a contradiction either
to the nature of God or man ? This cannot be pretended, nor
has any man attempted to fliew that it involveth a contradi6lion.
Accordingly, the polTibility of a revelation has been generally
acknowledged by thofe who believe the exiflence of God and
a providence, nor do I fee how any man that acknowledgeth a
God and a providence can conriifently deny it.
And as the poffxbilily of God's making an extraordinary reve-
lation of his will to mankind muft be acknowledged, fo the
propriety of it, or that it is worthy of God to grant fuch a
revelation, fuppofing, which hath been unanfwerably proved
to have been the cafe in facl, mankind to have been funk into a
flate of great darknefs and corruption in matters oi religion
and morals ; and that if he fhould grant fuch a revelation, for
guiding men into the knowledge of important truths, or tor en-
forcing their duty upon them, it would be a iignal indance of
the divine wifdom and goodnefs, cannot be reafonably conteiled.
. And indeed, this is no more than what fome of the deiOs them-
felves have thought fit to acknowledge. The Moral Philojbpher
exprefsly owns it, and a remarkable palTage from Mr. Chubb to
the fame purpofe was cited in my thirteenth];lettcr, vol. i.
It greatly llrengthens this, when it is confidered, that fevcra!
things there are of great importance to mankind to know,, particu-
larly concerning the attributes and providence of God ; the moll
acceptable way of worHiipping him; the extent of the duty we
owe him, and the methods cf his dealings towards his offending
creatures; how far and upon what terms he Vv'iii pardon -their
iniquities, and receive them to his grace and favour; what re-
wards'it will pleafe him to confer upon thofe that ferve hira in
fihcerity, though their obedience is mixed with infirmities and
defeas; and what punlilim.cnt he will inrii6l upon obftinate pre-
fumptuous tranfg:refrors : I fay, there are feveral things, with
xefpeH to thefe and fuch like m.atters, which as they relate to
thiiigs invifiblc, or things future, and which :dcpend upon God's
mod
9g& A fevIMARY OF THE {^Lef.
XXXVI,
TRoft wife courtfels, of which, if left to ourfelves, v/e cannot pre-
tend to.be competent judges, vvc could not have a clear and full
aflurance of by the mere light of our own unaiTifted reafon. It
feems evident therefore that mankind flood in ffreat need of an
extraordinary revelation from God, and that this would be of
the moft fignal advantage. And though it cannot without great
raflinefs be pretended, that God is abfolutely obliged to give
this advantage to any, or that, if he gives it to any, he is obliged
to give it equally to all men, fince it is manifefi; in faft that in
the courfe of his providence much greater advantages are given.
to fome than to others, with refpe6t to the means of religious
and moral improvement; yet it is reafonable to conclude, that
he hath not left all mankind at all times entirely deftitute of an
afiiftance of fuch great confequence and fo much wanted. This
affordeth a ilrong prefumption, that God hath at fome time or
other made difcovcries of his v/ill to mankind in a way of ex-,
traordinary revelation, additional to the common light of nature.
It is alfo manifeif, that fuppofmg fuch a revelation to have
been really given from God, and that men have fufficient evi-
dence to convince them that it was from God, thofe to whom
this revelation is made knov/n, are indifpenfably obliged to re-
ceive and embrace it. This every man muft acknowledge, who
hath juii; r^otions of the Deity, or that God is the moral governor
of the world, and hath a ris-ht to pive laws to his creatures, and
to rcqulie obedience to thofe laws. And it v/ere the greatell
abfurdity to fuppofe, that men may innocently rejefl v/hat they
have good reafon to regard as the fignifications of the divine will,
jnade to them for this purpofe, that they fhould believe and obey
them.
Thefe are principles Vv-hich cannot juflly be conteded; the
grand queftion then is, whether any fufRcient proofs or evi-
dences can be produced^ that fuch a revelation hath been really
given, and what thofe proofs and evidences are. Some there
are who feem not willing to allow that any perions, but thofe to
Vv'hom the revelation is immediately made, can have fufiicient
evidence or proof to fatisfy them that it is a true revelation from
Gpd. "j^his ,is wjiat Lord Herbert infifteth upon in his book Be
VerTiate^ and in feveral parts of his other works, where he makes
it a ncccfiary condition ufa man's having a certain knowledge
r
01
Let. XXXVI.] EVIDENCES FOR CHRISTIANITY, 397
of a divine revelation, that it be made immediately to himfelf,
and that he fhould feel a divine afflatus in the reception of it.
In this his Lordfiilp has been followed by other writers that have
appeared in the fame caufe. According to this fcheme, it is
vain for thofe that have received a revelation from God to offer
to produce any proofs of their divine miffion, fince no proofs or
evidences can be offered that will be fufficient, except every one
of thofe to whom they impart this have another particular reve-
lation to affure them of it. This is in effefl to pronounce, that
fuppoh ng God to have communicated to any perfon or perfons
extraordinary difcoveries of his v/ill, to be by them communi-
cated for the ufe and. inllruftion of mankind, it is abfolutcly out
of his power to furnifh them with fuch credentials of their divine
miflion as may make it reafonable for others to receive the doc-
trines and laws delivered by fuch perfons in his nam.e as of divine
authority. But fuch an alTertion cannot be excufed from great
rafhnefs and arrogance, and is a moft unwarrantable limitation
of the divine power and v/ifdcm. It v/ill indeed be readily al-
lowed, that fuppohng perfons to declare vvith ever fo great
conndence that they are extraordinarily fent of God, we are not
to receive their bare v/ord for a proof of it; and though they
themfelves fliould be firmly perfuaded of the truth and divinity
of the revelation made immediately to them, this their perfuafion
is not a fumcient warrant for others to receive that revelation as
true and divine, except feme farther proofs and evidences are
given. And it is reafonable to believe, that in that cafe, if God-
hath fent perfons, and extraordinarily infpired them to deliver
doftrines and laws of great importance to mankind in his name^
he will furniih them with fuch proofs and evidences as may be a
fufficient ground to thofe to whom this revelation is not imme-
diately made, to receive thofe doftrines and lav/s as of divine
authority. And here in j lodging of thefe, it miift be acknow-
ledged, that great care and caution is necelTary, fince it cannot
be denied tliat there have been falfe pretences to revelation, the
efFecls of enthuliafm or impoff ure, which have given rife to im-
pofitions that have been of ill confequence to mankind. And
though that is not a jull reafon for rejefting ail revdation at
once, as falfe or uncertain, yet it is a very good reafon for mak-
ing; a very c?reiul inquiry inig the evidences r that are'. produced
for
3g8 A SUMMARY OF THE [^Let. XXX\~r,'-
f.cr any pretended revelation. And with regard to this it may
be obferved, that where perfons pretending to bring a fyftem of
do6lrines and laws, which they profefs to have received by re-
velation from God, have had t'leir divine miflion confirmed by
a feries of the moft extraordinary works, bearing the illulLrious
charafters of a divine intcrpcfition, and which they have been
enabled to perform in declared atteftation of it; efpecially, if
they have been enabled alfo to make exprefs prediftions in the
name of God, concerning things future, which no human faga-
city could forefee; and if at the fame time the revelation itfelf
appearetli to be of a moll excellent tendency, manifefi:ly con-
<iucive to the glory of God, and to the good of mankind, and to-
taie promoting the intereft of important truth, righteoufnefs, and
virtue in the world, and thereby annvering the main ends of ail
religion; there feems in that cafe to be fufficient evidence to
produce a reafonable convi6iion, that this is a revelation from
God, and confequently to juftify and demand our receiving and
fubm.itting to it as of divine authority. For in this cafe, there
lecmeth to be as m.uch evidence given to fatisfy an honeft and
im.partial inquirer as could be reafonably expe£led or defircd,
fuppofmg a revelation really given. And that this hath a61ua!ly
been the cafe with regard to the revelation contained in the Koly
Scriptures, the advocates for Chriflianity have fet them.felves to
iliew, with great force of reafon and argument.
With regard to the external atteftations given to the truth and
divinity ot the Scripture-revelation, there is fcarce any thing in
^//hich the deillical writers have been more generally agreed than
in bending their force againft the proof from miracles. The
methods they have taken to this purpofe have been various:
fometim.es they have gone fo far as to pretend to prove, that m.i-
racles are abfolutely impofTible; at other times that they are necd-
lefs and ufclefs, and are incapable of fhewing the divine million
of perfons, or truth of doftrincs, bccaufe there is no connexion
between power and truth. But though it will be readily ac-
hnowledged, that power and truth arc diftintt ideas, this dees by
no means prove, that the former can in no cafe give atteftation
to the latter: for if power be exerted in fuch a way as to mani-
fefl an extraordinary divine interpofition in favour of a perfon
jjrofciTing; to bring do£lrir:c2 zrA law^ iigm G>jd to rhsiikm^.
Let. XXXVI.] EVIDENCES FOR CHRISTIANITY. Qcg
and be appealed to for that purpofe, in fuch a cafe power fo
exerted may give an attellation to tlie truth and authority ofthofe
do6lrines and laws. Some of the deifls thcmfelves are fo fenfible
of this, that, after all their pretences, they are oblifjed to make
acknowledgments with regard to the ufe of miracles that are of
no fmall differvicc to their caufe. They acknowledge that thcv
may be of ufe to excite and engage attention to doctrines and
laws ; which fuppofes them to carry fomething in them of the
nature of an attellation or proof, fince otherw^ife no more re-
gard ought to be paid to do6];rines or laws on the account of
miracles, than if they were not attended with miracles at all.
The Moral Philojopher owns, that " miracles, efpecially if
*' wrought for the good of mankind, are perhaps the mod ef-
*' feflual means of removing prejudices, and procuring attention
*' to what is delivered." Mr. Collins goes fo far as to acknow-
ledge, that miracles, when done in proof of do6trines and pre-
cepts that are confident with reafon, and for the honour of God
and the good of mankind, ought to determine men to believe
snd receive them; and that Chrift's miracles might have been
fufficient, if he had not appealed to prophecy, and laid the prin-
cipal ftrefs of the proof of his divine mifTion upon it, as this
writer pretends he did*. Mr. Woolfton fays, " I believe it
** will be granted on all hands, that the relforing a perfon in-
*' difputabiy dead to life is a ftupendous miracle, and that two or
" three fuch miracles, well attcfled and credibly reported, are
*' enough to conciliate the belief, that the author of them was a
*' divine agent, and invefted v/ith the pov/er of Godf." And
Spinofa is faid to have declared, that if he could believe that the
refurre6fion of Lazarus was really wrought as it is related, he
would give up his fyflem.
That God can, if he thinketh fit, alter or fufpend the courfe
of natural caufes in particular inftances, mud be allowed by all
who acknowledge that he is the Lord of nature, and the Sovereign
of the univerfe. And that it may be agreeable to his wifdom
to do fo on fome extraordinary occafions, may appear from this
eonfiderzition, that fuch interpofitions may be of ufe to a\vraken
•f iFifth Diicourfe 9n„Miracle?,,p. 3. ,.
m
4CO A SUMMARY OF THE [_LeL XXXVI.
in men a fcnfe of a governing providence, and to convince them
that the couri'e of nature is not a fatal feries of blind neceflary
caufes, but under the regi^lation of a moil wife- and tree, as well
as powerful inind ; which, as it hath very properly appointed that
things fiiould ordinarily go on in an uniform courfe according
to eftablifhed laws, fo it can alter or over-rule, interrupt or fuf-
pend, theefieft and influence of natural caufes, and deviate from
the ufual courfe of things on fpecial occafions for valuable pur-
pofes: and fuch a valuable purpofe it would be for providence
to interpofe for giving an illuftrious atteilation to doftrines and
laws of great importance to mankind, and to the divine mifhon
of perfons fent to inftruft them in religion, to recover them from
erreat errors and corruptions, and guide them to a true knowledge,
obedience, and adoration of the deity, and to a holy and virtuous
practice. Extraordinary miraculous interpofuions in fuch a cafe
would anx'weran excellent end, and be worthy of the divine wif-
dom and goodnefs. This feems to be a way of God's giving
his teftimonv the moft powerful and ftriking that can be, ajid
which is peculiarly fitted for engaging mankind to receive and
fubmit to fuch a revelation as of divine authority. And thus it
was with rep-ard to the miracles wrou^rht at the firll eftablifhment
of the Jewifn and Chridian difpenfations. There was not mere-
ly a fingle extraordinary event or two, in which cafe it might
have been fuppofed that it was only fome ftrange thing that had
happened, of which no account can be given, and from which
TiCthing certain can be concluded; but there was a marvellous
fucceflion and concurrence of the moft extraordinary fafts,
done in the moft open public manner, in a great number of in-
Hances, and for a feries of years together, all vifibly tending to
the fame important end, viz. to give atteftation to the divine
autliority of a fyftem of do61rine3 and laws delivered in the name
of God himfeli. And thefe facls ^vere of fuch a nature, fo mani-
feftly transcending all human pov/er, and which bore fuch evi-
dent marks of divine intcrpofition, that, taken together, they form
as ilrcng an evidence as could be reafonably cxpefted and dc-
fired. And I believe few, if any, can be found, Vvho are really
pcrfr.aded- of the truth of thofe facls, and do not alfo acknowledge
tli£ divine original and autliority of the revelation thus attefted
imu confirme4. And fuppofing fuch miraculous atteftaticns to
bavc
l5.^. -XXXVi.] EVIDENCES fOR CHPaSTIA^UT^. 46I
have been really given, at the firft promulgation and eftablifhixient
of a fyilem of doftrines and lav/s, v»rhich is declared to have come
from God;- this is fufFicient toeftablirn its authority, not only at
that time, but to fucceeding ages, provided that the accounts of
thofe do61:rines and laws, and of the extraordinary fd6h v/here-
by they were attefled, were faithfully tranfmitted, in a manner
which may be fafely ^depended upon. And that this has been
the cafe with regard to the Mofaic and Chriftian revelation, hath
been oFten cieaiiy fhewn.
With regard to the former, never were there in the v/orld fatls
of a more public nature, than thofe by which the Mofaical law
was attefted. They were not merely things done in a way of fe-
cret intercourfe and communication with the Deity, in which cafe
there might have been fome fufpicion of impollure, but they were
fafts done openly in the view of all the people, v/ho, let us fup-
pofe them ever fo ftupid, could not poffibly have been made to be-
lieve that alithefe things happened in their own fi-ght, and that they
themfeives had been witneiTes to them, if they had not been fo.
Nor can it be fuppofed that Mofes, v»^ho was certainly a wife
man, would have'attempted fo v/ild a thing as to liaveappcaled to
the people, as he does all along, for the truth or thofe fa61s, and
to have nut tlie authority of his laws upon them, if at the fame
time they all knew them to be fcilfe. If therefore Mofes pub-
lifhed thofe facis himfelf to all the people, the lacls were true.
And that he did himfelF publifii thofe facls, \\'<i have the fame
proof which we have that he gave the laws. And that he ga\c
the laws to the people of Ifrael, as the whole nation whq wer0
governed by thofe laws have conltantly afHrraed, no reafonable
man can deny. The accounts of the facts are fo interwoven
with the very body of the laws, that they, cannot be fepa rated.
Some of the principal motives to engage the people to theobfcr-
vance of thofe la^v^s are taken from thofi fafls. Many of the
laws v/cre peculiarly defigned to preferve the remembrance ot
thofe fa61s. And this was the profeiT^d end of the inftitution of
fome of their moft folemnfacred rites, which were to beconilant-
ly obferved by the whole nation, in every age from the beginning
of their policy. Thefe laws and iatls v/ere not tranfmitted
merely by oral tradition, which in m.any cafes is a very ancerfain
conveyance, but were inimediately cjiiimttted to writing.* ' And
D d , slivfa
4^- A SUMMARY Of THE [Lci, XXXVf,
thofe writings were not kept fecret, in the hands of a few, but,
from the time they were firft written, were publifhed to the peo-
ple, who were commanded in the name of God to acquaint them-
felves with thofe laws and fafts, and to teach them diligently to
their children, and were afTured that, upon their preferving and
keeping them, their profperityand happinefs, public and private,
and all their privileges, depended. Accordingly, in all the re-
maining writinsrs of that nation, whether of an hillorical, moral,
or devotional kind, there is a conftant reference not only to the
laws, as having been originally given by Mofes in the name of
Ood to their nation, but to the wonderful fafts that w-ere done
in attcflation to thofe laws, as of undoubted credit, and as
things univerfally known and acknowledged among them. If
thofe fa£ls had been only mentioned in a few pall'ages, it might
pofhbly be pretended, that the accounts of them were interpola-
tions, afterwards inferted in thcfe writings. But as the cafe is cir-
cumilanced, there is no room for this pretence. The fa£ls are
lepeated and referred to on fo many different occafions, that it
appears with the utmoft evidence, that thofe fafts have been all
along known and acknowledged, and the remembrance of them
conftantly kept up among that people in all ages. Their pecu-
liar conftitution, v^/hercby they were fo remarkably diflinguiflied
from all other nations, was plainly founded upon the truth and
authority of thofe tacl:s', nor could have been eflablifhed without
them.
To all which it may be added, that the very quality of the
writings which contain an account of thofe fa£ls, or in which
they are referred to as of undoubted truth, derives no fmall cre-
dit to them. A profound veneration for the Deity every-whcre.
appears, together with a remarkable unaffefted fimplicity and
integrity, and an impartial love of truth. It cannot reafonably
be pretended, that they were forged to humour and flatter their
r.ation ; for with the utmoft freedom they relate things greatly to
the di fad vantage of their national charafter. They reprefent, im-
partially and without difguife, their frequent defections from their
law, their difobedience and ingratitude to God for all his benefits,
and the great punifhments inflicted upon them on that account.
Befidcs which it is to be obferved, that there are in thofe writings-
clear and exprcfs prcdifticns of future extraordinary events,
which
Let. XXXVI.] EVIDENCES FOR CHRISTI AMITY. ^(^3
which no human fagacity could forefee, and which yet liavebeeti
moft remarkably accompliflied. And particularly it is there mofi:
exprefsly foretold, that the people of Ifrael, for whom God had
done fach great things, fliould yet be didinguifhed with judg-
ments and calamities above all other nations ; that they Ihould
be difperfed all over the face of the earth, expofed to univerfal
obloquy, and yet not be utterly loll or defh-oyed, but flill pre-
ferv^d as a dillin^; people; which we fee mod fignally verified
at this day : A thing fo wonderful, taken in all its circumftanccs,
that this people may be regarded as a living continued monument
oi the truth of their own ancient facred writings, and of the ex-
traordinary fa6ls there recorded.
As to the extraordinary and miraculous- facls whereby the
divine original and authority of the Chriftian revelation was at-
tefled and confirmed, never were there any fafts that had clearer
and more convincing evidence attending them. They were
many in number, done for the mod part in the moil public man-
ner, and for a feries of years together, and produced the modi
wonderful elTecls, in bringing over vaft numbers both of Jews
and Gentiles, in the very age in which the facls were done, and
Vvhen they had the heft opportunity of knowing the truth of
thofe fat^s, to receive a crucified Jefus as their Saviour and their
Lord, than which nothing could be imagined more contrary to
the prejudices which then univerfally obtained. The accounts
of thefe fa^fs, as well as of the pure and excellent lav/s and doc-
.trines in atteftation of which they were wrought, were publifhed
in the very age in which thefe laws were delivered and thofe
fafts y/ere done, and by perfons v/ho ^vere perfecliiy acquainted
v/ith the things they relate. And the fafts therafelves were o£
fiich a nature, that they could not be deceived in them themfelves,
fuppofmg they had their fenfes. Nor had they any temptation
or intereft to put them upon endeavouring to impofe upon others,
by giving faife accounts of thofe facts. For, befidcs that the
talfehoodof thofe accounts mufl, as the cafe was circumftanced,
have been imm.ediately detefted and expofed, the religion which
vvas confirmed by thofe fa8:s was in many things direftly con-
trary to thofe notions and prejudices with which their own minds
had been moil ftrongly prepoffeffed, and which nothing lefs than
the uudenicible evidence they had of thofe facls was able to over-
J3 d 2 come.
.404 ^- SUMMARY OF THE \_Let. XXXVI.
come. And it flrengthens this when it is confidered, that this
religion, inftead of proinifing them any worldly advantages, ex-
pofed them to the moll cruel reproaches, perrecutions, and fuf-
fcrings, and to whatever is molt grievous to human naiurc, which
they endured with an amazing conflancy, perfifting in their tei-
timony even to death. To whicii it may be added, that ii we
examine the writings themfelves, we fhall find in them all the
chara61ers ot" genuine purity, integrity, undifguifed fimplicity,
and an impartial regard to truth, that any writings can pofiibly
have. And the whole fcheme of religion there laid down is
uniformly direfted to the glory of God, and the good of mankind,
and to ferve the caufe of virtue and righteoufnefs in the world.
Accordingly thefe writings were immediately received with
■great veneration in the very age in which they v^ere firft written
and Dublifiied, and from that time regarded as of undoubted truth
and of divine authority. They were foon fpread far and wide,
read in the public religious ademblies of Chriitians, tranilated
into various languages, and they have been conftantly cited by
o-reat numbers of writers in every age fmce, wbofe works are ftill
extant, many of v/hom have not only quoted particular pafTages,.
but have tranfcribed large portions of them into their v/ritings,
hy which it incontedably appears, that they v/ere the fame, both
•with reg-ard to the accounts of doftrines and fafts, that are now
in our hand3. Thev have been on numberlefs occaiions appealed
to by perfons ot different fe61s, parties, and opinions in religion ;
fo that it would not have been in the power of any party of men,
if they had been fo difpofed, to have deilroyed or corrupted all
the copies, or to have made a general alteration in the fcheme of
religion there taught, or in the accounts of the fa61s there record-
ed. And it is evident in fctcl, that no fuch alterations have been
made, fince religion there appcareth in its primitive fimplicity,
as it was in the firft age of tiic Chrillian church, without any of
the corruptions of latter ages. And, upon the whole, it may
upon good grounds be afhrmed, that tlie proofs which are brought
to {lie\y, that the fcrlptures aie fdfely tranfmittedto us, are greater
than can be produced for any other books in the v/orld. This
hath been often fully vindicated, and fet in fo clear a light, that
the enemies of ChriPtianity have had no other way of avoiding
the evidence, but by moll abfurdly Hying out (as hath been cb-
fervcd
Let. XXXVI.] EVIDENCES FO^. CHRISTIANITY. 405
ferved before) into inveftives acrainfl: all hiflorical evidence, and
againfttbc credit of all paft facls wliatfoever. It may therefore
be juftly faid, that no greater evidence of the truth of the ex-
traordinary fa6ls whcreb}'- Chrifnanity was attefred, can reafon-
ably be denred, except all thefe ilupendous fafts were to be
done over again for our convi'Slion. And if one man thinks he
mav juftly demand this, another man haih an ^equal right to
demand it, and fo every man may demand it. And thofe facls
muft be repeated in every age, in every nation, and in the fight
of every fingle perfon, which v/ould he the moil ahfurd and
imreafonablc thing in the wcrld, and the moR unworthy of the
divine wifdom.
This may fuffice with regard to the extraordinary atteRations
given to the revelation contained in the Holy Scriptures of the
Old and New Teflament, and v/hich exhibit illnllrious con-
'/incing proofs of its divine original. It v/ill be proper next to
condder the nature zn6. excellence of the revelation itfeit, with
the fcheme of religion there delivered to us ; and it v/ill appear,
upon the moft impartial examination, to be worthy of God, of a
moft admirable tendency, and v^ell fitted toanfwer the important
ends for v/hich we might fuppofe arcvcUtion to have been givea
to mankind.
That v/emay have a jufter notion of the religion held forth to
us in the Holy Scriptures, it is proper to take a brief view of it
from the beginning. The facred volume opens whh tliat which
lies at the foundation of religion, an account of God's having
created the world, which is there defcribed in a plain and fami-
liar manner, accommodated to the capacities of the people, and
iivith a . -noble fimplicity ; as is alfo the original formation of
man, who is reprefentcd as having been formed after the divine
image, invefted with a dominion over the inferior creation, with
arefervation of the homage he himfelf owed to God as his fove-
reign Lord, and conftituted in a paradifaical Aate, a happy fta^e
of purity ^nd innocence. There is nothing in this but what j-^
agreeable to right reafon, as well as to the moR ancient tradi-
tions that have obtained am,ong the nations, V\''e are farther
there informed, that man fell from that ftate by finning againd
hxis maker; and that fin brought death into tlie worM, and all
the evils and miferies to wiiich the human race is now obnoxi-
D d 0, <^^-^ i
40^ A SUMMARY OF THE \^LeL XXXVI.
ous : but that the merciful parent of cur beiDg, in his great
goodnefs and compafiion, was pleafed to make luch revelations
and difcoveries of his grace and mercy, as laid a proper founda-
tion for the faith and hope of his offending creatures, and for
)the exercife of religion towards him. Accordingly, the religion
delivered in the Scriptures is the religion of man in his iapfed
llate ; and any one that impartially and carefully confiders it,
will find one fcheme of religion, fuhlLantially the fame, carried
all along through the whole, till it was brought to its full per-
feBion and accomplifhment by Jefus Chrift.
This religion may be conhdered principally under three pe*
liods. The firft is the religion of the patriarchal times, which
confifted in the pure adoration of the Deity, fiee from idolatry,
in a firm belief of his univerfal and particular providence, a
hope of his pardoning mercy towards penitent hnners, and a
confiding in him as the great rewander of them that diligently
feck him: which reward they looked for, not merely in this
prefent world, but in a future ftate : for we are told, that they
fought a better country^ that isy an heavdrdy, Thefe were the
main principles of their religion, together with a fnong fenfe of
their obligation to the practice of piety, virtue, and univerfal
righteoufnefs. To which it may be added, that there feems to
have been a hope and expefclation from the beginning, originally
founded on a divine promnle, of a great Saviour, who was to
redeem m.ankind from the miferies and ruin to which they were
expofed, and through whom. God was to make the fulleft difco-
veries and ej^hibitions of his grace and mercy towards the human
race, and to raife them to a high degree of glory and felicity.
As to the external rites of religion then made ufc of, the moli
ancient rite of which we have any account, is that of offering fa-
crifice to God : and its having fo early and univerfalfy obtained
among all nations, and in the moll ancient times, as a facred rite
of religion, can fcarce be otherwife accounted for, than by fup-
pofing it to have been a part of the primitive religion, originally
enjoined by divine appointment to the firft anceftors of the hu-
man race, and from them tranfmitted to their defcendants. This
patriarchal religion, as it has been defcribed, feems to have been
the religion of Adam after his fall, of Abel, Seth, Enoch, and the
antediluvian patriarchs; and afterwards of Ncah, the fecond
parent
Z^/. XXXVr. EVIDENCES FOR. CHRISTIANITY. ' 407
parent of mankind, and of the fcveral heads of families derived
from him, who probably carried it into their fcveral dlfperfions.
But, above all, this religion was Hgnally exemplined in Abra-
ham, who was illuftrious for his faith, piety, and righteoufnefs,
and whom God was pleafed to favour with fpecial difcoverics
of his will. From him defcended many grear. nations, among
whom this religion, in its main principles, feems to have been
preferved, of which there are noble remains m tne book of Job.
There were alfo remarkable veHiges of it for a long time pre-
ferved among feveral other nations ; and indeed the btiiief of
one fupreme God, of a providence, a hope of pardoning mercy,
a fenfeof the obligations of piety and virtue, and of the accept-
ance and reward of fmcere obedience, and the expe6lation of a
future ftate, were never entirely extinguilhed. And whofoever
among the Gentiles at any time, or in any nation, was a fearer
of God, and a worker of righteoufnefs, might be judly regarded
as of the ancient patriarchal religion, and was favourably accepted
with God. But in procefs of time the nations became generally
depraved, funk into a deplorable darknefs and corruption, and
the great principles of religion were in a great meafure covered
and overwhelmed with an amazing load of fuperilitions^, idola-
tries, and corruptions of all kinds.
The fecond view of religion, as fet before us in the Scriptures,
is, that which relates to the Mofaical difpenfation. This was really
and effentially the fame religion, for fubftance, which was pro-
feffed and praftifed in the ancient patriarchal times, with the ad-
dition of a fpecial covenant made with a particular people,
among whom God was pleafed, for wife ends, to ereft a facred
polity, and to whom he gave a revelation of his will, which was
committed to writing as the fafefl conveyance; whereas religion
had been hitherto preferved chiefly by tradition, which was more
eafily maintained during the long lives of men in the firfl ages.
The fpecial covenant was no ways inconfiftent with God's uni-
verfal providence and goodnefs towards mankind ; nor did it m
any degree vacate or infringe the ancient primitive religion which
had obtained from the beginning, but v/as defigned to be fubfer-
vient to the great ends of it, and to preferve it from being utter-
ly depraved and extinguillied. The principal end of that polity,
^nd the main view to which it was all direfted, was to .reftore
X)d.| aiul
4c8 • A suMiviAfw or t::z [Let.xxxvi,
and preferve the true worfhip and adoration of the one living and
true Gocl, and of him only, in oppofition to that polytheifrn and
idolatry which began then to fpread generally through the na-
tions; and to engage thofe to whoiTi it was made known, to the
praQice of piety, virtue, and righteoufnefs, by giving them holy
and excellent laws, exprefsly prefcribing the particulars of their
duty, and enforced by the fanftions of a divine authority, and
by promifes and threatenings in the name of God. And alfo to
keep up the hope and expeclatibn of the Redeemer, who had been
promifed from the beginning, and to prepare men for that moll
perieR and complete difpenfation of religion, which he was to
introduce. And whofoever impartially examines that conftitu-
tion mufl be obliged to acknov*dedge, that it was admirably fitted
to anfwer thefe important ends. The lav/s of Mofes, and the
facrcd writings of the Old Teflament, teach us to form the juileft
and noblefl notions of God, as having created all things by his
power, as preferving and governing all things by his providence,
as pofTeiTed of ail pofiible perfeftions; infinitely powerful, wife,
^nd good, holy, jud, and true, a lover of righteoufnefs, a hater
of fm and wickednefs; omniprefent, ominifcient; to whom we
owe the higheft love, the protoundefl reverence, the moil abfo-
iute fubraiflion and refignation, and the moil ileady dependence.
There is a drain of unequalled piery every- where running thron.n:h
thofe facrcd writings. We are there taught to refer all to God,
to do every thing we do as in his prefence, and in a fubordina-
tion to his glory. We have there alfo excellent precepts given
us with regard to the duiies v/e owe to onr fellow-creatures.
All focidl duties may be regarded as comprehended in that ad-
mirable precept of the law. Thou Jlialt love thy neighbour as
ihyfclf. A jud, a kind, and benevolent conducl is prefcribed,
and not only are all injurious aftions forbidden in the drongeft
manner, but even all inordinate defires and covetings after what
bclongeth to others, v/hich lie at the foundation of all the in-
juftice m.en are guilty of towards tlieir neighbours. The ten
commandments, which contain a cpmprehenfive fummary of the
moral precepts, were, that they might m.ake the greater iip.pref-
fion, delivered witli the greatell majedy and folemnity that can
l^e.conceived. There was indeed a variety of ritual injunftions
prefcribcd under that conditution, the reafons cf all which can-
not
Ld. XXXVI.] EVIDENCES FOR ClI?a2TIANITY. 409
5lot be clearly aiTigncd at this dijRance. But fonic of thc-T! v.'cre
manifeftly intended in oppofition to the rites of the neighbouring
nations, and v/ith a view to preferve them as a diftircft peopie,
and keep them free from the infefticns of their idolatries. Others
of their rites were infiituted to keep up the memorials of the
fignal and extraordinary a61:s of divine providence towards th£n%
clpecially thofe by which their law had been ccr-firmed and
eflabiifhed. And feme of them feem to have been originally'
defignedas types and prefigurations of good things to come, under
that more perfe61 dirpenfation which was to fuccced. Tlie rit3
cf facrificing, which had been in u.fe from the mofl ancient times,
and began to be greatly perverted and abufed among the nation<>„
was brought under diftinft regulations, and only to be performedL
to the honour of the one true God, the great Creator and Lord
of the univerfe. Polytheifm and the worOiip of inferior deities "
were forbidden; no obfcene or filthy rites, no unnatural rigours
or aullerities, no human facriiices or cruel oblations, made a
part of their religion, as among many other nations. And the
abfolute neceflity of virtue and righteoufnefs, in order to their
acceptance with God, was ftrongly inculcated, and on this they
were directed to lay the principal ftrefs, and not merely on ex-
ternal rites or forms. This conftitution is reprefented as having
been introduced and eUablifhed with the moft amazing demon-
llrations and difplays of God's fupreme dominion and glorlons
majefty, and v/ith a vifible triumph over idolatry in its proper
feat (for fo Egypt and Canaan may be looked upon to have been),
and v/ith the moft awful manifcflations of God's juft difpleafure
againll thofe abominable vices as well as idolatries, which were
then making a great progrefs in the world, and of which the Ca-
naanites were remarkably guilty.
What is efpecially obfervable is, that under that ccnflitutioii
there was a fuccefnon of prophets, who were fent to reclaim the
people from^ the idolatries and corruptions into which they Iiad
fallen, and to enforce upon them the practice of real religion and
righteoufnefs. Their writings every-where abound with the
fublimeft defcriptions and reprefentations of the Deity; they
difcover a pure and ardent zeal for the glory of God, a nobl.;
impartial deteftation againft vice and wickednef:;, and a deep and
earneft concern for promoting the interefcs of fubllantial Wiciy
and
410 A. SUMMARY OF THE [^Let.XXXVU
and virtue, and taking men of? from a too great dependence oa
outward forms and ritual ohfcrvances. And what is peculiarly-
remarkable, they contain the moft illuftrious predictions of fu-
ture events, many of them clear, exprefs, and circumftantial,
relating to nations, both of their own and others, and to parti-
cular perfons. Some of which events were to take place in their
own times, or foon after, and were moll remarkably iulfijled;
and others were removed to the didance of feveral ages from
the time in which thofe prophets lived and uttered their predic-
tions, and, though abfolutely beyond the reach of any human fa-
gacity to forefec, have alfo received their accomplifhment. This
{hews that they were extraordinarily infpired by Him who alone
can foretel future contingencies; and their prophecies gave a
farther proof and atteftation to the divine original of the Mofaic
conftitution, fince they were defigned to engage the people to the
obfervance oi the excellent laws that had been given them ; and
they were alfo intended to prepare them for expecling a more
glorious difpenfation, to be brought by a perfon of unparalleled
dignity, whofe coming they foretold, and whom they defcribed
by the moft remarkable characters. Some of thefe prophets
defcribed him by one part of his office and undertaking, and forae
by another. They pointed to the tribe and family from which
he v/as to fpring, the time of his appearance, the place of his
birth, the miracles he fhould perform, the exemplary holinefs of
his life, his great wifdom and excellence as a teacher; they fpoke
in the'highelt terms of his divine dignity, and yet foretold that
he was to undergo the moft grievous humiliations and bitter fuf-
ferings for the fms of men; they teftified not only his fufferings,
but the glories that fhould follow ; his wonderful exaltation,
and the kingdom of righteoufnefs and truth which he was to ereft
and eftablilh; that the Jews would generally rejeft him, and that
the Gentiles fhould receive his law, and be fharers of the benefits
of his kingdom.
Accordingly the third period relates to that difpenfation of
religion which was brought by that glorious and divine perfon
whom the prophets had foretold. This is properly the Chrif-
tian difpenfation, which v/as defigned and fitted for an univerfal
extent, and in which, confidercd in its original purity, religion is
brought to its highcfl perfection and nobleft improvement. Aix
admirable
' Z^/. XXXVI.] EVIDENCES FOP. CHRISTIANITY. /jd
admirable \^ifdoTn, goodnefs, and purity, fhone forth in the v/hole
condu8; and character of the great author oi it. He came in
the tulnefs oi time, the time wliich had been pointed oat in the
prophetical vvritmgs. In him the fevcral predictions relating to
the extraordinary perfon that was to come v\^ere fulfilled, and the
leveral charaders by which he was defcrihed were wonderfully
united, and in no other. Ke appeared, as was foretold con-
cerning him, mean in his outward condition and circumftances,
arfd /ct maintained in his whole canduJ^ a dignity becoming his
divine character. Many of his miracles were of fuch a kind,
and periormed in fuch a m.anner, as feemed to argue a dominion
over nature, and its eUdbliihed law?, and they were afts of great
goodnefs as well as power. He went about doing good to the
bodies and to the fouls of men; and the admirable inftructions he
.gav^e were delivered vv'ith a clivine authority, and yet v^'ith great
lamiliarity and condefcenfion. And his own prrv^tice was every
■way fuited to the excellence of his precepts. He exhibited the
moil finifhed pattern of univcrfal holinefs, of love to God, of
zeal for the divine glory, of the moil wonderful charity and be-
nevolence towards mankind, of the moll unparalleled felf-denial,
of the mod heavenly mind and life, of meeknefs and patience,
liurnility and condefcenfion. Never was there fo perfecf a cha-
ra61er, fo god- like, venerable, and amJable, fo rem.ote from that
of an enthufiaft or an impoftor. He himfelf molf cxprefsly fore-
told his own fufFerings, the cruel and ignominious death he was
to undergo, his rcfurrection from the dead on the third day, his
afcenfion into heaven, the dreadful judgments and calamities that
fhould be inflifted on the Jewifh nation, and what feemed the
moft improbable thing in the world, the wonderful progrefs of
his own gofpel from the fmaileft beginnings, notwithflanding
the perfecutions and difficulties he foretold it Ihould meet with.
All this was moft exacViy fulfilled; he rofe again on the tlnrd
day, and fhewed himfelf alive to his difciples after his pafTion hy
many infallible proofs, when their hopes were fo funk, that they
could hardly believe that he was rifen, till they could no longer
doubt of it, without renouncing the teftimony of all their fenfcs.
He gave them commifiion to go and preach his gofpel to all na-
tions; and promifed that, to enable them to do it with fucccfs
they (hould be endued vvith the mofl extraordinary powers and
gifts
412 A SUr.TMARY OV TME [It/. XXriVl.
gifts of the Hcly Ghoft. This accordingly th^y nid, gnd though
deititute of all worldly advant?[^cs, without power, riclicSj in-
tereft, policy, learning, or eloquence, they went through the
world, preaching up a crucified Jefus, as the Saviour and Lord
of men, and teaching the things wliich h.e l^.ad comiTiunded them ;
and by the wonderful powers which they were invcfted with,
and the evidences they produced of th~eir divine miiTion, they
prevailed, and fpread the religion of Jefus, as their great mafter
had foretold, in the midft of fuiTerings and perfccutions, and in
cppoution to the reigning inveterate prejudices both of Jews
and Gentiles. • -
IF we examine the nature ?nd tendency of the religion itfelf,
v.'hich was taught by Chrifl, and by the apoftles in his name,
we {Iiall iind it to be worthy of God. It retaincth all the excel-
lencies of the Old Teftament revelation ; fcr our Saviour
came not to deftroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfil
them, and carry the fcheme of religion there laid down to a
flill higher degree of excellence. The idea given us'of God,
of his inccmparable perfections, and his governing providence,
as extending to all his creatures, particularly towards mankind,
is the nobleft that can be conceived, and the moft proper to
produce worthy affections and difpofitions towards him. Great
care is efpecially taken to inRru6l us to form juft notions of
God's iiluftrious moral exceliencies, of his wifdom, his faith-
fulnefs, and truth, his im.partial juHice, and righteoufnefs, and
fpotlefs purity; but, above all, of his gcodnefs and love to
ir«ankind, of which the Gofpel contains and exhibits the moft
glorious and attractive difcoveries and difplays that v/ere ever
made to the world. The exceeding riches of the divine grace
and mercy are r^prefentej in the m.oft engaging manner. Par-
don and falvation are freely offered upon the moft gracious terms :
the very chief of finners are invited, and the flrongeft pofifible
aiTurances given of God's readinefs to receive them, upon their
fincere repentance and reformation; and at the fame time, to
prevent an abufe of this, the moil ilriking reprefentations are
made of God's jufl wrath and difpleafure againff tbofe that
obflinately go on in prefumptuous fm and difobedience. It is
efpecially the glory of the gofpel, that the great realities of an
unfcen eternal world are there let in the mofl clear and open
light;
LeLXXXVl.'} EVIDENCES rOR CHRISTIANITY. ^j^
light ; there are clearer difcoveries made, and far l^ronger af-
fiirances given, of that future life and immortahty, than were
ever given to mankind before.
As to the precepts of ChriiHanify, they are unqucflionably
holy and excellent. The pureil morality is taught in all its iufl
and noble extent, as taking in the whole of our duty towards
God, our neighbours, and ourfelves.
As to piety towards God, the idea there given of it is vener-
able, amiable, and engaging,; we are required to fear God, but
it is not with a fervile horror, fuch as fuperiiition infpires, but
with a filial reverence. We are direcred and encouraged to ad-
drcfs ourfelves to him as our heavenly Father, throuf^^h Jefus
Chrilf, the Son of his love, and in his name to offer up our pray-
ers and praifes, our confefTions and thankfgivings, v/iih the pro-
foundell humility, becoming creatures deeply fcnhble of their
own unworthinefs, and yet wich an ingenuous affir.iice, ho',ie,
and joy. We are to yield the moil unreferved fubmillion to
God as our fovereign Lord, our mofl wife and righteous Go-
vernor, and moll gracious Beincfatlcr ; to refign ourfelves to
Ills difpofal, and acquiefce in his providential difpenfations, as
being perfuadcd that he ordereth all things really for the bell ;
to walk continually as in his hghr, and with a regard to his ap-
probation, fetting him before us as our great all- feeing witncfs
and judge, our chiefcft good and higlieft end. Above all, we
are required to love the Lord our God v/ith all cur heart, and
mind, and ftrength, and to Ihew that we love him, by keepint^
his commandments, by afpiring after a conformity to him in hii
imitable, perfections, and by endeavouring, as far as v/e are able,
to glorify him in the world. As to the external v/orfhip of God^
accordinsc to the idea cjiven of it in the New Teliiament, it is
pure and fpiritual, and hath a noble fimpliciiy in it. The nu-
merous rites of the Mofaical difpenfation, which, though wiizly
luited to that tim.e and flate, v/ere marks of the imperfeclion of
that ceconomy, are now abohfhed. The ordinances of Chriilia-
nity, as prefcribed in the gofpel, are fev/ in number, eafy of ob-
fervance, and noble in tlieir ufe and fignificancy.
Not only doth Chrifiianity give the m.oll excellent dire6t:o"n3
25 to the duty we m»ore immediately ov/e to God, but a mrt'iJy
ilrcfs is there l^iid upgr. foci?d duti-s dud fotinl virtues, which k
• ' iiuih
4^4 A SUMMAIiy CF THE iLet. XXXVI.
hath a nianifeft tendency to prcmcte and improve. The con-
flant exercife of juftice, and righteoufnefs, and fidelity, is' moil
exprefsly enjoined ; the rendering to all their dues, and a diligent
difcharge ot the duties of our feveral Rations and relations, is
bound upon us, not merely by civil confiderations, but as a
neceffary part of religion. But what ought efpecially to recom-
mend Chriflianity is, that a true and extenfive benevolence is
there carried to the nobleft height ; it flrengthcns the natural
ties of humanity, and adds other facred and moft engaging ties to
bind us ftill more ftrongly to another. We are taught to love
our neighbours as ourfelves, to rejoice in their happinefs, and
endeavour to promote it, to do good to all as far as we have
opportunity ; yea, even to extend our benevolence to our ene-
mies themfelves, and to thcfe that have injured us ; and to be
ready to render good for evil, and overcome evil with good.
It tends to difcountenance and fupprefs that malice and envy,
hatred and revenge, thofc boiflercus angry pafTions, and malevo-
lent affeftions and difpontions, which have done To much mif-
chiet in the v/orld.
As to the excrcife of felf- government, Chriftianity is manife^iy
deiigned to improve and perfe£l human nature. It teaches us
not only'to i^eguJate the outward a61;ions, but the inward afFcftions
;ind difpofuions of the foul ; to labour after real purity of heart,
fimplicity and godly fmcerity. as that v/ithout which no outward
appearances can be pleafmg in the fight of God. It ftrikes at
the root of all our diforders and corruptions, by obliging us to
correfl: and regulate that inordinate felf-love, which caufetli us
to centre all our views in ourfelves, in our own pleafure, or
glory, or intereft, and by inftru6Hng us to mortify and fubdue
our fenfual appetites and inclinations. It is defigned to aflert
the dominion of the rational and moral powers over the inferior
psrt of our nature, of the fpirit over the flefli, which alone can
lay a juft foundation for that moral liberty, and that tranquillity
of mind, which it is the defign of all true philofophy to procure
zvA eflablifh. And whereas a too great love of the world, and
its enjoyments, its riches, honours, or pieafures, Vs the fource
of numberlefs diforders in human life, and turns us aftray in our
whole courfe, it teacheth us to re61ify our falfe opinions of thefc
things, and not to feek happinefs in them, but to fct our aHcftioris
principally
X^^. XXXVI.] EVIDENCES FOR CHRISTIANITY. 4tj
principally on things of a far higher and nobler nature, things
celeftial and eternal. And with regard to the evils of this prefent
life and world, it tendeth to infpire us with the noblefl fortitude,
and to render us fuperior to thofe evils, as being perfuadcd that
God will cauf? them to work together for our pood, and will
over-rule them to our greater happinefs. It provideth the bcft
remedy both againft our cares and fears, efpecially againft the
fear of death itfelf.
All that are acquainted with the New TeRament know, that
this is a true though imperfe6l reprefentation of the nature and
tendency of the religion of Jems; nor need I point to the par-
ticular pafTages that prove it. Indeed the excellence of the
morals there prefcribed is fo evident, that the enemies of Chrif-
lianity have been obliged to pretend that its precepts are carried
to a too great degree of ftrirtnefs, impraQicable to human nature
in its prefent {late. But not to urge, that the rule fet before us
ought to be perfefl:, and that though perhaps none of us can in
every inflance fully come up to it, yet it tendeth to infpire a
laudable ambition, and to put us upon a conftant endeavour of
going on towards perfe61ion, that we may approach ilill nearer
to the prefcribed pattern of excellence; not to urge this, it de-
ferveth fpecial obfervation, that though m.orality is carried by
our Saviour both in his precepts and example to the height of
purity and excellence, yet it is not, under pretence of extraordi-
rary refinement, carried to unwarrantable extremes. It is not
required of us to extinguifh the paiTions, as the ftoics pretended
to do, but to govern and moderate tiiem, and keep them within
proper bounds. Chriftianity doth not prefcribe an unfeeling
apathy, or pretend to render us infenfible to the evils of this
prefent life; but direQeth us to bear up under them with pa-
tience and conftancy, fupported by the confiderations of reafcii
and religion, and encouraged by the glorious profpects that are
before us. We are taught to deny ourfelves: but the intention
is only that we ihould fubjeft our inferior appetites to t\\c noble
part of our natures, and that the pleafures and interefts of the
fiefli and the world fliould be made to give way to intcrefls of a
higher nature, to the duty we cv/e to God, and to the love of
truth, virtue, and righteoufnefs, whenever they happen to come
into competiti-on. We are required not to make provifioii for
410 A StJ^mARi^ OF THE [L^c'. XX-lVft
tjie ilcfh, to fulSl the luds thereof; but we are not urged to mace-
rate oi^r bodies with exceffive rigours and auilerities, or to chafiife
them with bloody dirclpiine." We are to be heavenly-minded^
and to fet our affections upon the things which are above; but
(o as not ' to negleft the duties, bufmefles, and offices of human^
life; an attendance to which is exprefsly required'of us in the
gofpel-Iaw. We are not commanded abfoiutely to quit the world;
but, which is a much nobler attainment, to live above the world,-
v/hilTt v^e arc in it, and to keep ourfelves free from its pollutions •
not wholly to renounce our prefent enjoyments, but to be mo-'
derate in the ufe of them, and To to ufi this world as not to al^uj^e
it. All drunkennefs and gluttony andexcelles of riot are lor-
biddeii, and \ye are required to exercife a regular fobrietyand
temperance in our food; but v/e are not commanded to abilain
i/om divers kinds of meats, and are taught that every creature of
Qpd i^ goody and nothing to be refufedy if it be X(^ceived with
tkanhf giving, for \t is f an dijied by the word, of God and prayer.
It. is required of us, that we may be chafte and, pure, keeping our
veffelf .clean in fanElificaUon and honour -^ and .noi in the lujls of
cpncitpijcence ; and yet an undue ftrefs is not Jaid upon virginity
or celibacy, as was too much done in after ages, but marriage is
declared ^ to be honourable in all, and the bed undejilcd. Poly-
gamy, v.'hich was formerlyin fome meafure tolerated, is. no longer
{o under the pcrfeSi inftitution of our Saviour. , And the gofpel-
j^recopts^hi.this refpect, though exclaimed agajnft as harlli and
levere, are really moH agreeable to the original intention of
mavriagij, and. the balance maintaiqed by . provideni;e between
trie fexes. ., The,Cliriftian people, are dire£^ed to pay a due re ye t
rence to, their pallors,, aud: to ejleem them very highly in love for
their zi^orlis Jake; hux.ih^"^ are not comm.andcd to yield a blind
fubmiijion to, th^m,;, z^'pd.i their p^ftors are forbidden tQ;a9:,.a%
lords over Cod's herilage, or as having dominion over ikeirfaiikr
but -difielperi- of their joy. , And finally it is evident, tliat in ib^
^Y:hokfcilelneof the QhrilUan r,eli*Tion,.as.!t^ught by Ghiift and
his A poll! es, there -is not thp leait trace -to be found of vvorldi)^
rjntiitiou, avarice, or fenfuality, Virtue is'rthere'pbeed on. th^
beils^nd^^jf^iit ioii4 vf^Uad^tions ; our duties are «rged Mpoa
lis in- their -g.mp^r ord&r^they are tcacetJ, fjQOi?v.thek itrjEie fource,
'Mvl dii'-c£:td to their proper end.3vVVc ure tuught to adpije-'f on-
tin iialiy
Ld, XXXVI. EVIDEIsXZS FOR CHRISTIANITY. 417
tinually to liiVuer degrees of hollncrs and virtue, and not to take
up with a meaner Felicity than that which arifeth from a pcrfe^^-
conformity to God himfelf, and the eternal enjoyment of him.
In one word, Chriilian morality, or the duty required of us»
is fummed up by our great iieaveniy teacher, in love, love to
God, and charity towards mankind, accompanied with real pu-
rity of heai't and life. And all this is to be attended with an ami-
able humility. We muft abound in good works, but not glory
in them : when we have done our beft, and afplred to the nobleft
attainments that we are capable of in this prefcnt ftate, all vain-
glorious boaTiing, all confidence in our own righteoufnefs or
merits, is excluded. On God and his grpxe we mull platic our
dependence, and to thls^afcribe the glory.
What a lovely idea is here fet before us of moral excellence!
And as the gofoel-precepts are fo pure, prefcribing our duty in
its proper extent, fo the ftrength "^ndi power of the motives there
propofed, if duly attended to, wijii be found anfwerable to the
purity of the precepts. And in this all the moral fyftems that
natural religion or philofcpb^/ can furnilb, are very deficient.
Our duty is bound upon us in the holy Scripture, by the exprcfs
authority and comrriand of God himfelf, which muft needs give
a mighty weight to the precepts and directions there prcfcribed.
All th." charms of the divine goodnefs, grace, and love are re-
prefented to our view, to lead Us to repentance and holy obe-
dience. The raoft peffe6l models arc fet before us: God him-
felf is exhibited to our imitation, as the great original of moral
goodnefs and excellence; and the example of his well-beloved
Son, who was the living image of his own loye, goodnfcfs, and
purity here below. Good^m.en are honoured with thte moft glo-
rious characters, and are invedcd with the mcd: valuable privi-
leges, that they may be excited and engaged to w^lk worth.y of
thofe charafters and privileges, and of the hi^h calling whercwitk
they are called. And for our greater encouragement, the mofl
exprefs affurances are given us of God's readmefs to communi-
cate the gracious influences of his Holy Spirit ; not to render
our own endeavours needlefs, but to afiift and animate our fin-
cere endeavours. The importp.nt folcmniiies cf a future judg-
ment are difplayed before 'C^ in the moft llriking manner, who a
every man muR give an account of hiir.felf to Gsd, and mud
VOL. II. ^ e receiv«4
4Ȥ A SUMMARY OF THE" [Z,^/. XirXV!,
reeelve according to the things done in his body, whether good
• or evil. Nothing can poflibly be more noble and more engaging
than the idea that is there given us of a glorious refurreftion,
and of that eternal life which is prepared for good Jiien in the
heavenly world, which is reprefented to us not merely as a
paradife of fenfual delights, but as a pure and fublime felicity,
fitted to animate the moft virtuous and excellent minds. And
on the other hand, the punilhments that fliall be inflifted on the
obftinately impenitent and difobedient, are reprefented in fuch
a manner as is moft proper to awaken and deter prefuraptuous
finners, who will not be wrought upon by the beauty and
excellence of virtue, and the charms of divine love and good-
nefs.
Any man that impartially confiders thefe things, if he he
really and in good carneft a^ friend to virtue and to mankind,
would be apt to wiHi the Chriftian revelation ttue, and to ac-
knowledge the great advantage of it where it is heartily believed
and embraced. For, muft it not be a mighty ad\6antage to have
the great principles of religion, which are of fuch vaft import-
ance to cur happinefs, confirmed by the tedimony of God him-
felf ? — to have our duty urged upon us in his name, and -plainly
fet before us in exprefs precepts, which muft needs come with
|. a far fuperior force, confidered as enjoined by a divine authori-
ty, than as the dictates of pliil-ofophers or moralifts ? — to have
the moft explicit declarations made to us in the name of God
himfelf, concerning the terms upon which forgivenefs is to be
obtained, and concerning the extent of that forgivenefs, with.
refpe6l to which many anxious jealoufies and fears might other-
wife be apt to arife in our hearts ? And finally, to be allured by
exprefs revelation from God, of the nature, greatnefs, and eter-
nal duration of that reward, with which he will crown our
finccre though imperfeft obedience: a reward far tranfcending
not only our deferts, but even all that we could expe^fc, orwtiQ
able to conceive ! ' '■'-'< n
And now, upon reviewing this fcheme of religion, whiclii is
■ undoubtedly the fcheme of Chriftianity, as fet before us in the
Hew Teftament, it is a rcfleftion that naturally oOereth itfelf,
-iHat, fuppofing Gbd l>ad thought ^t to make an extraordii^ary
tcveLKion of his will to mankind, it can (carce be cgnceiyed,
■ - • that
.La.XXilyi.'] EVIDENCES FOR CHRISTIANITY. 4IC
that k could be fuller of goodnefs sfnd purity, that It could
mmain more excellent precepts, or fet heiore us a more.perfer&
?nodel and example, or be eniorced by more poweriul motives,
.: -or be directed to nobler ends. Could fuch a fchcme of reli-
gion as hath been mentioned, be the produft either of impollure
QX enthufiafm ? Its whole nature, dcfign, ?nd tendency, manifefllv*
•ilicw, that it could not be the work of impoftors ; efpecially of
impoflors fo wicked, as to forge a feries of the raofl c::traordi-
nary fa6ls ; not merely a fingle impoHure, but a chain of impof-
, tures, and folemnly atteft them in the name of God himfclf,-
when they themfelves knew them to be abfolutely falfe. There
is nothing in trhe whole,contexture of this religion that favours-
of private felfifh interefts, or carnal views, or worldly poiicy.
And is it confiftent with the charafter of impoftors, wkhout
any regard to their own worldly advantage, to expofe themfelve?;
to all manner of fufferings, reproaches, and perfecutions, and
. even to death itfelf, f@r publifhing a fcheme of pure reugion,
piety, and righteoufnefs, merely from a defire of promoting the
glory of God, and the good of mankind? To which may .be
added, that the perfons who, we know, firft publiihed tb.is reli-
gion to the world, were abfolutely incapable of inventing fuch
an admirable fcheme of religion as Chriftianity is. If they could
have entertained a defign of putting a religion ol thelir own in-
vention upon the world, it muft have been, confidering their
notions and prejudices, very dilTerent in many things from that
which is taught in the New Tellament. Nor could they havs
had it in their power, if they had been willing, to have impofed
fuch a feries of fa£ls in that age, many of them rcprefented to be
of a very public nature, if they had been falfe. And it is equal-
ly abfurd to fuppofe this religion to have been the producl ot
enthufiafm, as of impofture. Could entbufiafts produce fuch a
'beautiful and regular fcheme, fo confiftent in all its parts, exhi-'
biting fuch juft and noble-ideas of God and of religion, fuch a
perfe£l rule of duty, in which moral excellence is raifed to the
liigheft degree of purity, without running to extremes, and is
enforced by fuch engaging motives, fo admirably fitted to the
exceiiencfc of the precepts? Surely this, which is fo vaflly fu-
perior to any fcheme of religion or morals taught b^; tl.e m.ojl
-wife and lear-ixed phiiofopher.$ and mor?,!iftsj xould not ,^9 tiiJ
~:. ^ea ^c-':
4fiO A SUMMARY OF THE LZd^. XXXVl#
work of enthufiafts, efpeclally of fuch frantic enthufiafts as they
mbil hav6 been, if they really belie veil &^^^ jfaH^'
recorded in the gofpeh ' v/ere 5one befGre'theiFeyes, ancl^that
they themfclvcs were endued with fuch extraordinary gifts of
thc'Hoiy Glwft, and performed tKe 'm6ft flupendous mira^fes*
when there was no fuch thing. And fince the gofpel-fcheihe
ot rehgion was neither the produ61; of enthufiafm nor of impot-'
tut^, it was not of human invention : and as it carihol^ t/e'fup-
pofed to have had its rife from evil beings, fupefior to mari, who
would never lend their arfiUance to enforce and eflablifh fuch
an excellent fcheme of religion, virtue, and righteoufnefs, it
followeth that the account given by the firil publifiiers of it was
true, and that they received it, as they themfelves declared, by
revelation from God liimfelf.
Upon the. whole, taking all ihefe things together, there fecm-s
to be as much evidence of the truth and divinity of the Scrip-
ture revelation, as could be reafonably expefted and defircd,
fuppofing a revelation really given. For on the one hand, (t,. ,
hath the moll excellent internal characters of truth and goodnefs"
in its nature and tendency, whereby it appeareth to be worthy
of God, pure, holy, and heavenly, admirably calculated to
prcmcTte the glory of God, and the good of mankind, and the
caufc of righteoufnefs and virtue in the world, and to prepare
inen by a life of holy obedience on earth for the eternal ciijoy-
mePxt of God in heaven. On the other hand, it was accompa-
nied with the mofl illaftrlous external atteilations, fuch as car-:;'
ried the m.anifeft proofs of a divine interpcfitlon, and which it'
cannot reafonably be fuppofed God would ever give, or permit
to be given, to an impoflure. ' ' "^^ '['' ''^
As to the Chriftian fcheme of a Mediator, the prejudices '
v/hich fome have been apt to entertain againfl Chriffianity on
that account, feem principally to have arifen from mifapprehen- ,
fions or ihifreprefcntations of that doftrine. It has been fepre- '
fcnted, as if the notion of a mediator between God and man,,;
fuppofed the fuprcme Being, the j^ather of the iiniverfe, "to bp^""
in himfelf implacable and inexorable, arid to hive"' had no
thoughts of mercy or pity 'towards fihncrs of the htuh^ii race, .
liil^'he' wa^ tir^vailed'upon, contrary to his'^dwn''ihc!}lial1oas,"'
fey the i^idkuoiis of ,a pbw^rlul Meaiatgr. r But tlhs, is^ot,:j
,fbnq-fl^)ii ?'dj Iv.' C"'Jillo ?ru rif \fjjr>f:''^n:"%ivafe .eiqosq 3iJJ bn£ K>i
ttt, XXXVK] evidences for CHRISTIANITY. 421
-.-■■'■-': • . •■ - HrHs'-'M ; '^ - 'T^ ■, , ' > • . ■ . • ;, ,.•..,;;. ■.,-■,',»■
tl)i idip^ , of the Mediator giveiiysi^jheiioly Scriptures,, .^pj;^
the contrary, the very appbintment of the Mediator is thsxf
reprcfented as wholly owing to the free and fovereign grace.
and goodnefs of God, the Father of all, who being full of love
aiid co^npaiTion, and determined tp fhew mercy towards his
g4n^;y,:^i"^^!^'-i5^^s, fixed upon this way of doing it, hy fending
hfs (bwr^ Son into the world, to recover them from their guilt,
coi-ruption, and mifery, to holinefs and happinefs.
.In what method it may pleafe God to tranfd^l: with guilty."
creatures, who have ouended him by their tranfgrenions and
difobedience^ and to difpenfe his a61;s of grace and favour to-
ward^ them, we cannot take upon us certainly to determirie,.
except he fliould pleafe to reveal it., This dependeth uport
what feerneth moft becoming his own glorious majefty, and mpib
meet tp his infinite wifdom, for anfwering the great ends an^ .
reafons of his government ; of which we cannot pretend, if \^^i^~
to ourfclves, to be competent judges. But tlie making ufe of,^^^
Mediator in the way the gofpel informeth us, through w.h^m?
his benefits are conferred upon us, and in whofe name our pray- .
ers and fervices are offered to his acceptance, fecmeth to be ad-.
inirably fitted for preferving the dignity of his fupreme authoiitj/-^
and government, and an awful fenfe and veneration of his innnite
majefty and greatnefs, his righteoufnefs and purity, in the minds ,
of his creatures, together with an humbling fenfe and convi6lioa .
of their own guilt and unv/orthinefs, and the great evil of their
11 US and tranfgreflions; and at the fame time it greatly contri- ,
buteth to difpci their guilty jealoufies and feaVs, and to infpii;e ,
them with ingenuous afhance in his grace and mercy, and a hope
of his gracious acceptance.
Some notion of the propriety of a Mediator, through whom
we have accefs to Gcd, and his benefits arc communicated to us,
hath very generally obtained among mankind, which probably^
might have its rife in a tradition derived from the earlieft ages. 1
But this,, like other princ-iples of that moft ancient primitive :
religion, became very much corrupted among the nationt>,..jWhq.^j
worfiiipped a great pumber of idol gods and idol mediators, j^i^n- ,;
der the JewiPn ceconomy, the great Mediator was typified an(l;^
prefigured, both by Mofes, who was appointed to tranfaH between .
God and the people, an3 efpecially in the office of the high-priefl,'
E e 3 anci
422 A SUMMARY OF THE [£^2^. XXXVI.
and the folemnities of the fervice he was to perform on their be-
;half on the great day of expiation. And there was alfo preferved
.r.mongrt them, a notion and expeftation of a glorious deliverer^
defciibed under the moil divine charafters, who was to appear
in the fulnefs 6f time, and who, according to theprophecies
coricerhing l]im, was to inake reconciliation for iriiquity^ and
io bring in everlajling rtghtcoujnefs : though they afterwards
perverted the true fenfe of thofe prophecies to accommodate
them to their own carnal prejudices, and to their v/orldly hopes
and views.
But in the gofpel this part of the divine cEConomy is brought
into the cleareft light ; and the idea that is there given of the
Mediator is the noblcil that can be conceived ; whether we
CDnfider the glorious dignity of his perfon, in which the divine
atid human nature is wonderfully united, or the offices afcribed
to "him, which are fuch as are admirably fitted to the great work^
upon Vv'hich he was fent, the faving and redeeming miankind.
What" can poiTibly give us a higher idea of God's- unparalleled
grace and goodnefs, than that for us m.cn, and for our falvation,
he fent his own Son, to afiume our nature, to inflru^l us as our
great heavenly Teacher, and bring the clearefl and fulled reve-'
lation of the divine v/ill that was ever given to mankind ; and
to make a declaration in the Father's name, of his free grace and
Tnercy i6wards finners of the human race, and of the graciou^'
ternis upon which he will receive them to his favour, and give'
them eternal life ; to guide and lead us by his ov/n exam^ple, and
exhibit in his own facred life and praclicethe moll perfeft model
of univerfa! goodnefs and purity, and of every amiable virtue;
for our imitation ; to make an atonement for our fins by his rnoft
ineritorious obedience and fufferings, that he might obtain eter-
nal redemption for us ; to give us a certain ple.'ge and alTurance
of ableffcd refurre^lion, and of the happinefs prepared for good
rrifen' in the higheft heavens, by his own refurreclion from the
Sea'djIi'iS afccnfion into heaven, and exaltation to glory ; to rule
x\% as the great King and Head of his Church, by his holy and
moff excellent laws and ordinances ; and to apnear for us in
the heavenly fanftuary as our great advocate with the Father,
who ever continueth to interpofe for flnful men, and in whofe
riaihe we -are to offer up our prayers, and t^ hope for thevaccept-
•' '. apce
Let, XZIXVI.]^ EVIDENCES fOR CHRISTIANUtY. -^23
ancc of our fervlces. Add to this, that he is conflituted the
great difpenfer of fpiritual benefits, tlirough whom God isplcafed
to, cpnamunicate the blefTings of his grace, and the aids of his
Holy Spirit, for afTifting us in our finccre endeavours, and train,
ing us up by a Hfe of holy obedience for eternal felicity.
And to complete the glorious fcheme, this great Saviour and
Mediator is appointed to raife the dead, and judge the v/orld in
the Father's name, and to difpenfe eternal retributions of rewards
and puniftiments to men according to their deeds, the confidera-
tion of which mull; needs give a mighty weiglit to his authority
and Jaws.
The,fe are things great and aftonifhing, and which could not
have entered into the human mind, if God had not revealed them.
But now that they are revealed, they form a mod grand and
harmonious fy Rem, the feveral parts of which are like fo many
links of a beautiful chain, one part anfwering to another, and all
concurring to exhibit an admirable plan, in which the wifdom,
the grace, and goodnefs, and the righteoufnefs of God, mofl emi^
nently fliine forth. So that, inftead of being a juft caufe of ob-
jeftion againft the Chriftian revelation, it rather furnifheth a new
proof of its divine original, and that it v/as not a mere human in-
vention, but came by revelation from God himfelf. A moH
glorious and amazing fcene is here opened, which tendeth to
fill the believing mind with the higheft admiration and reverence.,
love and joy. It is true, there are great difficulties attending the
Chriftian fchem.e of the Mediator, and the doftrine of the
Trinity which is connefted with it. But there is nothing in it that
can be proved to be contradiftory or impoffible, taking it in the
fim.plicity in which it is delivered in holy writ, and not as it has
been perplexed and obfcured by the fubtikies and rafh decifions
of men. And it would be a wrong and unreafonable condu6t to
rejeft a revelation of fo excellent a nature, and fuch an admirable
tendency, and enforced by fo many convi-ncing proofs and illuf-
trious atteftations, becaufe there are feme things in it of a high
and myfterious nature, and attended with difficulties, which we
are not well able to folve : fw furely if we have good proof of its
being -a divine revelation, the authority of God is a fufficient
reafon for our receiving it, notwithfianding thofe difficulties.
If we are Tefolved to admit nothing as true that hath great diffi.-
Ee4 cuhic-s
^CiuIti^Sj^ nQsi^uighnt wh^ WP are able.: ekarjy toiexplaln'^ w^rmuft
rgtipLvrxfe ^]| Eellgian, and have jrecoUrfe to atheifirH, 'which yeti
Ijefi^e^ Jtsr-fhocking and horrid coy&quencesi baih- the luoft um
formduntable .difficulties qf all. What is tbereraQiei^cerstai^^ancl
)^et^^birder,t9 form a diftin*^ and , con fiilcpt ,9oti<>R :o4 ' tMiv abfo-
•^^ite.eterniLyi' The iiriraenfity of the Supreme ^eiiig, Vvrbatevet
%fay we take of explaining it, is attended /vi^itji difiieuliies too
gveat for tlic human mind. There is :not a|iy jthipg ifi all nature
t^ipsr^^evident than the chara6lers of wifdomjand defign in, the
Jr^arne of the .univerfe ; and yet there are rn^ny particular things
relating to it, the defign of which it is. fcarce poflible for us to
^.ccpunt for in this prefent ftatc, from whence perfons of an
a^beiftical turn have taken occafion to deoy an infinitely wife
prefiding mind. The fame thing may be fatd with regard to the
jjQodnefs of, God, which is ellablirhed by the ftrongeft proofs,
a;:>d,.of w'flich we feel the moH lively fenfaticns in our ov/nbreafts ;
z;nd yet every one know^, who has carried his inquiries deep into
thefe things, that there are many appearances which w^e find it
extremely hard to reconcile to our ideas of goodnefs, and which
probably never will be fully cleared, till weh^ve a rriorfeexteniVe
v.iew of the plan of the divine adininiftration than .now we eaa
^Uain to. .There is nothing, we are infire iatiinately confcjous
qI . than human liberty and. free agency, or , wliieh is oT greater
importance to the very foundations of government and morality;
^jq4, yej: if, we confider it: ;netaphyrical!y, nofybje^ is attended
Vltlv ,gireat^r, difficulties,^^ the ablGifraetapliyneia^^
i,"aphers:in,all ages have acknowledged. The fame may be faid
of the nGtion .of fpiritual ii^d material, fubHance, andthe infinite
divifibility of ,t,he , latter, ^jajidv of ina^5(;;i?t^e^^ things of tfcie liko
nature. It is aprinciple, which hath been adiniued by the. great-
ell mailers ot'reafon, that when once, a thing; is proved by praper
evjjdenceg, and argument^ fy-gicifSnt tin; ■tbcii: kiwd,: we are not ta
rejcQ; it, merely becaufe it may be attended with difficulties,
•\vhip'h(,we^(knpw not. how to fplve. ; Tliis principle is admitted
i^^philpfophy; ,,it i^v\(l it),e, r^^fflit^^ dfvjlIt.regg^rdtitD naturki reli-
gion; and why thenihpvild. it nC!i\y>^if^vmk^^
5fArVi^i^5 Gorruptiojjisf.of Cb;iftian5, and :the;^bufed fifiiChrif-
ii^^ity^^ ^njl the ad^itj^i^s .tbatiiaVj^ beepm
,'. . . . furniilied
J,mm.^nvi,} EVIDENCES FOn CHRrStlAmTY. 4*5
feimifhed the deifts with their mofl plaufible obje61ions, it ought
m.^^c confidered, that the ChriHian religion cannot in reafon be
madis^aacoantable forthofe abufes and corruptions. The proper
remedy in that cafe is not to throw off all regard for the gofpel,
biife to endeavour to recover men from their deviations from it.
And' in ihis, the pains of thofe that pretend to a true liberty of
thinking might be profitably employed. If they have a true re-
gard to the happinefs of mankind, and to the caufe of virtue
in the v/orld, the be ft way to anfwer thatdefign is, not to endea-
vour to expofe the fcriptures to contempt, but to engage men to
a greater veneration for thofe facred oracles, and a clofcr ad-
herence to them in do6lrineand practice; not to attempt to fet
Ti^en free from the obligations of Chriftianity, but to do what
they can, that the hearts and confciences of men may be brought
glider the power of its excellent inftru6lions and important mo-
tives, and may be governed by its holy laws, which wonldbe of
die happieli confequence both to larger focieties and particular
perfohs.
5virm<30n elude: It is to be hoped, that the view that hath been-
taken of the attempts which have been made againll Chriftianiry
among us beyond the example oi former ages, inflead of fl'iocking
the faith of true Chriftians, will only tend to convince them that
it llandeth upon the mofl folid foundation, not to be (hakcn b7
the malice or fubtilty of its ableft adverfaricc. The ftrange
&i«Ternef'4 To many have iliewn to fubvert the credit and authoritv
of thegafpel, fhould awaken in us a well-conduftcd zeal for the
iritcrefl-s of our holy religion, and Ihould heighten our efteem for
true uncorrupted Chriftianity as taught in the holy fcriptures.'
Wccan never be fufficiently thankful to God for fo giorio'u^' an
advantage as that of the light of the gofpcl Oiining among uj."
' This. we fliould efteem the moft valuable of all our privileges,
z^BdfbonMuegard every attempt to deprive us of it, as an atteinpt
tb deprive us of our happinefs and glory, and to bring us intrt
darknefs and mifery; to rob good men of their nobieft joys and!
comifortSi' the-moft; powerful helps, and the moft animating mo-
tives to the praftice of piety and virtue ; and to Iree bad men from
their apprehenfions of the wrath of God and future punifhment,
andr'tlieFeby . remove tli^^teoft effeBual ieflrzlrnt^s-'td vice' and
■ • '■ ■■• ■' wickedne's.
426;, • A SUMMARY OF THE [Z<?^. X^iXVT*
wickednefs. The caufe of Chriftianity is the caufe of God. liet
us therefore take the mofl effeftual methods- in our power to
maintain and to promote it. And this calleth for the United en-
deavours of all that bear the glorious name of Chriftians. A great
deal has been done in this age in a way of reafon and argutnent.
But this, however proper and laudable, is not alone fufficient.
For it is a thin? which cannot be too much inculcated, that a
mere notional and fpeculafivebelief of Chriftianity will be offmall
avail ; and that "the principal care of thofe who profefs it fliould
be, to get their hearts and lives brought under the governing in-
fluence of its divine do6lrines and excellent precepts, that it may
not be merely an outward form, but a living principle within
them. Among the many unhappy confequences which have
arifen from the difputes that have with fo much indecency and
cagernefs been carried on againft our holy religion, this is not
the ieaft, that it hath carried men's minds too much off from the
vital part of religion, and hath led them to regard it as a matter of
fpeculation and difpute, rather than of praftice. But this is to
forget the very nature and defign of Chriftianity, which is not
a bare fyft.em of fpeculative opinions, but a praftical inftitution,
a fpiritual and heavenly difcipline, full of life and power, all
whofe doS^rines, precepts, ordinances, motives, are manifeftly
intended to form us to a godlike temper, to real holinefs of heart
and life. And thofe good men who are not able to do much for
it in away of argumentation, may yet eflre61uaily promote its fa-
cred intereftsjby walking accordmg to the excellent rules of the
gofpel, and fhewing the advantageous influence it hath upon their
temper and condu6l, and thus making an "amiable reprefentation
of It to the world. And though it highly becometh thofe, whofe
ofEce it is to teach and inftruft others, to be well furniftied with
divine knov/ledge, fo as to be able by found reafon and argument
to convince, or at leaft to confute, the gainfayers ; yet one of the
mofl: effential fervices they can do to the Chriftian caufe, is, by
their doclrine and by their example to lead the Chriftian people
into the praftice of all holinefs and goodnefs. This would tend
more than any thing elfe to ftop the mouths of adverfaries, and
would probably, as it did in many inftances in the firft ages of
♦he Chriftian church, gain them over to a good opinion of that
religion, which is fitted to produce fuch excellent fruits.
Thefe
Xr^ XXXVI.] EVIDENCES FOR CHRISTIANITY. a^j
. 'Thefe are refieaions which naturally arife upon this fuhjea.
But I fnall not infift larther upon them atprefent; cfpecialiy as
I.rfhallJiave occafion to rcfume feme of them in an adclrefs to
Deiftfi and profeiTed Chriflians, which I ihall here fubjoinas ^
proper conciufionofthe whole work.
I am, dear and worthy Sir,
Your rncfl affeaionate and obliged
Friend and Servan% - •
JOHN LELAhTD.
THE
p^
CONCLUSION',
!'>fTS iisi ,odi lo ? r>
DKIVATY
: zi-fsms ' '
CONCLUSION,
? iiji-'fe /ijj '^ji^d.r
' ;■ '''!^'"'^
^- IN AN ADDRESS TO ^T' ^ -■-
. A r i .-, -^ p-,. ,M -,
I>ilSTS AND PROFESSED CHRISTIANS.
%cifearc inexciifahle zaho reje£l Ckrijlia^iity at a venture, loithout
due Examination — Dcijiical Authors unfoje Guides, andJJtew
little Sign of a fair and impartial Inquiry — Several of their
Objeflions fuch as cannot be reafonably urged againft Ckrifti"
anity at all — Thofe Objections only are of real Weight which
t£nd to invalidate its Proofs and Evidences , or zuhich are
drawn fr 0171 the NoAure of the Religion it [elf, to fiew that it
is unworthy of God — The Atternpts of the Deifls on each of -,
thefe Ueads ftiewn to be infiifficient — -An Exp of. illation zvitk
them concer:iing the great Guilt and I)anger of their ConduElt
and tjie ill Confeauences of it both to thcrnf elves and to Vin
Community^Thofe profeffed Chrifians highly culpabUy zuho
live ill an habitual Negligence and Inconfideration with re-
gard to Religion, or who fight public Worfiip and the Chrif
tian Infitutions, or who indulge themfelves in an immoral and \
vicipus Praclice — A wicked Chrif ian, of all CharaBerSy the
Tiof inccififent—Advics to thofe 7vho profefs to believe the
Gofpd-r^fhey fiould he thankful to God for their Privileges —
"Jhey fiiould labour to be well acquainted with the Hply Scrip-
,tures-—And, above all, they fhoiild be careful to adorn their
Profeffion by a holy and virtuous Life — A Qhriftian aEling up'
to the Obligations of Chrif ianity forms a glorious Charader^
which derives a Splendour to the mofl exalted Station-^This
illuflrioufly exemplified in a great Perfonage of the highejl
J)ignii,y- — T^'*-^ '^'^fi liJ^portance of a careful Education of Chil"
^Ircji, and the bad EJfeds of negleBing it— -And here alfo the,
fame eminent Example is recommended to. the. Mkiiati^n ^feM^ /
efpe'cially of the great and iioJ?le. ^ , - *.- :, v^ ;
'' HAVING
CONCLUSION. 42^
HAVING endeavoured to give, as clear a general view as I
v/as able of {.he principal dcillical writers oi the laft and
prefcnt age, and having made large and particular remarks on the
two moil: noted authors who have appeared of late among us in
that caiife, I lliaH now, as a^onclufion of this work, take the
liberty to addrefs myfelf, both to thofc that take upon them the
chara£lcr of deills and free-tbiukers, and who rejecl the Chriftian
revelalion; and to thofe who are honoured with the name of
Chriftians, and who prcfcfs to receive the religion of JelYis as
of divine authority.
The former may be ranked principally into tv*-o forts. They
are either fuch as, taking It for granted that Chriftianlty has been
proved to be an impofition on mankind, rejeft it at a venture,
without being able to afTign a realbn for rejePiing it, or at riioit:
take-ujjwitlifome flight objections, and content themfelves with
general clam-ours of priefkraft and impofture, without giving
themfelves the trouble of leaking a (lillin6l inquiry into the na-
ture of the religion itfelf, or examining its proofs apd evidences;
of, they are fuch as pretend to rejeO: Chiiilianity, btecaufeVupon
a due examination and inquiry, they have found it to be deftitute,
of fuiTicient proof, and have difcovercd in it the marks of falfe-
hood and impoflure, which convince them that it cannot be of
divine original. There is reafon to apprehend, that the greater
part of thoie among us v/ho pafs under the name of deifiS, c6me
under the former of thefe characters. But the conduFt of fuch
perfons is fo manifeflly abfurd as to admit of no excufe. Tor
what pretence have they to glory in the title of Free-thinkers,
who wiU not be at the pains to think clofely and fericuily at all,
ev^en inmatters of the highefl confcquence? There are few therji'
fore who are willin,<T to own that this is their cafe. Whetbei*
they have really given themfelves the trouble of a free and dWU
gent GJtatnhiation and inquiry, or not, they v;ould be thbii^l^'f^
have done fo, and not to have rejeaed the Chriftian reve!atioil
wkhoiit having good reafon s for their unbelief. It is thereiore
to ' aich perfons -tiiat I ^0i3d no \^t. addir^ f? hiyl^tf. ^ ^^^
Of tbi^ fort profeCedly'are thole that ]>We appeared amoi^g;W;
under-th*e character of delftica! writers. They have made a (hew
of maQkittg Chriftiaitity ii>?i^#^^r'^^^f^
upon the view which hath been t^ken'-of th^mtit may,"! think;
43^ ' CONCLUSION.
be rafciy declared, that whatever they have offered that had the
lace of argument, hath been folidly confuted, the evidences of
Chriftianity have been placed in a fair and confiftent lighfv and
their objeaions againfi; it have been fiiewn to be vain and infuf-
ficicnt. Though there never Vi^erc writers more confident and
allViming^ or Vvho have expixfTed a greater admiration of them-
fclvcs, and contempt of others, it hath been fhewn, that, taking,
them generally, they have had little to fupport fuch glorious
pretences: That no writers ever afted a part more unfair and
dilingenuous: That though they liave fet up for advocates of
natural religion inoppofition to revealed, yet many of them have
endeavoured to fubvert the main articles even of natural religion,
and have ufed arguments which bear equally againft all religion,
and tend to banifli it out of the world : That they have often put
on a {hew of great regard for genuine original Chriftianity,
whilft at the fame time they have ufed their utmoft efforts to
dellroy its evidences, and fubvert its authority: That inllead of
reprefenting the Chriftian religion fairly as it is, they have had
recourfe to mifreprefentation and abiife, and have treated the
holy Scriptures in a manner which would not be borne, if put in
pra61ice againfi any other ancient writings of the leafl reputation,
and which is indeed inconfiftent with all the rules of candour
and decency: That with regard to^ the extraordinary faHs by
v/hich Chriftianity is attefted, they have advanced principles
which would be accounted perfeftly ridiculous if applied to any
other facts, and which really tend to deflroy all moral evidence,
and the credit of all pafl fafts whatfoever : And finally, that never
were there writers more inconfiflent with themfelves and with
one another, or who have difcovered more apparent figns of
obllinate prepoffeihon and prejudice. And fhould not all this
naturally create a fufpicion of a caufe which ffands in need of
fuch management, and 'of writers who have been obhged to
have recourfe to arts fo little reconcileablc to truth and candour?
And yet it is to be apprehended, that many of thofe who laugh at
others for relying upon their teachers, are ready to refign them-
felves to their deiftical leaders, and to take their pretences and
confident afTertions, and even their jefls and TarcafpiSj -to-ar-
gviments. • fi j.'!jiif wod bnft Hi '•'
M20V af the obje6lions which have, been producfed-Wifli gr'eat
pomp,.
COigCLUSIDN.
431
pomp, and v/hich have created fome of the (Irongeft prejudices
againft Chriftianity, are fuch as cannot be properly urged againft
it with any appearance of reafon at all. Such are the objeftiona
drawn from the abufes and corruptions which have been intro-
duced contrary to its original defign, or from the ill condu£lof ma- -
ny:of its profelforsand minifters. For whiift the Chriftian religion,
as taught by Chrill and his apoftles, and delivered in the holy
Scriptures^ may be demonflrated to be of a moH ufeful and admi-
rable nature and tendency, whiift the proofs and evidences of it
ftand entire, and the truth of the fafts whereby it was attcfted
is fufficiently eflablifiied, the reafon for embracing it ftill holds
good : and to rejetl a religion in itfelf excellent, for abufes and
corruption's, which many of thofe that make the objection ac-
knowledge are not juftly chargeable upon true original Chrif-
tianity, is a condu£l that cannot be juftified, and is indeed con-
trary to the dictates of reafon and good fenfe. The fame obfer-
vation may be i-^ade with regard to fome other obje6lions v^^hich
have been frequezitly urged againft the Chriftian revelation, and
particularly that which is drawn from its not having been univer-
fally promulgated. For if the evidences w^hich are brought to
prove that Chriftianity is a true divine revelation, and that this
revelation was really given, are good and valid, then its not
having been made known to all mankind v/ill never prove, that
fuch a revelation was not given. And fuch a way of arguing in
any other cafe would be counted impertinent. It is arguing
from a thing, the reafons of which we do not know, againft the
truth and certainty of a thing that we do know, and of which we
are able to bring fuiHcient proofs.
The only objeftions therefore, or arguments, which can really
be of weight againft. Chriftianity, are thofe which ehher tend
to invalidate its proofs and evidences, and to fhew that the di-
vine atteftations which were given to it are not to be depended
upon, or which are drawn from the nature of the revelation
itfelf, to fiiew that' it is abfurd and unworthy of God. And
accordingly both thefe have been attempted. Bufwhofcever^
will impartially confid^r the writings of the deiftical authors,
and compare them with thofe of the advocates for' Chriftianity,
will find how little they have advanced on either of thefe heads
that is really ..to the purpofe. The aueftuticn^ given to Chrii-
tianiry
432 CONCLUSION.
tianlty are of fucli an extraordinary nature, and carry in them
fuch manifell proofs oi a divine interpofition, that fev/, if any,
have ever owned the truth of thofe fafts, and yet denied the
divine orioinal of the Chriftian revelation. Its adverl'aries there-
o
fore have chiefly bent their force to deftroy the credit of the
fa61s. But they have not been able to invalidate the arguments
which have been brought to prove that thofe facis were really
done : it hath been fiiewn, that the evidence produced for them
is as great as could reafonably be expefted and defired for any
pall fafts whatfoever : that never was there any teflimony, Ai
things confidered, more worthy of credit- than that of the cri-
minal witnefTes to thofe fa61s : and that thofe accounts have
been tranfmitted to us by a conveyance fo fure and uninterrupt-
ed as can hardly be paralleled in any other cafe. This has been
evinced by a clear dedu6lion of proofs, to which little has been
onpofed but conjectures and fufpicions of fraud, and general
clamours againft moral evidence, and human tenimony, without
taking oft' the force of the proofs that have been brought on tlie
pther fide.
As to the arguments urged againft the Chriftian revelation
from the nature of the revelation itfelf, thefe muft relate either
to its doftrines or laws. With refpeft to the laws of Chriftia-
uity, it cannot reafonably be denied, that its moral precepts
are pure and excellent, and have a manifell tendency to pro-
mote the practice of piety and virtue in its jull extent, and
the peace and good order of the world. And they are enforcpd
with the moil powerful and important motives that can polTibly
be conceived, and the beil fitted to work upon the human na-
ture.
V/hcn the moral precepts of Chriflianity could not be juftly
found fault with, a great clamour has been raifed againll its
pofitive precepts and inllitutions. And yet it is capable of be-
ing proved — it hath been often clearly proved, that thefe pofitive
inllitutions, taken in their primitive purity, and according to
their original deCign, are admirably fitted to promote the great
ends of all religion, and to llrengthen our obligations to a holy
and a virtuous life. And this fome of the moll noted dciilical
writers have fiot been able to deny. And it has been lately
fi.i]iy acknowledged by Lord Bolingbroke,
The
■ The -blPf^'febJaaioWr ^ieref6i^; WUMi pra^e.ily^r'^miiX^Hnkii
agaiitft' the 4c S i^hies ' -'oT^ Cii rift h liTty .* ■ And 'o efo^ic J-tlusi -'o-b jiiUil
tfbn* terf' fc ^pro^e^j'^ 'D^o^JE^iit '\6%iltt}* tW(> t'hiiiV;!*.*' afev ta'/b«fi
pVoveti/ ;The:' tjffe*^ls, t^r^He'der^^iffes-^dhjefeJ}' agkinfl^^ai-^a^
doHriries 'of the*' \itf^ •bi^igltfaF Chrifl:iiw religioir •^^'>t^m^hi; -^y^'
Ctoffl'add^ h{s\npbWFe:s;''ah<l at!]ivercfd*irr i^^jlMf Sfc^pturi^^j
l^hd' /ether is, that thefe aoctrine!^, as therc'-tau'gHt,'' are re^ll^
ahrurd tihd cor.traryto reafon. Fcr a ddfti'irte rriay be attended'
^v'itH great difficulties,' very^ hard' t(3 be' ^accoithted for,' " arvd ^^i-
111 ay Be really true, and not contradi£lory to reafoh ; lv'M*(^K'i^.
evidemly the cafe v/ith refpect to fev'eral important prirtcipFtis of
what is called natural religion. The dldiculty attending i'hy
do8:rine, in ojjr nianner oi conceiving it, is not a proper-argu-jK'
ment again'ft' it^ truth, if we have ctherv/^ife fufficie'rtt' evidence
IQ convince \?.5 that ,that docirine is true ; and its being pM'hly
aiTertpc^ina' revelation proved to be divine isa fufiicierir''(d\^ili^'
deiVce. For to acknowledge a divine revelation to .na^e'^b'eeir"
given, and yet receive nothing upon the credit of it, nbtlVin^
but what we cap prove to be true, or at lead highly pfe*b at) [^,-*
iiidependenily of that .revelation, is a mod abTurd and incoh-
iiflent conducf. It is to. make a. divine tCilimony pafs' "Sr
nothing, and to pay no greater regard to a thing on accoun^t"
of its being divinely revealed, than if it had not been reve^fccl
at all. In this cafe, \y hat is hrid by a per Ton \vho 'can hb^ be
I'upppir^d to be prejudiced in favour of Chriilianity a])p'ears lo
be. very rearonable; yv^hich I ihali here, beg leave to repeat,
though I had occafion to take notice of it before, '^2.3. that^
*' when perfons have received the Chriflian revejation '.Fo*!*'' geV"
*'.ntiine, after fufhcientexainirLation of its external and intjer-
*' nahproofs, and have .found nolhin? that makes it inconaRent
" 5^jt^. j(t-fiS.i|^.^n^rj,tl}^t^ |l§^^/^epugnant, t^^.^ny ot thpfe divine,
*' irut^hs, w'hiph reafon ^ and the vyprjis of Gpd c[enipii(lrate"^b^
*• th^n?, uiph per(ons.,wi;t never fet up.reafpn in contradi/^i^n
•' ,t:Q.,,it, . on ;gi|:.qi£^pn^ of things plainly^ tau^^t.^I^pt ^iK:9mpreben!^^
*Vfib,]se,a^,tQ. their manner of being,; if. jthey di.d, ,t,heiir veafoa
*'. \v^^.ii}4 be... falie. and ^dec^itful, they ^vp^ld ceafe t.Q^ bjs reafotn-
* Bolingbroks's^ Works, vol y.^. 524V
■ VOL. II. Fi yi^
434 CONCLUSION.
we cannot be obliged to believe againft reafon, he fcntb, ih^t
when a revelation hath pafTed through the necelTary trials, *'it is
*' to be received with the moll profound reverence, with the
*' moft entire fubmiffion, and with the moll unfeigned thankf-
'^ giving. Reafon has exercifed her whole prerogative then,
*' and delivers us over to faith. To believe before all thefe trials,
** or to doubt after thero, is alike unreafonable *."
And now, upon fuch d. \ic\v of things, you v/ill allow me,
gentlemen, ferioufly to expoHulate with you, and to befeech
vou to refleft whether, in rejefting and endeavouring to expofe
Chrillianity, you aft a wife and reafonable part, and what is
like to be the effeft of your condu£l both with regard to yoiir-
felves, and to the public.
And firft with regard to yourfelves. Confider that the cafe
tiow before you is not merely a matter of indifference, or of
fmall importance. Your ovrn moft eflfential interefts are nearly
concerned. If the gofpel be true and divine, torejeft it will in-
volve you in the greatefl guilt, and will expofe you to the greater
clanger. The beft that can be faid of your cafe upon fuch a fup-
pofuion is, that it is infinitely hazardous. If in fa6l it fhould be
found, that you have rejcfted a true divine revelation, which God
himfelf hath confirmed with the moil iliuftrious atteftations;
that you have refufed the tellimony which he had given of his
Son, and have poured contempt on the Saviour v/hom he hath
in his infinite wifdom and love provided for us; that you have
flighted the authority of his laws, and the offers of his grace, and
liave defpifed all his glorious promifes, and fet at nought his
Ewful threatenings ; this cannot pofhbly be a ijight guilt, and
therefore you have reafon in tbat cafe to apprehend the fevere
tftefts of the divine difpleafure. Whatever favourable allow-
ances may be made to thofe who never heard of the gofpel, or
had no opportunity of being inftructed in it in its original purity,
it is plain, from the whole tenor of the gofpel-dcchnations, that
thofe to whom it is clearly publifhed, and who have its evidences
plainly laid before thcin, and yet (hut their eyes againft the hea-
venly light, and defpife its offered falvation, are in a very dan-
gerous (late. And though it may be faid, that this is im^mediatefy
* Bolingbrokc's Works, vol. v. p. 379.
to
CONCLUSIOJT.
435
to fee imderftood of tiiofe who lived in the age when the gofpel
was firft publiihed, yet it holds in proportion with regard to thofe
in after-ages, to whom that revelation and its evidences are made
known, and Vv-ho yet wilfully reje61 il. For fince God defigncd
that revelation not merely for the age when it was firfl delivered,
but tor fucceedingages; and fince accordingly it was To ordered,
that both the r-evelation itfelf, its doclrines and lav/s, and an
account of the divine atteitations that v/ere given to it, have been
tranfmitted to us in fuch a manner, as laveth a iuft foundation
for our being aflured, that this is the true original revelation, and
that thefe fa61:s were really done; then the obligation which lies
upon thofe to vrhom that revelation is made known to receive
and fubmit to it, and confequently the guilt of rejefting it, lliii
fubfifts. Examine the revelation itfelf. Could you pofiibly ex-
pe6l a revelation given for nobler purpofcs, than to inriru6l us
to form the moft worthy notions of God, of his perfe6l>ons, and
of his providence, to fet before us the whole of our duty in its
jufl; extent, to inflruft us in the term.s of our acceptance with
God, to affure us of liis readinefs to pardon our iniquities, and
to receive us to his grace and favour upon our unfeigned repen-
tance, and to crown our fmcere though iraperfc£l obedience with
the glorious reward of eternal life? Could any revelation be
expefted, whofe precepts are more pure and excellent, or en-
forced by more weighty motives, or the uniform tendency of
which is more manifeflly fitted to promote the caufe of virtue
and righteoufnels in the v/orld ? Or, could any revelation, fup-
pofing a revelation really given, be attended with more illuftrious
atteilations? Will it be an excufe fit to be offered to the great
R.uler and Judge of the Vv^orld, that you did not yourfelves fee
the miracles that were v/rought, nor were vvitnelfes to the at-
leftations that were given? This is in effect to demand, that all
thefe fafts fhould be done over again for your conviftion, or
you will not believe them. But how unreafonable is this, when
the accounts of thefe fafts are tranfmitted with a degree of evi-
dence futficient to fatisfy any unprejudiced mind, an evidence
vrhich muft be admitted, except no pail fafts at all are to be be-
lieved, and which you yourfelves would account fufficient in
any other cafe! Or, will it be accepted as a jufl excufe, that it
contains fome 4o6trineS; v/hich are attended with gredt difiicuhies
F f a ths;
43^ coNCLUsioi^.
(hat we are not able to account for, and which relate to things
that tranfcend our comprehenfion, when at the fame time it "can-
not be denied that there are feveral things both in religion and
philofophy which the moft wife and confidering men think it
reafonable to believe, though they are liable to objeftions which
they cannot give a clear folution of*? Or, is the true reafon of
your rejefting the go'nel your averfion to its holy lavrs, and that
purity of heart and life that is there required ? But is this a rea-
fon fit to be pleaded before God, or proper to fat is fy your own
confciences? This is the condemnation^ faith our Saviour, that
light Is come into the world, hut men have loved darknefs rather
than light, hecaufe their deeds are evil. If this fhould be found
to' be really your cafe, and the true caufe of your ci^pofirion to
the gofpel, your guilt is of a very aggravated nature! it is to hate
and oppofethe light that fhould convince and reform you, and to
make the very excellence of the gofpel a reafon for reie6ting it.
The beft and wifePt men in all ages have owned the ncceffity of
keeping the appetites and palnons within proper bounds, and in
a juft fubje61icn to the dominion of reafon. And this is the great
defign of the Chriflian law. And yet its precepts are not carried
to an unreafonahle rigour and aufterity: it is not dehgned to ex-
llnguifh the pafTions, but to moderate them, and allo-ws them to
be gratified within ths bounds of temperance and innocence. Its
precepts, it reduced to practice, would both tend to the true dig-
nity and perfection of our nature, and lay a jufl foundation for
an inward tranquillity and fatisfaftion of mind, and for a true
iTioral liberty, the nobleft liberty in the world; as no ilavery is
to be com.pared to a moral fervltude, which confiileth in a vafial-
age to the vicious appetites and palhons. A life led in confor-
irnty to the gofpel precepts, Is, whatever you may think of it,
the moft deligiitiui life in the world. It tendeth to improve and
enlarge the fecial afucllons^ to inf^^ire an univerfal benevolence,
to render m.en good and ufeiul in every relation, and to rellrain
* Ov.z of tlie mofl: fabtile writers that have of late appeared againH; Chrif-
tianity, fays, " that no prietl:ly dogmas ever (hocked common fcnfe fo much
**' as the intinise divlilbility of matter, with its confcquences," which yet has
not hindered the abieft mathematicians from believing it to be democftrably
true. And he gives fomc other indances of the like kind. See Hame's
Philofophical ElTays, p. 346, 347.
CONCLUSION,
i?>7
and govern thofe furious and maligiioat-firLirions or envy, liatrerl,
and revenge, which carry torment and bittern cfs in their nature.
It directs us to a rational piety and devotion towards God, and
tends to produce a noble and ingenuous confidence in him, and
an entire refignation to his will,. and to refrefn and cheer the foul
with a confcioufnefs of the divine approbation. To this add the
fatisfaftions and joys arifing from all the wonders of the divine
grace and goodnefs, as difplayed in tlie goTpcl, from the charms
of redeeming love, and the great things Chrift hath done and fuf-
fercd for our falvation, from the glorious promifes of the new
covenant, from th» gracious aids and influences of the Holy
Spirit, and from the ravifiiing and tranfporting profpefts that arc
before us. A bleflcd refurreftion and immortal life! You will
be ready perhaps to charge this as enthufiafm : but I fee no rea-
fon for it, except the nobleil emotions of the human mind, and
the exercife of our beft affeftions upon the bell and moft excel-
lent objefts, muft pafs under that name. Confider, I befeech
you, v/hat valuable privileges, what divine fatisfaclion, what
ravirhingprorpe6ls, you deprive yourfelves of by your infidelity!
And what have you in excliange, but perplexing doubts and un-
certainties, gloomy profpefls, and what you will hardly be able
to get entireiv rid of, anxious fufpicions and fears enough, where
they prevail, to mar the comfort and fatisfaftion of life!
. But let me now in the next place defirc you to reflccl upon
what may be the confequences of your conduft with regard to
the public. There are great and general complaints, and it were
to be v/iiiied there was not a juft foundation for them, ot a difTo-
lutencfs of manners which fccms to he growing among us. This
is a matter in which the interefts of the community are very
nearly concerned. V\^hen once the corruption fpreads through
all orders and degrees of pcrfcns, thofe in liigher and in lower
itations, it muR needs be attended U'-ith a perveraonof all public
order, and fap the very foundation of the public glory and hap-
pinefs. In proportion as vice and difTolutenefs .prevail, it pro-
duces a negL^a of honcft indu(lry, trade confequcntly decays
fraud and violence increafe, the reverence of oaths is lolf, and
all the ties and bands that keep fociety together are in danger of
being diffoived. Machiavel himfclf has ■ decided, that a free
government cannot be k)ng maintained, when once a people are
f t 2 hccouiQ.
4^"^ eo'^LUSioN.
b.ccoir.e generally corrupt. All true friends therefore to the
public order and liberty mull wiHi, that virtue may fiourifli, and
that men's vicious appetites and paiTions may be kept under
proper refiraints. And nothinrj is fo. fit to anfwer this end as
religion. If the innuence of religion were removed from the
minds of men, and there were no fear of God before their eyes,
civil laws would be found feeble reftraints. This the ableil po-
liticians have been fenfible of, and never was there any civilized
government that did not take in religion for itsfupport*'". And it
may be eafily proved that never was there any religion fo well
£tted for anfwcring all thefepurpofes as the Chrillian. • The two
lateft writers who have appeared againft Chriftianity have made
full acknowledgments of the great ufefulncfs of religion, efpecially
that part of it which relateth to future rev/ards and punifhments,
to public communities : though both of them have moft incon-
fiflently endeavoured to fubvert that do-ftrine of future retribu-
tions, the belief of which they own to be neceffary for preferving
public peace and order. Mr Hume, fpeaking of the received
r.otion, that " the deity will infii6f punifliments on vice, and in-
*' finite rewards on virtue," fays that ", thofe who attempt to
** difabufc them of fuch prejudicesj may, for aught he knows,
* Lord Bolingbroke obferves, that " the good effects of maintaining,
•^ard bad e^c*5ls of neglci^ling, religion, were extremely vifible in the
" whole courfe of the Roman government— That though the R.cman
** religion ellabliilied by X-Juma was very abfiird, yet by keeping up an awe
*' of faperior power, and the belief of a providence that ordered the courfe
*' of events, it produced all the marvellous effects which Machiavel, after
•** Polybius, Cicero, and Plutarch, afcribcs to it." He adds, that "the
*^ neglcvft of religion v/as a principal caufe of the evils that Rome afterv/ards
" fuffered. Religion decayed, and the ilate decayed with her*.'* And
if even a falfe religion, by keeping up an awe of fuperior pov;er, and the
belief of a providence, had fo advantageous an influence on the prcfperity
of the ffate, and the negleft of religion brought fuch evils upon it; can they
pofiibly be regarded as true friends to the public, who take fo much pains
to fubvert the religion profelfed among us, a religion eftabliHied upon the
noil rational and folid foundations, and to fet men loofe from the awe of
a fuperior power, and the belief of a providence ordering the courfe of events,
and themanifeff ttnuency of whofe attecipts and endeavours is to leave us
v.;lliout any rel'gion at all ?
* Lord £clt'n§brckc*s F/orks, vol. ii: ^, 4%2*
" be
fOXCLUSION, Aog
" be good rcafoners, but be cannot allow tbsm lobe good citizens
" and politicians; fmce they free men from one rcftraint iinoa
*' their pafTions, and make the infringement oi the laws of equity
** and fociety, in one refpeft more eafy and fccure'^." Lord
Bolingbroke, fpeaking of thofe who " contrived religion for the
•* fake of government," cbferves, that " they faw that the public
" external religion would not anfwer their end, nor enforce
" effeftually tlie obligations of virtue and morality, without the
" doftrine of future rewards and punifhments t." And he fays,
*' the doctrine ot rewards and punifhments in a future flate has
" fo great a tendency to enforce the civil laws, and toreilrain the
*' vices of men, that reafon, which, as he pretends, cannot de-
" cide for it on principles of natural theology, will not decide
" againfl it on principles of good policy^,." And it is certain,
that no religion placeth thofe future retributions in fo (Irong and
afiefting a light as Chriftianity does. The laft mentioned author
goes fo far as to fay, that " if the conHift between virtue and vice
*' in the g-reat commonwealth of mankind was not maintained
*' by religious and civil inftitutions, the human lite would be in-
♦' tolerable §." And now, I think, I may jufliy expolluiate with
thofe gentlemen, who do what they can to propagate infidelity
among us. What real good to mankind, what benefit to the
fociety or community, can you propofe by endeavouring to ex-
pofe Chriitianity, its miniilry and ordinances, to contempt, and
to fubvert its divine authority, and thereby deilroy its influence
on the minds and confciences of men? Can you propofe to
aifert and promote the caufe of virtue, by taking away its Urongclt
fupports, and thofe motives which have the greateft tendency to
engage men to the practice of it ? Or, can you propofe to put
a check to abounding licentioufncfs, by removing the molt power-
ful reftraints to vice and wickcdnefs? If it be fo hard to re-
llrain the corruption of mankind, and to keep their dif)rder]y
appetites within proper bounds, even taking in all the aids of
religion, and the amazing power of thofe motives which Chrifti-
anity furniilieth, what could be expcftcd, if all thcfe were dif-
carded, and men were left to gratify their palfions without tiie
* Hume's Philofophical ElHiys, p. 231.
f Boiingbroke's Works, Yol. iv. p. 60. J lb. vol. v. p. 3^2- § ^'^' P- "-^7
F f 4 ^''^-^^
44^ CCNCLUSICK.
<lread of a funreme governor or judge? Surely then, however
un favourable to Cbriilianity ycur private fentiments might, be,
you ought, lor the fake of the public, to conceal them, if you
v/auld approve yourfelves true lovers of your country, and zea-
" ious Cor the liberty and profperity of it, and not take pains to pro-
pagate principles which in their confequences niufi have the woril
influence on the peace, the welfare, and good order of the commii-
iiity. If what Lord Bolinobroke faith is true, that " no relicrion
'* ever appeared in t]^e world, whcfc natural tendency was fo
■*' much direfted to promote the peace and happincfs of mankind,
*' as thcChridian religion, ccnfidcred as taught by Chrift and his
-** apcftles"^;" with what face or ccnhflency can thefe pretend to
public fpirit, or to a concern for the public happinefs, who ufe
their utmofl efforts to fubvert it, and reprefent its important miO-
tives as vain bugbears? Efpecially how can fuch perfons pre-
tend to be real friends to the prefent conftilution and government,
which is founded on an attempt to maintain Chriftianity in its
purify as delivered in ttie holy fcriptures, a zeai for vrhich will
always prove i;s greatell fecurity?
I hope, gentlemen, you will forgive the freedom of this expof-
lulatory addrefs, which is not defigned to reproach you, or to re-
turn railing for raihng, which our holy religion forbids, but pro-
ceeds from, an carncll; concern for your bappinefs, and for pro-
moting ycur bell interefis here and hereafter, as well as from
a delirc, as far as my ability reaches, to ferve the public, the
weirareot vvhdch Is very nearly concerned in the confequences
• of )our ccndu^.
I fliall now beg leave to addrefs my fell to thofe who profefs
to value thcmfclves upon the name of Chriftians; a name truly
gioriour., expreuive of the moil facred cbhrjtion.s and encr^i^^.
ments, the moft valuable privileges, and the inou. fublime hopes.
J>ut the bare name of Cbriftians will be of little advantage, without
the true fpirit and practice of Chridianity. Audit is impoffible
lor any friend to religion and to mankind toobferve, without a
very lenfible concern, what numbers there are of thofe who
vs'ouldtake it ill not to be called and accounted Chriftians, that
yet take little care to a£l fuitably to that facred and honourable
chara6fcr.
*■ Bolingbroke's \Vork5= vol. ir. p, ^91.
iviany
CONCLUSTC\% 4^^t
Manv profefTed Chriftians there are, who fcarcc ever beflow
a ferious thought upon" thofe things which it is the great derigri
ofthegofpcl to inculcate on thehe?.rts 2nd minds of men. Let
me derne fuch perfons to reflet; a little '".vbat an incanfiftent
conduft they are guilty of. To profefs to bcMcv'e that God
hath font his Son from heaven with mefTages of grace to fmfi^l
men, and to bring difcoveries of the highcft importance, in which
cur cvcrlafling faivation is very nearly concerned, and yet not
to allow thefe things a place in their t^ioughts, and to prefer th(?
verieft trifles before them ! Will you dare to fay in words, that
vou do not think it worth your while to attend to v/hat God
thought fit to fend his own Son to reveal ? Why then do you
a6l as if you thought f o ? No pretence of worldly bulinefs,
though it is our duty to be diligent in it, can excufe an uttdr
Iiabitual inconfideration and negleft of thofe things, which, by
profeffing to believe Chriftianity, we profefs to believe to be
of the greateft importance. Much Icfs will a hurry of dlver-
fions be allowed to be a fulHcient excufe. And yet how many
are tiiere whofe time is taken up in low 'trifling pleafures and
smufements, and who make that v.'hich at beft Ihould only be
the entertainment of a vacant hour, the very bufinefs oi their
jives ! It is to be lamented, that this is too often the cafe with
perfons dillinguifhed by tlieir birth, their fortunes, and figure, in
the world. As if all the advantage they propofed by thofe flun-
ing diflinftions, was only the privilege of leading idle unm.eaning
lives, ufelefs to tbemfelves, and to the ccnim^unity. Can rcafoii-
able creatures think, that by fuch a conftant triCing away their
precious time, they anuver the end of their beings, the end for
which they had the noble powers of reafon given them ? As it
they were fent into the world only to divert themfelves. Mach
lc(s can Cbriftians believe, that they were formed for no higher
and more valuable purpofcs. How often are the duties ct the
church and clofet, thofe of the focial relations, tl^.e care or chiU
dren and of families, the kind offices and exercifos of a noble
and generous benevolence towards the poor, the indigent, the
afflifted and difconfolatc, ncgleaed and pollponed, for the fake
cf the m.ofl trifling amuferaents ; an immoderate fondncfs and
attachment to which tends, even wlicn it is leaft hurtful, to
rio-
44^ CONCLUSION,
produce a difinclinatlon to ferious thought, and to impair the
reiifti for that which is truly good, excellent, and improving!
But this is Hill worfe, when what are called diverfions, tend
to lay fnares for virtue and innocence, and open the way to
fccnes of dilTolutenefs and debauchery. Or, when what is
called play and amufement is carried to fuch an excefs as to
hurt and fquander av»^ay fortunes, which might be employed
to the moft valuable and ufeful purpofcs, and thereby difables
perfons of dillinguifljed rank from tlic duties they owe to their
families and to the community, from the cxercife of generous
charity and benevolence, and even of juflice too. To which
may be adxled,, the tendency it often hath to excite and exercife
unvv^orthy and diforderly paiTions, and to produce the habits of
fraud, falfehood, and a bafe illiberal third after gain.
If our own obfervation and experience did not convince us
of it, one would fcarce think tlierc could be perfons who profefs
to believe the gofpel, and to acknowledge its divine authority,
and yet live in an habitual negieft of its public worfhip and
facred inftitiuions. But that fuch a ncglctl is becoming general
among us, beyond the example of former times, cannot efcape
tlie notice of the moft fuperficial obferver. There fcarce ever
was an inftitution more wifely and beneficially calculated for
pvcferving and promoting the interefls of religion and virtue in
llie v;orld, than that of fetting apart one _ day in a week from
worldly bufineires and cares, for the folemnities of public wor-
fhip, and for inflru6ling the people in the knowledge of religion,
and exhorting them to the prafticc of it; and yet many there
are that would take it ill not to be accounted Chriftians, who
feem to affc6f an open negle8:, or even contempt of it. But it
is not eafy to conceive, v/hat reafonable pretence or cxcufc can
be ajledged for fuch a condu£f. Will they, in good earncfl,
aver, that they look upon it to be a reflect ion upon tiieir fenfe,
or unworthy of their quality, to pay their public homage to
their Maker and Redeemer ; and to make open profeflions of
their regard to that religion, which yet they would be thought
to believe? Or, have tliey fuch an averfion to the exercifes of
religion, that the fpending an hour or two in folemn afts of
<»doration, in prayer and thankfgiving, and in receiving inPiruc-
tjons
CONCLUSION".
4431
tjons and admonitions from his holy word, is a wcarinels
which they cannot bear ? But what is this, but to avow th-^
great degeneracy of their own minds, and their want of a pro-
per temper and difpofition for the noblcil cxercifes, which bcfl
deferve the attention of reafonable bxiings ? Or, do they pre-
tend a high regard for moral virtue, as an excufe for neglect-
ing pofitive inftitutions ? But v/ili any man, of the leaft re-
flexion, who knoweth the true flate of things among us, take
upon liim to declare, that the growing negie6t of the ordi-
nances of religion hath contributed to the promoting the praOice
of virtue ? Or, that m.en's morals are generally mended, fince
they became more iodiiTerent to thofe facred folemnities ? No-
thing is more evident to any one, who impartially confidereth
the nature of thofe divine inftitutiors an<l ordinances, which
are appointed in the gofpel, than that a due obfervance of
them according to their original inftitution, befidcs its being a
public avowal of our religious homage, and of our faith in God,
and in our Lord Jefus Chrift, hath a manifeft tendency to pro-
mote our moral improvement, and to exercife and (Irengthen
thofe good aiTeclions and difpofitions which naturally lead to a
holy and virtuous pra6lice.
And as there are too many profeffed Chrillians, who openly
ncgleX; the inflitutions of religion, there are others who feem
to flatter themfelves that a mere outward attendance on divine
ordinances, and the keeping up a form of religion, will be alone
fufficient, though they at the fame time indulge themfelves in
a praftice contrary to the rules of virtue and morality. But
all expedients for reconciling the practice of vice, of difTolute-
ncfs, or difhonefty, with the faith and hope of the gofpel, are
vifibly abfurd and vain. The mod inconfiffent of all charatlers
is a wicked and vicious Chriflian, which to any one that is ac-
quainted with the true nature and defign of Chriftianity, feems
to be a kind of contradiftion in terms. For nothing is more
evident than that a bad and difToIutc life is the moll manifc/l
cbntradiftion to the whole defign of the gofpcl-revelation.
What a flrange inconfiffency is it for perfons to profcfs them-
felves the difciplcs of the holy Jefus, and yet to countera6f the
very end he came into the world for ! To profefs to hope for
falvation from him as promifed in the gofpel, and yet to neglea
the
444 cp^xLUSIc^^
the neccffary terms, witljout which, \vc are there afTared, falva^
lion is not to be obtained ! To beheve thr.l he came to deftroy
the works oF thedcvil, and yet allow thcmfelves in thofe works
which he came to deftroy ! What an unamiable reprefentation.
(■o fiich perfons make of jChriftianity, if a judgment were to be
forir-cd of it from their conduct and practice ! You would per-
haps conceive a horror at the thought of blafpheming Clirift,
and cpcnly renouncing all hope of falvation from him, and yet
the plain tendency of your practice is to harden the hearts of
inSdels, and gi\^ occafion to the enemies of Chriftianity to
blafpheme. And fhould not you tremble to think of being
charged as acseifory to the indignities and reproaches caff on
that venerable namxC into which you were baptized, and on that
excellent fyuem of religion, whofe divine original you profefs
to believe ? Surely then it highly concerncth you, for your own
f.>kes, and that of the gofpel, to fet yourfelves heartily to reform
a conduft fo irreconcileable to all the rules of reafon, and to
your own moft evident inlcrefts. Im.plore the m.ercy of God
through Jefus Chrirc, and the afTiftances of his grace, which
fh'dl not be v/anting to the truly penitent, and'fhcw yourfelves
Chrillians, by endeavouring to get )'our fouls effectually brought
vndcr the influence of our holy religion, the natural tendency
of which, wherever it is fincerely believed and embraced, is to.
infpirc an irjgenuous hope, cojindence, and joy.
I ftiali conclude therefore with laying a few advices before
thofe who take upon them the name of ChriRians, and who
profefs to receive the gofpel as of divine authority.
And 1. Let us be thankful to God for our glorious privileges.
It is our unfpeakable advantage, that we are not left merely
to the uncertain lights, or feeble conjectures of our own unaf-
fiiled reafon in matters of the highcil importance. Vv'e have
God himfeif inilrufting us by his wc^rd. concerning his CAvn.
glorious perfeclions, and his governing providence, as extending
to the individuals of the human race, difplaying all the riches
ef his grace and goodncfs towards periHiing (inners, fetting our
di!ty before us in its juil extent, and animating us to the prac-
tice of it by the mofl exceeding great and precious promlfes, and
affuring us of the aids of his Koly Spirit to affift our weak en-
deavours. \Vq are raifcd to the moft glorious hopes and views.
A hnp-
CONCLUSION. ^j^
A happlnefsls provided fcr us as the reward of our piitient con-
tinuance in well-doing, tranfcending all that we are now able
to exprefs, or even to conceive. Tliefe things certainly
call for a devout admiration and adoring thankfulnefs, and for
zW the returns of love and gratitude that are in our power. ' Our
civil liberties are juilly to be v?dued, but our privileges as Chrif-
tians are of a yet higher and nobler nature.
2dly, Another thing which naturally foilov.^s upon this is,
that we fhould confider and improve the. revelation v;e profefs
to believe, and tiiat v/e fiiould ende::ivour to be well acquainted
with it, efpecially as it is contained in the holy Scriptures.
There thofc difcoveries are to be found which God was pleafed
to make of his v:i\l at fandry times and in divers manners, bv
the mouth of his holy prophets; but eroecially there is that lail
and moft perieft revelation he gave by his v/ell-beloved Son.
We are ready to think they had a mJghty advantage who faw
our Saviour in the fleOi, who heard his excellent difcourfes,
and were witneOes to his holy life, and to the miracles he per-
iormed. And in the hcied writings we have all thefe things
faithfully recorded. Thofe very difcourfes which he delivered
are there tranfmitted to us, with an account of the wonderful
works he did, his moft holy and ufeful life, and mod perfect
example. What a ftrange inconfiilent conduft would it be,
to profefs to believe that there is a revelation given from, hcavent
relating to m.atters of the highcft moment, and that (his revela-
tion is contained in the holy Scriptures, and yet to fuffer the
Bible to lie neglecled by us, as if this, which is the moft worthy
of all our attention, were the only book that deferved rio atten-
tion at all ! Let us therefore fearch the Scriptures, which are
able to make us wife unto frtlvation. And if we meet with
difficulties there, as m^y juftly be expe61ed in fuch ancient
\7riting;s, and which relate to a frreat varietv of things, feme of
them of a very extraordinary nature, let not this difcourage us.
For befides that by a careful confidering and comparing the Scrip-
tures themfelves, and making a proper ufe of the helps that are
afforded us, we may have the fatisfaftion of having many ol thofc
difficulties cleared up to us, it muft be ohfervcd, that thofe things
that are.moft neceiT^ry to be known, and which are of the greateft
importance.
44^ CONCLUSION.
importance, are there moft plainly revealed, and frequency in-
culcated; and tlieCe thin'^s we (liould efpecially labour to get im-
prell'ed upon our hearts and confciences.
But that which fhould be our principal concern, is to take care
that our Vvhoie converfation be fuch as becometh the gofpel of
Chrift, worthy of our glorious privileges and fublime hopes. He
mull be an utter ftranger to Cliriftianity who -is not fenfible that
it lays us under the moft facred obligations, and gives us the
greateft helps and encouragements to a holy and virtuous prac-
tice. Let us therefore, as we would fecure our own falvation
and happinefs, and would promote the honour of^ our bleffed
Redeemer, and of the revelation he brought from heaven, endea-
vour to adorn the do6frine of God our Saviour by all the virtues
of a fober, a righteous, and godly life. A mere form of godli-
nefs will not "be fufficient : the power, the energy, the beauty of
religion, muft appear in our whole tem.per and conduft. This
is in a peculiar manner expeftcd of thofe who are honoured with
the office of the holy miniHry. But the gofpel is not defigned
merely for any particular order of men, but to extend its influence
to perfons of all orders and degrees. And how amiable is the idea
of a Chriftian afting up to the obligations of Chrillianity !
Confider him in the exercife of piety and devotion towards
God, diligent in attending on the ordinances of religion, filled
M^ith a profound reverence of the divine Majelly, with a devout
admiration of the fupreme original Goodnefs and Excellence,
his foul rifing in grateiul emotions towards his fovereign Bene-
factor, exercifing an unrepining fubmiffion and refignation to hi3
will, and a fteady dependence on his providence, rejoicing in
Chrift Jefus as his Saviour and Lord, in the beauties of his ex-
ample, and in the wonders of his love.
But the religion of a real Chriftian is not confined to immedi-
ate a6ts of devotion. It influenceth and animateth his whole
condu61:. It teachcih him to render unto all their dues, to be
iiriftlyjuftandjgeneroufly hcneft, to behave fuitabiy in every re-
lation, the conjugal, parental, 2in<\. filial relation, and to fuliil the
■duties of the civil dndifocial life. It tendeth to fupprefs the bit-
ter and malevolent afteftions, and to diffufe a fweetnefs and
■ccmplaceiicy through his whole behaviour. It maketh him ready
.CGNCLUSIOM. ^^7
to bear with the infirmities of others, to rejoice in their happinefs,
and endeavour to promote it, and inftead of being overcome of
evil, to overcome exjil with good.
Behold him in another view, as cxcrcifing a noble fclf-govern-
nient, keeping his appetites and pafhons under a proper dilcipline,
and in a regular fubjection to the laws of religion and rcafon,
difdaining to difbonour and defile his body and foul with unclean
lulls, and vicious excefles, yet not unreafonably auflere, but
allowing himfelf the moderate and cheerful ufe of the innocent
pleafures and enjoyments of life, and every enjoyment heightened
hy the glorious profpetls which are before him. To which it
may be added, that religion tends to infpire him v/ith a true fenfe
of honour, as that fignineth an abhorrence of every thing bafe,
falfe, unjult, and impure, and with a real greatnefs of foul, and
a noble conilancy and fortitude, not to be bribed or terrified
from, his duty.
Such a charafter, even in a low condition, as far as it hatli an
opportunity of exerting itfeif, cannot but attraft the approbation
and efteem of thofe that obferve it. But when it is found in
.conjunction with nobility q>{ extraBion, dignity o{fation,Jplen~
dour and affluence of fortune, what a glory does it diffufcl And
it s:ives a real pleafure to every friend to Chrirtianity among us
to refleft, that of this we have an illuftrious inllance in diperfon
of the moft exalted dignity, but who is {fill more diftinguidied
by her princely and Chrijlian virtues, than by the emvnency of
her ffation. We have here a fliining proof, what a juft and ge-
neral efleem and admiration, folid rational piety, a v.'cll-regulated
zeal for Chriftianity, and a life amiably conduced by its facred
rules, in a condition fo elevated, has a natural tendency to create,
and what a fplendour and beauty it adds to the higheft titles and
dignities. And if perfons diftinguifhed by their rojik d^\\\ fguvt:
in life were more generally careful to copy after fo bright a pat-
tern, it is to be hoped, this might happily contribute to rciorni
the licentioufnefs of the age; and that the influence of their au-
thority and example would extend to thofe inferior ilations, and
have a general good effe61 ; particularly that it v/ould tend to cure
th2it falfe and vicious fame, v/hich has fo often difcouraged per-
fons from openly avowing their regard and adherence to that
which is the orriazp-ent and glcrv cf our nature, religion and virtue.
It
44^ COxV^CLUSlOK-
It is proper to ol^rerve; in the Jafl place, that diofc Vv'hci haV;^
any true zeal for Chriftiariity, 'and who really believe it t6 bc^'th^
Ji5ofc excellent religion, are bound by every*^ oMigafibhto ehi
deavour to proiiioteit in their own families, by cati-efally traiiiirig'
up'their children to an early acquaintance with thishdly i-(^ligidh;'i
and veneration for it. It is of great confeqiience to eri^ekvbui- '
to feafon their young and tender minds with its importantpririd-
pies, and to infpire them with a juft reverence of things facred^,
with a love of goodnefs and virtue, and an abhorrence of what is '
bale, falfe, vicious, and impure. The necelTity of an early good "
education, and the benefits arifi ng from it, have been- acknow-
ledged by the beftand Vv ifcil men in all ages. And we have c^r- '
• tainly a mighty advantage this way, who enjoy the light of '^he"
gofpel -revelation. And therefore it highly concerncth Chriiiiaii'
parents to do what they can, that their children may be by times
acqi'ctintcd with the holy fcripLurcs, and may have the zuord cf
Chnjl dwelling richly in them. Minds vi'hich are early filled'
and poffeired with the great ohiecls' oT religion, and with'tha
iicble and fublime hopes of the gofpel, carry about with the'm'
the m oft effeflual prefervation againll the vanhies and tollies,'
the corruot culioms and pra61ices, cf a fmful world, andihe moft'
Tiuimating motives to the pra^lice of every amiable virtue, and'
luiiverfal rightcournefs. And yet this, which is the 'mo ft im-
portant and moft eiTcntial part of a good cduccition; feems to
be that which is leaft attended to. For want of this it 'is,' 'tfest
iiotwithftanding the advantages we enjoy, m.any among us, trfcugti
they call tlicmfelves Chriftians, are fiiam^efully ignorant of the
nature and defign of Chriilianity, and even of the firft prinaplcs
of the oracles of God. And indeed the general negleft cf the
education of children, and of family -order and religion, is one
of the moft unhappy fym-ptoms of the great degeneracy 'x)t the
■prefent age, and which gives us the moft melancholy profpetls
cf the fucccedrng one. For what can be' e'xpeEed from thofe
v/.ho are bred up under parents, that take iio care to inftil worthy
principles into their minds, and in'families 'where they fee no figns
•of reli'iion o,r th<? fear of God ? Unnatural parents ! who feem to
.in^k-c.tjae real WQUare^^n4,,happinefs <^L^ttli^ir children, the Iqaft
of their concern; or, if they take fome care to adbfii their bodies
and iOirn their culvrard beha^hour, negle6l the culture of their
better
CONCLUSION.
449
better parts, their minds, or at Icaft take no care to train them
up to a juPt fenfe of religion and morals, or to a taftc for vriiat
is truly laudable and excellent! Unhappy children! in whom,
for want of proper early inftruftion aiid uifcipline, irregular ap-
petites and paflions, and evil habits, are daily gathering flrength,
till at length they are turned out, unfurniHied with good prin-
ciples, or worthy fentiinento of things, into a world full of temp-
tations and fnares. Is it to be wondered at, if fuch perfons
become an eafy prey to wicked and impious feducers, and are
foon drav/n into prophanenefs and infidelity, and into difTolute-
iiefs and debauchery, which, where it prevails, tendeth to cor-
rupt or to extinguifh true probity and public fpirit, and every
noble and generous affection and fcntimeot? And. in that cafe,
■ the higher their condition is, and the greater their alTluence of
fortune, the more pernicious is the contagion of their example;
and thofe who other wife might have been the ornament and fup-
port, become the difgrace and pell of the community.
On the contrary, how agreeable is it to behold well-regulated
families, children bred up in the fear cf Ggd, their -mint is early
principled with jufl notions of things, and good aiTe61ions, and
worthy habits, carefully cherifhed and improved! Thofe of the
one fex, formed under the inCtience of religion to ajuft and
delicate fenfe of purity and virtue, and to that m.odcRy and gentle-
nefs of m.anners and behaviour, which hath been alv/ays efteem.ed
one of their lovcliefl; ornaments: thofe of the other, trained up
by a proper infiitution and difcipline to a rational piety, and tiie
government of their appetites cmd paflions, and to a juft and
' manly fenfe of what is truly honourable, virtuous, and praife-
worthy. And here again the fame great example prcfenteth it-
felf, of a m.oft emnent pcrfonage of the higheil dignity, who,
amidO: all the pom.ps and fplendours of a court, hath efleemed it
one of her moft pleaung employments, to infpe61: the education
of her lUufirious offspring, and to this hath applied her princely
cares and perfonal attendance. And furely it muft be the earneft
wi(h of every good mind, that (he may have the fmcere and noble
fatisfaftion of feeing them grow up under her tender and watch-
fuleye, in every virtue and excellence, which may' render them
public ornaments and blejjings, and diJTafe a beneficial and ex-
45^ CONCLUSIOK. •
tenfive 'iniLiience, of great ufe in the prefent age, and the eflerts
ot w"hich maybe tranrmittcd to fiicceeding generations.
How happy would it be for tbefe nations, if, in conformity to
an example fo juftly admired, the great and noble would look
upon the care of their children and families to be one of the
woTthieft objecls of their attention and conceml T^i&-,ccrt^4;
fcarce fail to have a good effetl upon thofe of the lower rank.
Then might we hope to fee religion and virtue flourifh, and a
Kew and hopeful generation fpringing up among us, the fureit
Cuir.cft of national glory and happinefs. For it is a m.axiiii of
undoubted truth, as well as of great importance, That a careful
education of children will lay the beft foundation for welKordered
families, as thefe will contribute the moft of any thing to the
peace and good order of the community.
I fnall conclude this addrefs with the admirable words of St.
Paul : Finally^ brethren, whatfoever things arc true, whatfoevtr
things a,re hcnefl-,, whatfoever things are juji, whatfoever thi figs
are pure, whatfoever things are lovely, whatfoever t?tifig,s,are of
good report; if there be any virtue, ar.cl if there be ariyjtr.^^ef
thirJi on thefe things, \ .v„ <-,>", ^\'
I have now fininied the defign I undertook, and which Jxaith
been carried on to a much greater length than I at firft defigncd,
God grant that what hath been offered in this and the preceding
volume, may anfvv^er the end for wiiich it was lincerely intended,
the ferving tlje caufe of important truth, piety, and virtue in jhe
world,' and efpecially in thefe nations, in which fuch open in-
fults have been offered to religion, and .particularly to the holy.
Gofpel of our blcffed Lord ajid Saviour Jefus ChrjiL For my-
fclf, what I defire above all things, is, that I may feel the powex,
and influence of that excellent religion upon rny own foul, J^ni-,.;
mat'ing and regulating my condufl: in life, fupporting and com-
forting me in death, and preparing rae for that better fiate wliich
we are raifed to the hope of by the gofpel.
A P ? E N-
C 45^ I;
APPENDIX,
ContainiRg Reflections on the prefent State of Things
in thefc Nations.
Tlure 15 a great and growing Corruption in theje Lands, not-
withflanding the Jignal Advantages zoe enjoy — This Corrupt
tion not jujily chargeable on our Religion as Chrijlians and
Protejlants, but on the NegleB or Contempt oj it — The un-
accountable Eagernefs that hath been JJiewn in fpreading
the principles of Infidelity, of very ill Confequence to the
Public — The Tendency of Irreligion and Vice, to bring Mifery
and Ruiri upon a People, both in the natural Courfe of Things,
and by the jiift Judgments of God — Many things in the lale
and prefefit Courfe of God's Difpenfations have an alarming
Appearance— Pi^epentance and Reformation, and a jlriEl Ad-
herence to the Faith and Pradice of Chrifiiamty^ the proper ejl
Way of averting the Tokens of the divine Dfpleafure, and
proTAoting the national Profperity — The happy State of Things
which this would introduce.
''T^ HOUGH the following Confidcratior.s ' cJo not directly
i and immediately rehte to the View of the Deifhcal IVni-
ers, yet they may perhaps come in not improperly as an
Appendix to it, and will, I hope, not be thought altogether
un-fuitable to the general' nature and defign of the preceding
work.
It was with great fatisfaftion that I read the order for a
General and Public Faf, to be reiigioufly obferved by all his
Majefly's fubjefts in thefe. kingdoms, and v.-hich is drawn up
with great ferioufnefs and folemnity. It is there acknowledged,^
that the manifoldfns and wickednefs of thefe kingdoms have mofc
jufdy deferved heavy and fvere punifimenis from the hand oj
heaven. Vf e are called upon to humble ourflves before almigh!y
God, ar.d in a moH devout and folemn manner to fend up cur
Gs-2 prayer >
a
4^2 ' APPENDIX.
prayers arid [up plications to the, divine MajeJ}y\ to avert alt
thojd judgments^ which we mojijujlly have deferved, to continue
his mercies, and perpetuate the enjoyment of the PrGieJiant reli-
gion among us, andfafeiy and projperity to his Majejly*s king-
doms and dominions. " -^ , : ' "
Having fo great an authority to bear me out, I diall add foirie
refle£lions, which. have made a deep impreflion upon my mind,
with reference to the prefent ftate of things among us.
We have been eminently diilinguilhed above moft other na-
tions by happy privileges and advantages. Providence hath
blefTed us with an abundance of thofe things, which are ufually
thought to contribute to the public profpcrity and happinefs.
Never^ had any people a fuller enjoyment of liberty ; a profufion
of wealth has flowed in upon us by our wide-extended com-
merce; Vv^e have bad great advantages for improvement in the
srts and fciences, and every branch of ufeful knowledge : efpe-
ci?.Ily that which is the moft valuable and important of all others^
the knowledge of religion in its truth and purity. The light of
the glorious gofpel of Chrift, freed from the abfurdities, the
fuperftitions, and idolatries with Vvhich it hath been incum-
bered in many other countries profcfTing the Chriflian Faith,
hath long ihone among. us. The holy Scriptures are not locked
up in an. unknown tongue, nor confined to the ftudies of the
learned, but are put into the hands cl the people : fo that alt
men may have accefs to that facrcd nils of faith and praOice/
the original ftandard of the Chriftian religion. The treafures
of knowledge are opened, and the public inflructions fo fre-
quently and freely difpenfed, that it may be faid, that wifdoiri
crieth without, Jlie uttefeth her voice in thejircets.
It might be expecled, that a people fo diilinguifhed by ad-
vantages for rehgious and moral improvement, fhould alfo l>e
remarkably diftinguifhed by the knov/ledgc and practice of pietv,
v^'iTdom, and virtue, and by a zeal for cur holy religion. '^\il
though it is to be hoped there are many among us, who are un-'
feignedly thankful for our incftimable privileges, and careful to
make a right improvement of them, yet it cannot be denied,
th'tit a great Corruption hath fpread itfelf, and feems to be grow-
ing aihcng ail orders and degrees of men. This is a very dif-
agreeabi'e
AFFLNDIX. 453
agreeable fubjc6l ; ^biit the flrft^ #,?^ t? a< proper remedy is to' b?
ctuly fenfibie of tbe true Ttate. of our own cafe. Our v/caltU
and plenty hath been abufcd to an amazing luxury, and our li-
berty to a boundlefs licentioufnefs. Many a8: as if they had no
other way of fhewing that they are free, but by cafling cftall
reflraints, and fetting themfelves loofe from ail the tics of re-
ligion and virtue. .Atheifm hath appeared alinofl without dif-
guife^ or, v/hich in effcft comes to the fame thing, the dlfbellef
of a Providence, of God^s moral attributes and government^
2iXiA oi 2i future Jlatc. ,The moft virulent reproach and con-
tempt hath been caft upon the adorable Jefus, and the methods
of our redemption zndi falvationhy Imn. All that part of our
duty, which more immediately relateth to the fupreme Being,
feemeth to be regarded by many as a matter of indifference.
And the ilighteft obfervation may convince us, that there is a
growing neglefl: of puhlic worfhip, as if the properefl way of
fiiewing our gratitude to God, for the glorious privilege v/e
have of worfhipping him according to the di6lates of our own
confciences, were not to render him any public hoiliage cr
religious worlhip at all. That holy day, which is by divine ap-
pointm.ent, and by that of our own laws, fet apart from worldly
biifineires and cares, for the purpofes of religion, for receiving
public inftruftions, and for attending on divine wordiip, hatli
been treated with great contempt. And in this too many of
thofe who, by their authority^ and influence, fhould fet a good
example to others, have unhappily led the way. Can there bq
a greater contempt call upon it, than to hold gaming ajftmhlits
on that day ? And when this is done by perfons of rank, can it
be wondered at, that by the lower kind of people it is often the
worft employed of any day in the vv-eek, and devoted to idlenefs
and vice? And it cannot but give concern to every good mind,
that an injiitution, {q zAr:i\x:My calculated, for the advance-
ment of religious knowledge, piety, and virtue, and for promot-
ing good order in ;the community, fiiould be To flrangcly per-
verted and abufcd.'^ , ,.
Haying mentioned theMpraftice of ^^wzr^, I. cannot help ob-
fejving, that among other unfavourable fyrnptoms of the grow-
ing corruption am.ong \x^, this is not the leaft, that that prac-
tice is of late years become more general, and carried to a greater
0-^3 excefSi,
4<5.4 - AI^PENDIX.
excefs, than has been known before in thefe kingdoms. TJic
wifeil men of all nations have been fo fenfible both of the perni-
cious effefls of this vice to particular perfons and families, and
its ill inlluenceon the community, that it would fill a large volume,
barely to recite the lav/s which have been jriade againll it, both
in former and latter ages. Our own laws have fixed a brand
upon it, and in e{Fe6l declared the gain made by it to be difho-
nourable and infamous; yet is the being inftrucled in the myf-
teries of it become a necelTary part of education, whilft the fea-
ioning the tender minds of young perfons with principles of
religion and juft fentiments of things, and forming them to the
worthieft praftices, is, it is to be feared, in a great meafure ne-
glected.
But what affordeth the moft melancholy apprehenfions is, the
great corruption and depravity of manners which is fo generally
and j-uilly complained of. — The mofl biafphemous abufe of the
name of God, by fhockitig oaths and imprecations, and the moft
corrupt and wilful perjuries, drunkenneJTes, and excelTes of riot,
•but efpecially by the cxceiTive drinking of dijtiUed fpirituous
liquors, the health, inorals^, and religion of the laborious and
ufefu! part of thefe kingdoms are well-nigh deitrcyed. Fired
with this infernal poifon, they" are fpirited to perpetrate and
execute the mo ft bold, daring, and mifchievcus enterprizes, and,
fhakingofTali^^r and^/^^^^^, become audacioufly impudent in all
TTx^nn^r o'ivice,levjdnefs, immorality, an^ prpphar.enefs, in de-
fiance of all laws human and divine. B tit it doth not iiop here:
its malignant influence reaches tc the children yet unborn, v/ko
come ha,li burnt^up and (hrivclled into the world, and who, as
fcon as born, fuck in this deadly poifon with their mother's or
nurfe's m.ilk; fo that if this worft of all plagues Ue fuff^red tp.gp
on, it will make a general havock, efpecially amongfl the Jbldiers^
Jailors, and laborious part of the nation, who are manifeilly de-
generated from the more manly conllituticns of preceding' ge-
^ierations,^'. B^^ an amazing dillblutenefs, and impurities of
t See DiJltlled'SpirUuous ttqubrsl^e take o)" the' j^^^
London. Dr. Stephen HaleG*S Tnendly Admcnkicn to the Drinkers of Gin,
Brandy, and other fp'irituotis Liqvbrs^nvhieh are fo dcffm^i'ue of the tridvflry,
■Mor(iIsy Health f and Lives of the Fcoplc — a' ncw edition v/ith additiciic," and
an
APPENDIX. 45,5
'i\i kinkiaij^^enthofe that are moft unndtural, and whicl^are not
fh" tb 't/« named among ft Chriftians. To which may be added
tlie imr rid crime of /^//"-WMricT, not only frequently pracUfed,
t^at pleaded for: apra6tice defervedly rendered infciraous by our
lavVs,' as being amurdercommitted by a man upon his own perfon,
in dppofition not only to the moft facred obligations of religion,
and the rights of the community, but to the ftrongeft inftincls of
the human nature, wifely implanted in us by the great author of
our beings, as a bar to fuch.monftrous practices. — To all which
inay be added, that barbarous praftice of men's murdering oncano-
ther, upon a pretended pomt of honour., as it is called, for the moft
flight and trivial offences, below the cognizance of our laws : —
A crime iriexcufable in a civilized country, and which yet gene-
rally palfes unpunifhed, and thus leaves the guilt of blood upon
the land, crying aloud for vengeance. — It is impoffible for a
ihirikihg man, that has a true zeal for the honour of God and the
an appendix; and is In the catalogue of the books diftrlbuted by thefo-
ciety for promoting Chriitian Knowledge, London. — This v/orthy divine
arid excellent philofopher (whofe whole life has been ufefuliy employed in
promoting the honour of God and the welfare of mankind), in a treatife upoa
the diflilling of fea-water, and the ufe of ventilators, &c.juft publifhed,
fpeaking of diftllled fpirltuous liquors, fays—" How nvuch therefore does
" It behove all, who have any coacern for the honour and dignity of ■
** their own kindred fpecies, any indignation at its being thus debafed and
" difgraced, any bowels of pity for the vaft irAiltitudes, not Icfs perhaps than
« a million, that are yearly deftroyed all over the world, by the moral as
" well as natural, and therefore woril: of all evils, that ever befel unhappy
« man; to ufe their utmofl endeavours to deliver mankind Horn the prp.
«* But notwithflanding this aftoniniing ravage and deftruaion of the hu-
" man fpecies, yet the unhappy unrelenting nations of the world feem as un-
" concerned about it, as If only fo many thoufands, i\iy millions, of caterpiUurs
« or loni^Hs were deflroyed thereby. Was tlvcre ever a more Important
" occafion toroufe the Indignation of mankind? Can we be calm and un-
" difturbed, when this mishty depoyer rears up Its envenomed head? The
<« moft zealous advocates for drains, ^ even the unhappy befoited Bramip
« themfelves, the, prolonging of whofe lives, and whofe real welfare both here
*< and hereafter.^ hereby fincerely intended, cannot find fault with this well-
« meant remcnftrancc, in defence of them and of all mankind, againft this
** upivei-fal deftroycr, from 07ie who has long been labouring, and that not
, ^f withput fuccefs, in finding means to preferve multitudes of lives, by va-
♦.' riaus;meflns,." m , ...v:^^
^, ---— - G "" 4 mtereita.
j^r;5 APPENDIX,
intcrensroLrciIgion and virtue, and who hath the welrafe ami
Viappine/p of his counlry really at heart, not to he deeply afTeficd
with .fifteh !a>vicw;i>i' things^ and felicitous what the confequcnce
may prove;.\j;i, -i.ii ■:,■■, ;^- .> ,-• ■■ •• ■:• ^^-v .: i
And now.it ig.^ natui^al inquiry, \Vhat can this be owing toi?-:
WheTAce can it he, that natiory? To happily privileged,, and fa-
voured with [o many advantages for the knowledge and praftice
of .religion, fliould have funk into fuch an amazing corr iption
and degeiiwpracy ? Can this be confiflently charged on: religian
itfclf, either the Chriltian religion or the Proteftant, which is
the religion of Jcfus, as iaught in the holy fcriptures,,and freed
•from, the abufes and corruptions that have been, brought inlo.ib?
The deifts have pretended the firft, the enemies to the reforma-
tion the laft. The ani'wer to both is in effcft the fame Can
that be the caufe of corruptions among Chriftians, which, i£
lleadily a^lhered to, is the bed remedy againft thofe corruptions?
.Can thi^t occafion an abounding in vice and wickednefs, which,
if real'ly believed and feriouily confidered, exhibiteth the raoft
powerful diiTuafives from itlliat can enter into the human mind?
Can the furnifhing the people with the means of knowledge, and
bringing them to an acquaintance with the holy fcriptiires,
which arc able to make us zvijc iiniofalvaiion^ and are prof table
for uotinne,for reproof ^f or corrccl-ion, for injlruBion tn right-
eoufnefSi Q^Xi this ha\'e any tendency to encourage them in vice
and diirolutcnefs ? Such a fuppofition is contrary to the plaineil
dlclates ot common fenfe. The corruption therefore com.piained
o^f cajii never be the natural efFeft or produft of our advaniages,
and efpecially of therehgion we profefs. On the contrary, the
•bfiil ?\nd fuicil prefervativc againft this growing corruptron, and
the moil cffe6fual v/ay of recovering from it, would be to have
a high efieem for thofe divine oracles, to read and confidcr them
Avi-th attention, and to lay to heart the excellent inftru6lions and
d/re6tions which are there fet before us.
Theix^ is a far more natural accou-nt to be given of that cor-
ruption oT manners, that vice and wickednefs which fo much
abo.undcih among us. It is owing not to the knowledge or be-
lief of religion, but to the n^gle6f or contempt of it ; to a ftrangc
IndifTerence'towards it in fomc, whilft others ufe their utmoft
eadeavyms to traduce and expofe it under the viiifyiB'g chnriic-
tcrs
APFENCIX.
457
ters of fttperftition, prieftcrau, or cnfhufiafm. Great numbers
of" impious hooks have fw armed among ur,, both formerly and of
latc:^ifpmc of which are not only levelled agalnft Chriftianiiy>
but ftrlke at the foundations of all reliLfion, the attributes an;i
prfwifience of God, and a future flate of retribution. The ma-
nife ft tendency of them has been to banifh the fqar of the Dei<)-,
to confound the moral differences of thin'zs, to depradc the liu-
man nature to a level w:;h the brutes, and thereby extin^'tulfa
€very.noble and generous fcntiment, to deprive good men of the
blefTcd hope of immortality, and to free bad men from the fe;^r«
of future punifhments, and the apprehenfions of a fuprcmc Go-
vernor and Judge. Thefe principles, and the books -tliat contain
them, have been propagated v/ith great eagerncfs and induftry,
both in thefe kingdoms, and in our plantations abroad, and fomc*
times at a confiderable expence. This prepofterous kind of zc;)l
for inlidelity may, to a confidcrate obferver, feem to be an odd
phsenomenon, of which no rativonal account can be given. One
may, in fome degree, account for a man's being hurried av/ay
by the violence of his appetites and pafTions, to 'do what his own
mind difapproves and condemns : but that any man fnould coo.Iy
take pains to fet other men loofe from all the reft raints of rcligidn
and confcicnce, and thereby, as far as in him lies, attempt, to
cifTolve the bands of fociety and puhlic order, and encourage
men to gratify and fulnl their appetites and paflions without con-
troul, the natural confequcnce of which would be to introduce
univerfiil confufion, in which he himfclf may be a great fufTcrcr,
is abfolutelv unaccountable on any principles of good {cnl^c or
found policy; fo that if we did not fee frequent inffanccs of ir,
we fhouid be apt to think it fcarce poflible, that any men ia
their fenfes fhouid aft fo flrange a part.
. One very pernicious confcquence of fuch open attempts againlt
religion is, the fpreadlng proplianenefs and diifoiutenefs of man-
ners among the lozu^r kind of people, who eafily catch the con-
tagion, when'once men oi higher degree, or at leaft that pretend
to a fuperior fagacity, have fet the example. And who can,
without deep concern, obferve, that this is very much become
the cafe among us at prefcnt? Great numbers of thcfc who
belong to what ought to be trie m.oft induf^.i'ions body of the
people, are funk into irreligion and vice: and in proportipa
45^ - A^pEN^iDix.
' as thefe prevail, they become averfe to all honefl labour and in-
.duftr)% and prone to the moll flagitious crimes, Vv'hich have the
^/feferft effecl imaginable on the peace and good order of the com-
munity. And it is eafy ,to fee what mifchief and confufion mud
thence enfue. A fober and induflrious populace is the ftrength,
tiie riches, the glory of a nation: but when thofe, that fiiould be
the labouring hands, become vicious and diffolute, they are pre-
pared for every kind of wickednefs and diforder. As, from their
rank and education, they have, for the mioft part, little regard to
the appearances of honour and decency, if at the fame time
they have caft off the ties of religion, and the fear of God, and
a regard to the powers of the world to come, and are abandoned
; to their appetites and paffions, what are they -not capable of? It
is an cbfervation which hath generally held, and is verified by
the experience of all ages, that righteoufnefs exalteth a natiariy
hut fin (i. e. abounding vice and wickednefs) is a reproach unto
any people (i. e. it bringeth difgtace and mifery upon them),
Prov. xiii. ic. Vv'hen once a negleft of religion and a' corrup-
tion of manners become general, they have a natural tendency to
dilToh^e and enervate a nation, and to extinguiih true public fpirit
and a manly fortitude. Nor have any people long maintained
their liberties, after having loft their probity and virtue.
Thus it is in the natural courfe of things, and thus it alfo is by
the juft judgment of God, and according to the ftated rules of
the divine procedure towards nations or large communities. God
may indeed, in his great wifdom and goodnefs, long bear with a
degenerate people", and may even continue to pour forth many
blefTnigs upon them when they are in a corrupt ftate, efpeciallv
it there be a confiderable rem.nant of good men Ttill to be found
' among them. But when their iniquities are grown- up to fuch
a height, and have continued fo long, that he doth not fee fit
to bear with thern any longer, the meafure of their iniquities is
fa id to be full; the tim.e is come for executing a fevere ven-
geance upon, them, and the punilhment falls heavier for being fo
long delayed.
Whofoever duly confidcreth thefe things will be apt to think,
that, according to the ordinary method of God's providential
dealings towards backfliding nations and churches, we have too
much rcafc:n to apprehend bis righteous judgments. The prefent,
fituatiou
APPENDIX. 439
•j&matlon of things hath an alarming appearance, and, if we I-
,. j^pt, wtterjy ftupid, muft tend to awaken us out of our. fecurity.
JS-^arce. ever wa? there a time in which it might be raorejufthy
-iaid, that God's judgements are abraad in the earth, I need not
M}^^:>^}^^^ particulars; they are very well known, and frefn iii
sOTHi^?^^"^^^^^^^^* There have been, to ufe our Saviour's em -
phatlcal expreffions, commotions and great earthquakes in diver g
.^places, — diflrejs, of nations with perplexity, the fta and the waves
,Xo<iring: mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after
thofe things that f mil come upon the earth. Luke xxi. 9. 1 1. 25.
Of lo vaft an extent have the amazing concufiions been, rcach-
, ing to many parts of Europe, Africa, and America, at a great
diftance from one another, and in divers places have produced
,fuch dreadful effecls, even to the fubverfion of great and popu-
Jous cities, that it looketh as if God were about forae great and
-remarkable work of judgment, to punifh the world for their evily
uand the wicked for their iniquities, as the propliet exprefTeth it,
JXv^iii. 11. Surely every man, who believeth that there is a'
, Providence which extendeth its care to mankind, mud; believe
that it hath a fpecial concernment in events of fuch a nature,
which fo nearly affeft nations and large com.munities, and on
which the lives and fortunes of fo m^any thoufands. depend.
Though fecond caufes are admitted, ftill it muH be conadered,
.that they are all under the direft.lon and Aiperintendence of G-od's
Joyereign providence, which fo crdereth aad over-ruleth the
circumftances of things, and the courfe of natural caufes, as to
fubferve the ends of his moral adminiftration with regard to his
reafonable creatures, and to execute his purpofes towards them,
whether in a way of judgment or of mercy. , And, in every fuch
cafe, we fliould fix our views not merely oi principally on fecond
caufes, but €nould look above them to the fupreme Difpcfer,
and endeavour to comport with the defigns of his iniinile wif-
dom and righteoufnefs. Calamitous events of a pubHc nature
, are not to be confidered as concerning only the particular pcr-
fons or people that immediately fuffer by them. Tiiey liave a
more exteniivc view, and are defigned and fitted to give inflruc-
,,tiye lellbns to all mankind that hear them. The natural ten-
dency of all fuch difpc-nfations is to awaken in the mindsof men
a hojy im of the divine MajePty, and to give th,^m a mofc affecL-
4^0, APPENDIX.
ing ccnvicl;iort of the vanity and inftabllity oF all vrorldiy IiQpe?
and dependencies. The prophet Ifaiah, after having defcribed
in 'a very lively manner the flriking imprefTions that fhould be
made upon the hearts of men becaufe of the fear of the Lord^
and the glory of his Majefty, when he ariftth to Jhake terribly
tfit earthy very properly adds, Ceafe ye from man.whofe bre(ith i^
i:i his fioflnls: for wherein is he to be accounted cf? If. xi. 20^
£j. OF what avail, in fuch a time of awful vifitation, are the
arts of Imman policy, the pomp of courts, or the power of mighty
armies, or the riches and grandeur of the moil populous and mag-
nificent cities? The plain voice ot fuch difpenfations, a voice in-
teliigihle to all mankind, is this : Let all the earth fear the Lord:
li't all the iv.habitants of the world ft and in awe of him, Pfal.
xxxiii. 8. The Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and,
an everlajling King: at his zv rath the earth fiall tremble; and
the nations fkall not be able to abide his indignation. Jer. x,. IQ.
Surely we fliould be ready to cry out on fuch occafions, Gr^at
aiidjnarvellous are thy works', Lord God Almighty , j 11 ji and true
are thy ways, -thou King of faints. Who would not fear thee^
nnd glorify thy name? for thou only art holy. For all nations
fnall coyne and zoorfhip before thee: for thy judgments are made
manifcjl. Rev. xv. ^, 4. The great ufe which is to be made of
fuch awful difpenfations, is well exprefTcd by the prophet Ifaiah,
"xxvi. 9. When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of
the world will learn' righteoufiefs ; i. e. they ought to do fo ; and
it is the natural tendency of fuch judgments to engage them to
do {o. The calamities Inflifted upon others fhould be regarded
bv us as foleran warnings and admonitions, v^^hich it highly con-
cerneth us to improve. The language of fuch difpenfations ta
all that hear of them, is the fame with that of our Saviour to the.
Jews, when fpeaking of thofe perfons on whom the tower of
Silcam fell, and of thofe whofe blood Pilate mingled with their
facrl^fices, J5^A"c^^^ ye repent, ye fhall all Hkewife perifh, Luke
xiil. 3. ,5. How inexcufable fliall we therefore be, if, inftead of
laying thcfe things ferioufly to heart, we continue carelefs and
unafTccled ftill, and go on in athoughtlefs round of gaieties and
plcafures, like thofe the prophet mentions, If. v. 12. The harp
and the "viol, the tabret and_j)ipe, and wine are jn their feafls:^
hTit they' regard hot the zcofHof the Lord, ncithsr con/ider tfie
operation
Arr-ENDn:. ^q^
■> ■ - ' ■ -.t
operation of his hands. Againft fuch perfons a folcnr3n woe is
th^r'^ Renounced. And elfewherc, fpeaking oi' fome v/lio ci?nl
tirraed to mdulge themrelves in luxury and riot, and .air^kini's
of renfual mirth, at a time when the circumftanccs of thiiigs balK
€d for deep hunliliation and repentance, he fallh, It vjas reveal'^
td'^ in mine ears by tie Lord qfhojls. Surely this iniquity Jliall
not be purged from you till ye die, faith the Lord Godofhofs'.
if; xxii. 12, 13, 14.
" Whofoever carefully obferveth the courfe of the divine dif-
■jiehfations towards us for fome time paft, will be fenfible that
we have had many warnings given us. A pcililcnce amoii'arc
the cattle in England for many years paft, and though abated,
ftill continues in fome parts of this country. But a fcv/ years
a^o the fwordof war raged in one part of the united kingdom of
Great Britain, and was near penetrating to the centre of' it, and
threatened the fubverfion of that conllitution, oh which thd
prefervation of our religion, la^vs, and liberties, in a great mea-
fure dependeth : but, through the great goodnefs of God, our
fears were, after fome time, happily difpelled. More lately
encroachments have been made upon our pofFefTions and plan-
tations abroad, in which our' national fafety and profperity is
very nearly interefted. And now it is not many weeks (Tnce
a moft dreadful calamity hath befallen a kingdom, fo very nearly
connefted with us in intereft and alliance, that the calamity niay
be regarded as, in a confiderable degree, our ov/n. And iri facl,
we have been and are great fufferers by it. Many lives have
been lofi; of his MajefVy's fubjecls belonging to Great Britain
and Ireland, and many more there are, who, by the fiidden fub-
verfion, have either been totally, or in a confiderable degree,
deprived of their v/orldly fubilance, and reduced to circum-
4lances*of diftrefs. A prefent Hop is put to the courfe of a mofl'
advantageous commerce. The fprings cf cur wealth arc cb-
flru^ed ; a great blow is ftruck at our trade, in wliich we are {o
apt to place our confidence : aiid this at the very time wlicn
wefdfeni to be entering upon a war with a mighty nation, a wa/.
that threatens to be very hazardous, and which niuft needs piit
il^'to a vaft' expe'rice, v.'hich v/e are not very well ai)Ie to beai-,.
'I^ilt" piriicitl'ar judgment, under v/hich fome of the' peighBouf- ''
in^'^'iitiiwis^haye ftjTeVerelv fuffered, and 'which is one of t1ie
. tiiult
4^2 APPENDIX.
rnoft dreadful rof a] I others, hath greatly tlireatened tt§; r'Jlgs^bbkv
a.y^ytf^.^v years fin ce that great' cky, which is the- mdrdpolkv
of thefe Ivingdpms, and the centre of our wealth and. comitierce,
fejt'an alarming iiiocl;, though, throug'h the great mercy x)f;God,
it did little more than threaten and terrify. Since that tirnkp
and very lately, tliere have been fcveral very^unufual phasnomeiia
among us, of fuch a nature as to have a threatening afpeRr
extraordinary agitations of the v;aters both on our coafts aiYj^-
wjthin land, and fnccks of an earthquake felt in feveral parts
of Great Britain and Ireland, and of his Majefiy's dominions
abi-«ad.
Thus the divine judgments Teem to be advancing upon us,
and have gradually begun to operate. But fuch is the mercy
?.nd forbearance of God towards us, that he feems loth to in-
Hicl upon us the ficrccnefs of his anger, or to pour forth all his
wrath. He is pleafed to give us previous warnings, to awaken
and rouze us out of our fecurity, that by a timely repentance,
and by humbling ourfelves under his mighty hand, we may pre-
vent the neceflity of inflicting feverer punifhments. Plis hand
is lifted up, but the awfill llroke fccmeth to be fufpended for'
a while, as if he were unwilling to proceed to extremities with
us. Upon confidering thefe things, that moft atFefting expbf-
tulation comes to m.y mind, which God condefcended to make
by his prophet Hofea, with regard to his people Ifrael, when ia
a v^ry dangerous backfliding uate. How JJiall I give thee up^
■EphrcLun? How Jliall I deliver thee up, Ifrael? How Jfiall I make
tha as Adnzah ? How Jiiall I jit thee as Zehoiin ? Mine heart ri
turned within me, my repenlings are kindled together. I luill
-not execute the fiercenefs of wine- ' anger ; I loill not return to
difiroy Ephraim: For I am God, and not man, the Holy One in.
the midjl of thee. Hof. xi. 8, 9. Yet we find at lengthf upon
tlieir obilinately perhlling in their difobedience and ingratitude,
and abuhng- the methods of his indulgence, and even grov.^Ing
more and more corrupted, he faw it necelfary to execute his
awful judgm-ents upon them, even to the utter fubverti'fig that
kingdoiu, and fubjcfcling it to a foreign yoke. God fo/bid that
this fliould be our cafe! Let us therefore make a right ufe
of the divine forbearance. \Ve have hitherto had rcaibn'to
fngofpitr.fy as well as ofjacgmtnt. Let- us not, by om^afea^^'^
of
APPENDIX, ^^^.
of his goodnefs, provoke him to pour forth upon us the full '
viaU>of his penal wrath. With an iHgcnuous forrow antKclf-
abafement we fnould acknowledge our aggravated tranf^rreffions,
ou'r n<^glea and.abufe of the privileges and advantages we have
fo long enjoyed, the contempt that hath been caft on his glori-
ous gofpel, and the prophanencfs and diffolutenefs of manners,
which hath fo much prevailed. On thel'e accounts, let us hum-
ble ourfelvescieeply before God, and implore his mercy, and
contribute, as far as in us lieth, to the carrying on a work of '
national repentanoe and reformation. It is undoubtedly oui'
duty, in the prefent conjunciure of affairs, when we Teem to be
entering upon an hazardous and expenfive \\^ar, to exert cur
utmoil efforts for affifting and rupporting the government, and
to apply ourfelves to the ufe of all proper means which human
prudence may fuggell. But Hill v/e muff get this fixed upon '
our minds, that whatever projeft^ may be formed for procurin^t
national advantages, and promoting the public profperity, all
other expedients to make a people flourifh, without reformation
of manners, and without the knowledge and praPiice of religion
and public virtue, however they may feem to have an effe6i for
a while, will, in the iffue, prove ineffectual and vain.
The moft proper way we can take to avert impending judg-
ments, to preferve and maintain our valuable privileges,- and
promote the public welfare and happinefs, is, nol; to exprefs a
clamorous zeal for liberty at the fame time that we abufe it to
an unrellrained licentioufners, than which nothing hath a greater
tendeucy, both through the righteous- judgment of God, and
in the nature of the thing, to deprive us cf our liberties ; but it
is to endeavour to make a juft and wife improveincnt of our
advantages, to maintain a ffr:6t regard to religion, probiiy, ar.d
ptirily of manners, audi io gvmrdi againft vice^ libert2V'>/;n, pre-
phanemj^i^^ dpbciuchery , This, and this alone, will prci'eive
us a free, a flouriQiing, and happy people. God grant that this
may be the bleffing of thefe nations to the lated pofterity; and/-^
that we may 'Ong enjoy the light cf the glorious gofpel of Chrifl
ihining among us in its genuine purity, and the ineRimab'le ad-
vantage of a freedom to profefs it, and to worfiiip God accord-
ing to the direftions of his .word, and the dictates of ouroW^n^ •
coafcifences, , without being expufcd to persecuting rage ami
^ r r^ \
/]64 APPENDIX.
violence! Kappy nations thut we fnll are ! if we be but -duly
fenfible of oar huppincr:; ! 2::d careful to make a right ufe^o^ our
priyilegcs! What ,a gloiiq^^s face. qf, things would .fooii fippe^at
among us, if, as we have the beft religion in the world, we took
care to govern ourfelves by its facred rules,, and to a£l^ «?idef
the influence cf its divine inftruQions and important ,^<^iy^,l
Virtue, fupported and animated by the glorious hopes of the
gofpel, would appear in its genuine facred charms, and in its
lovely beauty and excellence. Love, the ^true fpiritof Chrif^-
tianity, would prevail, and produce a mut*ual forbearance in
lefier differences, at the fame time that there would be a happy
agreenaent in matters of the highefl importance j there v^'ould
be a zeal Vv^ithout bigotry,- a liberty without licentioufnefs. The
natural confequence of all this would be peace and harmony in
larger and Iclfer focietics. Such would be the face of things
among us, as far as could be expefted in this {late of imperfec-
tion, if the religion of Jefus were firmly believed, and duly con-
fjdered, and men would be more generally perfuaded to, giv&^t|p
themfelves to its divine conduSl. This vv^ould render perfons
in hi^hjiations fignally ufelul to the public, and or.na?nenis z^
well 'dsjupports to their country. And, at the fame timcjhbr^r
ei)\ indujlry, temperance, and good order, would fpreau among
the body of the people. Nor wouldtrue bravery and J^ortUiid:
be wanting. _ For though Jiiperjhtion tendcth to produce ?»^a.T3
and unmanly it ar?,, true rtligioriy and dijleddy belief oiz. zci/e and
righteous Providence, hath a tendency to fortify and eftablifethe
jnind, and to produce a real courage /^Jid greatnefs of foul ^\^Kiq\\
v/ill enable a man to meet death vrith a calm intrepidity in a
noble and juft caufe, and ftand the^fliock of the greate^l terrors.
Iris a reflexion which hath freq^ijently. occurred to pay ;^irvd,
efpecially on occafion oi the late dreadful judgment^ of God,
how different, under the apprehenuon or preffure of an a,raa2ing
calamity, ;muil betheftate oi one that firmly "beUevq}! CJhrifli-
^nity, and endeavoureth to govern his praflic^ by its excellent
rules, , from that of the. atheift and unbeliever, or, of the raai^
yhp^,,th<^ugli, ,he- profeffeth .tp. .beli^y^ the Chrii^i^a jpligion,
livcth in a plain contradiction to its faqred obl.igatious- , /Jli.^
i,;orp;.cri .bowever black, aqjl difafii:ous^..the ,face of things .^r^a)^
mind.'yet is perfaacJed; that all tHngs'-it^'\irtdertlie dirfe6:ion
of infinite wii'dom; righteoLifftcrs, and gobdnefs, and that 'we
live in a world wliere every taiiig, above, beneath-, and on every
fi-d^ of us, is in tlie'haTid of God, -d?*d' binder the dit-ctlion '6f
his Providence;" wild, as he can Vi'm all his creatures again ft n 5,
and make them the ihltruments of his juft diipleafurc; r(;,'if
w^t bs 'citreful to pleafe hini, and approve ouifelve^ in his fight,
eaii make the whble creation around us to be sis it v^cSre'ln' a' co-
venant of peace and frlendihip with us. Or, if a good man be
involved in the fame outwari^ calamities wiih others, .as nuilt
often, without a miracle, be expecled, in calamities which liap-
pen to large communities, ftill he ^ hath this to fupport him, that
the great Lord of the univerfe is his father and his friend, and
will caufe thofe outward evils to turn, in the final ifTue,' to his
greateil benefit. Death itfelf, if this fiiall befal him, (hall prove
a real gain to him, and fhall introduce hini to a better world,
and a nobler fociety. It is juftly obfefved concerning the mri':
that feareth the Lord, that dzV ^htath greath in his command-
9nents\l\\7!l kejhall not be afraid of evil tidings, his heart 2s
fixed, trufiing in the Lord, Plat. cxi. 1. 7. Not only may he
fay, Upon good grounds, with the Pfalmii!, The Lord is on rtiy
fide, I zuill not fear : what can ?nan do unto rns ? Pfal. cxvlii. 6,
And again. Though an hojlfiould encamp againft viz; my heart
fkall not fear ; though war f ho id d rift againft jne, in this will I
bs confident, Pfal. xxvii. 2. But he may break forth' into that
noble ftrain of triumph, God is our refuge, find jlrength , a -aery
przfent help in trouble. Therefore will not 'we fear, though tk^
earth be removed, and thgugh the mountains be carried into the
midfl of the fa : though the waters' thereof roar and be troubled,
and thouglithe mountains fhake with, the fw tiling there f, Plal.
xlvi; i, 2, 3. On the other hand the wicked and, ungodly man,
continuing fucfi, hath no proper rcfource, no fob d comfort or
fupport in a day of calamity, when all things feem black and
difmal about him. For either he looketli upon them to be
the efTefts of a wild chance, or Mind necefity, which cannot pofli-
bly be the objea of k rational tru'ft and confidence, and which
leaves no room for hope, but in that which nature hath an u!J-
horrehce of, an utter extin^lion of being: or, he appfehendeth
them to be the-juH jAldgm.ents of the Wife and rigliteous giyver^
' VOL. II, " H h ^''''
A^^ APPENDIX.
nor of thg worlo, Wiioirr he hatli offended by his (ins; And vain
k is to brave it againft the wrath of heaven. Not to fear crea-
tures J Ike ourfelves, in ajuft caufe, argueth a noble and i^iacl^
fortitude: but not to fear God, the Almighty Lord of the iini-
vcrfe, is not- courage, but niadnefs. The only proper thing
which remaineth fpr fuch perfons to do, and it is what reafcin,
as well as fcripture, direftethto, is to humble themfelves deeply
under the mighty hand of God, and to flee to his infinite, mercy,
through Jefug Chrift, in a hearty compliance withith© iriofl::rea-
fonable and gracious terms which he hath appointed,- fdrofetahl-
,ing an interefi in his grace and favour. ;■. ' f-icK;
■. 'U^n' the whoteVith-ebeft thing that can be wifiied for the ho-
nour of God, for the happinefsof mankind, and for the real wel-
fare of our country, is, that a hearty zeal for the knowledgeland
pra^ice of our holy religion may have a revival among u&piaijd
■ that?perfons of all orders and conditions may join in contributing
>to promote its facred intereils. And notwithftanding the corriip-
; lion too juftiy complainied of, there are: njany, I am perfuaded,
among us, and may the ntimber of them daily increafe! wild arc
earneltly defirot^s todo this. Every man hath it. in his.poWer-to
:contri|3Ut«fomething towards it, at leaft by endeavouring to d'al.i
■ in a conr^erfciticn becoming the gofpeL But there are fome per-
fons who have peculiar advantages for doing honour and fer-
:vice' to Ghriftianity. Thofe efpecially that are dillinguiihed by
tX-ic'if- high rank, ih€\r fortune, ^nd quality, fliould make ufeof
-fcl:e influence thrs-giv^^^thcm for * eGommending and promoting
true religion and virtue, which v* ill add a luftre to thdrtz/Z^rand
dignities, and is one of the beft ways they can take to fhew
their regard to tlie public happinefs.^ Magiftrates fhould account
it' their duty and their honour to employ the authority they are
invefted with, for ferving the intereils of religion, and difcoun-
tenancing vice and wickednefs; fince for this purpofe they are
appointed, that they maybeforthepuniJh?nent of evil-doers, and
for the praife of them that do well. And it is then that their au-
thority will have its proper influence, when it is ifrengthened
by that^of their own good example. But, above all, they who
we honoured with the charaR:er of the miniflers of the holy
Jefus fhould make it the very bufincfs of their lives to fpreal
iuid promote real vital Chriilianity, to inftru6l the people in its
• important •
APPENDIX. 467
important do^lrines, and build them up in their mo ft holy faith,
and to enforce upon them the excellent duties it enjoins, by all
the powerful and moft engaging motives which the gofpel fets
before us. And that their in{tru6:i'jns may have the proper
efFeft, it highly concerneth them to keep themfelves free from
thtfafdio nab le vices divA follies of the age, and to endeavour to
beenfamples to their fiocks, by a well -tempered zeal, piety an4
charity, and the virtues of a holy life* Thus will they not only
^o the higheff fervice to religion, but procure the greatell honour
to themfelves, and the moll jufi veneration for their fdcred cha-
ra6ler, which, where it is not difgraced by a condud unworthy
of it, naturally demandeth the efteera and regard of all the true
friends to religion and virtue.
For thefe valuable and excellent purpofes, may the God of all
grace pour forth his holy fpirit upon all orders and degrees of
men in thefe nations, that, as they bear the honourable name of
Chriftians, they may adorn the doclnne oj God our Saviour in all
things; and,, heing filled with the knowledge of his will in all
wijdom and fpintual under/landing, may walk worthy of ike
Lord unto allpleaftng ; being fruitful in every good work.
I may be thought perhaps to have infilled too largely upon
thefe things. But I cannot but think, that one of the principal
things vdiich ought to be propofed in books written in defence
of Chriftianity, Ihould be not merely to promote the fpeculative
belief of it, but to engage men to that which is the main defign
of its e.xcellent dot1;rines, as well as precepts-^a holy and a vir-
turjus 'practice.
Iwyi^ oJ^-aavil ■ji'^rli Io alonHiid % -- ' ^r^^'r r\ ^-hm blooifl 8ul3|
Hh2 APPEK-
APPENDIX.
CONTAlNtNG
A VIEW OF THE PRESENT TIMES.
WITH REGARD TO RELIGION AND MORALS,
By \V. L. brown,
princifal oy mapasdhal college, professor ct divinity, anp
minister of greyfriar3 church, abeiideek.
\Vi 'f'**\J-J
iS\\'6u,
CONTENTS OF this APPENDIX.
INTRODUCTION.
Reafonsfor writing this Appendix — and the Plan of it. Page 473
SECTION I.
The prefent AfpeB of the Times, with regard to Religion and
Morals, — . — — 47^
SECTION II.
The religious and moral InftruElion diElated by the prefent awful
State of the Chriflian World, 482
Art. I." The Divine Wifdom and Jvflice vindicated in the pre-
fent Difpenfations, — — — ' ibid.
Art. II. Admonition to civil Rulers and Magiftraies, 488
Art. hi. Admonition to Perfons of Rank and Fortune, 490
Art. IV. Admonition to the Clergy, 491
Art. v. Admonition to the People, — ~— 494
Art. VI. The prefent Times jtrongly call on all Chriflians rightly
to efiimate, and firmly to maintain their Religion, 496
SECTION III.
Of the happy Tendency of Chriflianity to produce temporal, and
particularly, national Happmefs, — — 49"^
SECTION IV.
Inferences from the preceding Difcufjion; particularly, the Nc-
cejity of a general Reformation of Manners, — ,507
>n3q
01-? HI'
[ 473 ]
APPENDIX,
Containing a View of the prejent Times, zuitk regard to R^li^
gion and Morals — RefoeElions fuggcjicd by tli.oA View — An //-
lujlration of the excellent Tendency of Chrijlianity to promote
even temporal^ and particularly, national Happ-inefs — An En^
for cement of the Necefjity of a general Reformation of Man ^
ners — /^nd Cautions agarnf the Pofon of hfddity.
INTRODUCTION.
THE principles, contained in the preceding Appendix, arc
not only juft and fakuary in themfelves, but have ^i)^z.vt.
fmgularly illuftrated and enforced by the events which have hap-
pened on the grand theatre of human affairs, fince it was writ-
ten. As^ the ccnfideration of thefe events, and of the moil pro-
minent caufes which have produced them, muft flrongly tend to
awake the dormant attention of manidnd to religious concerns,
and, particularly, to the great and important doclrines of Chrif-
tianity, it appears highly proper at this time, and on occafion of
a new edition of Leland's muft excellent work, to take a curfory
view of the awful diipenfations of divine Providence v/hich a
fhort courfe of'^'ears has exhibited to an afloniflied world, and to
beftow fome fcrious re(ic£tion on the principles ^nd conduft
which they fo flrong-y inculcate on all ranks and conditions of
men. This fiiall be the chief fubje6t of this additional Appen-
dix, lis comprehenfive nnture, its intimate connexion with the
higheft intereifS o^ mankind, and its peculiar relation to th? pre-
fent times, would demand both a fuller difcuffion than is com-
patible with the limits of this paper, and greater abihties than the
writer of it pretends to poffefs. Such, however, as it is, it may
do fom.e good, and v/ith this view foiely it was compofed.
The confiderations, now to be prefented to the reader, arife
direftly from the contemplation of the prefent flate of Europe,
and thofe ftriking convulfions and revolutions which it exhibits.
Rcliricn,
474 APPENDIX.
Religion, not politics, is the writer's objefl. But, as religious
concerns have been ftrongly affetled by political agitations, and
as an irreligious fpirit has much contributed to produce the mofl
dreadful calamities of the times, it is necefTary', to the end in
vi^w, to-direft a confiderable portion of attention to the political
world, and to furvey its mofl remarkable appearances.
-.,That the grofs corruptions of Chriftianity, which have fo long;
prevailed in countries called Chiiflian, have, on the one hand,
powerfully contributed to the reje6lion of all religious principle,
apd to the dreadful diforders which this has occanonedj will not
be q-ueftipned by any perfon cf difcernment who is, in the fmail-
eii. degree y acquainted with the prefent, and preceding, flate of
tbefe countries. On the other hand, the uncertain fpeculations
of .pretended philofophy, in contempt of the fure and falutary-,
dilates of divine truth, even in countries where accefs is opened
to the bed fources of religious information, have been produc-
tive oi the mcft fatal confequences to morals, and to the happi-
hefs of civil fociety, which refts on no other foundation, but
public and private virtue. Pure and genuine Chriflianity, un-
known or dcfpifed, has failed to produce its bleffed fruits on the.
earth. Its (hadow and external form only have been preferved
am.ong the greater part of Chriftian nations; and, even among
thofe where its fubftance is to be found, its pure inftru6lion, its
power, its fpirit, and its praftice, are confined within very nar-
jow bounds, while diflipation, immorality, and unreftrained li-
ccntioufnefs, reign through the greater part of the community.
The time is now come when the judg/nents ofGodifi ike earth
are proclaimed with fuch a loud and terrific voice, that they
niuft roufe the moft inattentive, convince the moil prejudiced,
and, one (hould aifo think, bend the moft obdurate to learn,
rigkteoufnefs . In order to imprefs this awful truth more ftrongly
on the reader's mind, it will be proper to confider the principal,
events of the prefent time; to attend to tlie inftru6lion which
they convey ; and to fhew the admirable tendency of the Chrif-
tian religion to promote even the temporal jh^ppii^iefc ql fn^a^r
kind.. ■ ' ..:■''-.' .. ■ . - .<, ., S
SEC-
APPIKDIX. ,itr
SECTION I.
fir:-
iH-jbno -w VthcpTcfint AfpeB of the Tunes.
WITHIN the fpace of a few years, wonderful, and almofl
incredible changes have happened on the great theatre ot' '
th^"''\\»orid. ' The American revolution was not only extremdy
iiiipbrtant in itfelf, but has been produBIve of a feries of alfonifh^l
ing events. The principle, on which the American republic T.
claimed and eftabliftied its independence, attrafted univerfal at^*"
tentioR. The foundations of civil fociety, the natural rights of'
man; and the reciprocal duties of rulers and fubjefts, were uni-
verfaily difcufTed; and, in the courfe of the difcufhon, views arid
opinions with refpeB; to the political and civil condition of man- ^
kind, to which the generality of men had, hitherto, been'ftratii'
giers, were Tp read as far as the influence of the prefs could ex-
tend.- - Unhappily the greater part of European governments-
had equally departed from the principles of the religion they-
profelTed, and from thofe eternal maxims of juilice by' whTcfel
every government ought to be direBed, and fubfliruted, in the'
place of thefe, the diftates of the moll crooked and inlidious po-
licy. Corruption, beginning at the head, had difFufed its bane-^-
ful contagion through the whole focial body. Although man- '
kind were alm.oft every- where panting for liberty, they were
little qualified for its enj )yment, which can be obtained' t)h1y 'in
, coiijunSlion v/ith that morality which direBs freedc^m to, its pro-
per ends, and prevents it from degenerating into tlie grofTeil li-
ctMitioufnefs.
-One of the mod corrupt courts of Europe was certainly that
of France. Its unvarying aim had, for ages, been its own ag-
gi-andizement ; and the means, which it employed for' th'iS^'-p'^i^"
pofe^/werc cither craft, or violence, as the one or the other a p'^-
peared mod conducive to the immediate objeft in view. Ac-
tudteld^folely by that policy- which dictated the diminution of a
rivaFs power, this court, as regnrdlefs of the dangers wliith
threatened itfelf, as it was indivTorcnt to the principles of liberty,
embraced the American caufe, and powerfully contributed to
its triumnh.
- ^ . The
47 Q APPENDIX.
The fame policy led to foment difcontents ana dhTentions in
other countries, and- to undertake the defence. of fchernes- of
gQv;ernment the reverfe of thofe by which its own adn^ipjllra-^
\ion was ccndufted. How fhort-fightedj how weak is the deep,
eft policy of man ! What, in the view of thofe, who purfued
thefe plans, appeared the molt penetrating fagacity, and the m.6ft
comprehenfive wifdom, turned out, to them, the moH egregioxis
foUv, and the moll fatal deiufion.
The arts that were then praftifed, the pretexts that v/cre eih-
ployed, the writings that were diiTemiriated, the armies and the
fleets that were fent out to accomplifli the defigns of the French
government — all coittributed to difFufe, through Franee, political
opinions, and a national fpirit unknown to it before. That flag-
rant abufes in almoll every department of the {late ; fcandalous
dilapidations of public treafure ; the con fequcnt derangement
of finance ; the want of regular refources to fupply the defi-
ciency ; the impotence of royal power to procure extraordinary
ones withput fome appearance ol national confcnt ; the impious
attacks againil; not only every form and defcription of revealed,
but even the fundamental principles of natural, religion, contain-
ed in the mpft admired and popular writings ; and the libertinifm
and diiTolution of manners univerfally diftufed, but particularly
prevaljsnt in the higher clafTcs of fociety — that all thefe circum-
ilances had prepared the French nation for fome portentous and
wide-extending revolution cannot be called in queftion.
Its beginnings, indeed, wore a fmiling appearance, and afford-
ed a pleafing profpeft of public felicity. Thofe who wifhed
well to mankind, and ardently defired more equitable and bene-
£cent plans of public adrainiftration to be univerfally adopted,
eafily jcherifticd the delightful expe61ation of a happier 2Era be-* «
ginning to dawn upon Europe.
But, in this expeftation, it is evident that they rather indulged
the reprefentations of benevolent fancy, than confulted the calm
diftates of rational anticipation. It could not reafon"ably be
fuppofed that a nation of fuch levity of charaftcr, of fuch ar-
dent and impetuous pafTjons, and fo corrupted by luxury, and
flill more by irreligion, would, when fet free from thofe reftraiats
to. which k had fo long been fubjeci;, remain within any bounds
cf moderation. Scenes of tremenduous dTefolation ought, at^all
■' events,
APPENDIJ^. ^7^
cveilts, to have been expelled, It was impoflible, alfo, in the
nature of things, that the violent' agitations of France fhould
not, in fome way or other, afFe6l every neighbouring {late, and
iihimately extend their tonvulfive influence to the remoteft'
parts of Europe. . '*
•The Jacobin faftion, the mbfl defperate and profligate "^triiriV
ty(!>n^ed in hiftgry, fpeedily fpread; through their own countty^^
conlufion, anarchy ,~ and every fpccies of unbridled licentiouf-
nefs, trampled under foot every feeling and fentiment of huma-
nity, confounded every moral diflinftion, andinyefted, with the
badges of honour, tlie moft deteftable forms of criminality.
Thefe men had feen, in thewritings of pretended philofophers,
the groffeR corruptions of Chriftianity expofed as the genuinq
doftrines of our holy faith. They had feen the virulent perfe-
cutions, which thefe corruptions, in fubfervience to the moft
iniquitous paflions of the human 'breaft, had occafioned, imputed
to a religion which breathes univerfal charity and kindnefs, and
prepares man for heaven by rendering him beneficent and virtu-
ous on earth. They had feen its purefl: precepts, which foar
far above morality merely human, reprefented as irapraclicable,
or pernicious. They had learned to confider every real Chrif-
tian as a fanatic, and to clafs every fpecies of religion with fu-
perflition and hypocrify. Reje6ling Chriftianity,- therefore, as
a fable, -they refolved to extirpate it wherever their power
might extend, 'and, withafpirit of freedom difdaining fubmiiTion
even to infinite wifdom, goodnefs, and power, to dethrone, in
idea, the Sovereign of the univerfe, Pretending to v;age war
with fanaticifm, they exhibited it in a form and (hape unknowa'
and unconceived before* — the fanaticlfm of atheifm, the burning
zealof impiety, the fublimated fpirit of political intolerance.
Now, for the firft time, was diCplayed, to the world, the fpcc-
tacle of alegiflative body renouncing all regard for religion, and
openly proclaiming, as the perfeftion of wifdom, the difljetiet 6f '
a Deity and of a futusc flate. The ftrongeft ties, by which mah-^^
kind are> bound, and the molt pG\/crful motives, by which they-"
are influenced to the praftice of virtue, were, under- rh6 fanftixfifl^
of avowed principle, broken and deftroyed, and what reafon lU
fel:f.had.;e£abli-fiied, on the ilrongeil foundations; was confidered
a$ tli^. reverie of diroidered fancy.
• . • • '• So
47^ - APPENDIX.
. .So iieartyi however, are extremes allied, that, iir thl''^iaft
of tliis flagrant renunciation of all religious principle, the open
profeiTipn and praBice of idolatry and polytheifm were adopted.
Thofe, who dii'clairaed the religion of Chriil, and the worlhip
of God, erefted altars to the imaginary goddefs of liberty, and
to the deified perfonification of their country, and attempted to
revive the abiurd religious ceremonies of Greece and Rome.
:So. that, among all the other extravagancies of the p re fen t age,
was exhibited the inconfiHent union of atheifm, and fuperllition,
iv^hile each of thefe difcorJant principles counterafted the effe6t
of the other; atheifm preventing fuperftition from affording
aiiy check to the crimes of its profeffors, and fuperftition infpir-
ing that fanatical rage which atheifm pretends to prevent— An
?.ppearance of delulion and frenzy hitherto unexampled in the
annals of ithe world. - "^^Y' '^
As this frantic fpirit endeavoured to propagate its ''tenuis
through every furrounding nation, and to overturn every efta-
bliihed form of government, it was not furprifing that princea
and ftates fiiould combine to refifc it: arid, if ever there was a
time, when mutual intereil dictated mutual and cordiaf co-opera-
tion, and the abandonment of all narrow, partial, and felfifh views,
it was furely that in which the coalition was formed againft the
torrent of the French anarchical fyftem. But, the reverfe of
all this took place. The Continental powers were united by no
principle of common welfare. I'hey were aft uated by no re-
gard for the happinefs either of their own fubjefts, or of mankind
in general. That old fyftem of crooked and narrow politics,
by wliich the cabinets of Europe liavc been too much influenced
for two hundred years backwards, di6fated their meafures, and
dire6fed the whole of their proceedings. Each fought only
fome little acquifition of territory,, of treafure, or of power*
Their fubfequent conduft juftificd the imputations of their ene-
mies; and, while they profeiTed to ftop the torrent of impiety,
anarchy, and cruelty, they contributed to its more extenfive and
rapid courfe. What has been the rcfult? Their feeble and ill-
concerted oppofition has afforded, to a power th^ Hloft enter-
prizing and- dangerous that has -appeared in the world fmce the
times of ancient Rome, all that advantage which attends the fplen-
dor and the dread of vi6laxy ; und,, ivhile their weaknefs has re-
move i
APPENDIX. ^^Q
moved every rcftralnt of fear, tlicy have loll that rcTpea Avhicli
, ,.,v/ouid, at Icaft, have heen attached to principle. The fiends of
fifi l^^^' ^^"^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^°°^^ ^^ ravage and defolate Europe; pover-
^^, f.y, diilrefs, bloodflied, and almoft every fpecies of mif^ry have
^ jbeen widely extended, with no other effeQ, but that of augment-
ing that very evil, the prevention or diminution of which was
to have been the fole ccmpenfation of fuch immediate calamities.
Wdierevcr we turn our view, nothing is prefented but the mt>il
melancholy fubje^ls of contemplation.
We behold tiie ftrongePt^bonds of fociety burft afander over a
confiderable part of Chriftendom, the tenderefl charities of na-
ture trodden under foot, impiety, blafpheray, and athcifra ftalk-
ing on the earth with daring front, and bidding defiance to the
thunder of the Almighty. We behold a nation, eiledm-cd one
of the moft civilized of Europe, ftained with deeds of barbarity
by which the moft ferocious favages would have deemed thcm-
felves difgraced. We behold the wild and impious leaders of
that nation, not content with having deluged its fields and its
ftreets with the blood of thoufands of viclims facrificed to fear,
to revenge, or to wanton cruelty; with having depopulated and
laid wafte its cities, difTolved all focial orHer, and extinguifhed,
in the breafts of their countrymen, all true fenfe of juftice,
humanity, and religion, fuccefsfully employed in fpreading the
fame confufion and mifery through every other nation to which
they can extend their pov^'er. We behold fome of the principal
Sovereigns of Europe now trembling before the gigantic French
Republic, eagerly courting reconciliation with her, joining in
the bands of amity with thofe whom they had proclaimed the
moftatrocious malefaftors, and, in'order to compcnfate the loffcs,
they have fullained in the conteft, in which they have been en-
gaged, adopting thofe very fchemes of invafion of their weaker
neiiihbours, which in her they had fo ft,rone:lv reprobated. Wc
behold two powerful ftates deprived of political exiltence, and
divided by the hand of rapine •^, and others ftripped of half their
pofTeffions. We fee our own country aLmoft exhaufted by a
bloody, expenfive, and exafperated war ; arid although^ by the
4ivine undcferVed mercy, we have, hitherto, been prefcrvccl
* Poland and Venice.
irQ?H
4<^o APriNDIX.
from that cciifuaon, cifcrdcr, and ruin v/liich have overwhelm-
ed other nations, wc are uncertain how' long this advantage may
be continued.
Ncvei; bciore did modern Europe experience a more dread lu I
concufTion — ^aconciiilion already productive ot the greaieft chan-
ges, and announcing fiill greater, and more numerous. For, the
fermentation, which every- where agitates the minds of men, cannot
fopn fubfide. Paihons, {o ftrongly, and i'o generally excited,
muft, like water which has burfr every bank and mound that con-
tained it, fprcad their inundations far and wide, till they, at lall,
iind their own level. Notwithilanding the general defirc, and,
acknowledged neccility of peace to all Europe, there is little pro-
bability of lis com.plete reUoration, and Hill \e[s, of its continu-
ance, for a feries of fuccceding years. From this country the
infolence and irjuriice of its enemies have rcimxoved all hopes of
paci^cation for the prefent. The fpirit of conqueft, and of
univerfal dominion appears evidently to have feized the prefent
rulers of France. Peace is contrary both to their immediate pof-
iellion ot" power, and io their exorbitant fchcmes of aggrandize-
ment, nor till thefe are completely and irretrievably fruH rated, are
jthcre any hopes of a general and permanent pacification.
The lail general fer\ment v/hich Chrifl^;-.;. nn experienced was
that which w-as occanoned by the reformation. Wars and ru-
mours ol" wars did not fubfide for nearly a.oentury after they
comiuienced. It is true that all thefe commotions and caiam.i-
tics were ultimately prcduftivc of tlie greatefigood both to the ci-
vil, and religious intereils of mankind. But, while hum.an cor-
ruption is fo deeply rooted, andfo widely fpread, it is hardly pof-.
fible that correcf ion, amendment, and final peace can be obtained
witliout great and lailing feveritles. The fciir.cnt, which now
e.xiits, is, indeed, of a complexion very dlETcrent from that jufl
flated. It is merely political, and ilrongly irreligious. But, it
i? a great and extenfive ferment, and mull produce eftcBs ade-
qurtte to its force and. difFufion.
Nov/, if thefe are not the judgvienis of Gcd in the. earthy
when did they ever exid ? When has his arm ever been more
confpicuoufly difplayed, from the clouds, wielding the threaten-
ing (word, to imprefs, on the inhabitants of the wcrid, the long
forgotten Icilbns of ri^ktcoufnefs?. Thefe judgments are net to
" - be
APPENDIX. ^gl
be confounded vvrith the more doubtful ones of hiirilcane,s,:e*rjlr-
quakes, teinpcds, or inundations, which, thon^h addpu-d \q.i^q\iff
men to reflection, and to a ferious review of tlieif: mq^^il ft4^"
fpring not immediately from hunrian depravity, and- bear;. not
along with them the diliin6l impreingns of ni-)ral evil. Xi)e
judgments, which now afflitt mankind, can all be traged.J^^ck ,t»'
the mod polluted fourccs of corruption^ and, origuiaiin^ in th4
profligacy of the higher I'tations of fociety, have difTufed their
coptagjon through the whole focial jiiafs. ; From the /ok of the
foot even to the head, there is nofoundnefs in it; but xngunds.
and hrmfes and putnfying fores'^. It is of the Lord's mercies
that we are not conjumed^ hccaufe his compajjions fail nof^..
The love of money, the root of all evil, is univerfally pi-edp-
minant. The commercial fpirit, laudable, indeed, and faiutary,
when, reflrained within due bounds, and regulated by the prin-
ciples of piety and morality, now appears toabforb every otiier;' ;
confideration, to prefcribe the mod extenflvc gain as the mea-,
fure of public intereft, to extinguilh the genuine love of country^;
and to eradicate all fenfe of national honour. The mafculiTijC^^
elevated, an.d wife fentimen'ts of our anceftorsfeem to have giyea
place to a fordid defire, and an ignoble veneration, of. wealth, tQ
an intemperate love [fcafure, to v;afting luxury, and; to all ths^
frivolity and efteminacy of a luxurious and opulent age, Dif-
fipation and profaaity are no longer confined to the higher ranks,
>yhere they long refided, but have defcended to the lovy'er,; ag-.
gravated by all that coarfenefs of excefs which always accofii-
panies amean education. Among them, the doctrines ol infidelity
have ajfo been diffeminated with a facility of reception which-
would, a few years ago, have been accounted impoflible. Nevejr
before were thofe conjugal ties, the fan^lity of which is the furcll
pledge of purity of morals and of public happinefs^ fo, wantonly,
broken; never was {lomeflfc felicity fo frequently flabfc»ed,^i|)fl..
all that people owe to their children and families^ (o fliamefully
ncglcfted or forgotten; never was there a. period in whicii reli- .
gion was fo little fludied, in theory, and fo little manifefteiiii
praftice; in fo much, that it appears to be the only fubjcft which,.,
ought not'to occupy people's thpughts, ancj. the only .prfr^QipJ^' ,
that oufffit not to influence their 'condua. .fevW w^R .Z^^. r^-; ,
" " *Tlaraht.6. " t Lament, m. 22.
YOLo II, li ' ^^'"""
402 APPEMDI?r.
gard for religion remains, how often does it degenerate eitlief
into bigotry or fanaticifm, or into mere external obfervance, and
a refpeft for public infiitutions ? The fmall influence of genuine
piety is evident from this circuraftance, that it very frequently
happens, that perfons, who are uncommonly zealous for a parti-
cular fyftetii of religious opinions, are by no means affe61ed by
the attempts of deiiis or atheifts to fap the foundations of all re-
ligion both natural and revealed, and even applaud their perni-
cious doftrines, merely becaufe they agree with them on certain
political points. Can this be called any thing elfe but an obfll-
iiate feftarian fpirit, devoid of all pure religious principje ? Public
fpirit is generally either a blind attachment to party, or an in-
tincible devotion to opinions adverfe to rational freedom, and
good government, either by their tendency to defpotic appreffion,
or to democratical anarchy. Thanks be to God! for the rem-
nant of virtue that .is ilill preferved among us, in the humanity
and charity which charafterize our nation, and, in fome meafure,
redeem the manifold turpitude by which it is difgraccd.
After this view of the calamities and the vices of the prefent
tim.es, of the events which have fo recently happened, and of that
peculiar afpeft of the world, which admits of no other folution
but that of an extraordinary appointment of divine providence,
to punlfh the nns ol men, to reprove, in particular, the decay
of religion, and to warn us to return, before it be too late, to her
forfaken paths, it will now be proper to colle6l the inilruftion,
which the judgments of' God, fo icudly proclaimed, are evi-
dently calculated to convey.
SECTION II.
llie religious and ricral IrJlruBicn diBatcd by the preftnt aw-
ful State of the Chrflian V/orld.
I. TT Is clear that divine providence is profecuting fome great
-fi- and extenfive plan in this lower world. What its pe-
culiar nature may be, it would be rafli and prefumptuous to de-
termine. But, with a dcfire of moral and religious improve-
ment, It certainly becomes us to attend to the moft flriking fea-
tures cf the divine difpenfations, as far as they can be difccrned
by
APPENDIX, ^o^
hy our feeble and clouded fight. Every thing, now happening
on the great theatre of human affairs, is extraordinary and rcpugl
nant to the experience of ages immediately prcredhig. An at-
tentive eye, however, may cafily difcovcr, in tliefc events, the
progrefs of over-ruling wifdom, and the decifions of fovcrcign
juftice — A people, extremely corrupt and irreligious, lias been
let loofe to fcourge the greateft potentates of tlic earth; and, as
their policy was chiefly derived from the Frencti fchool, and the
libertinifm, which they encouraged both by their precept and
example, alfo flowed from the fame fource; fo, has this been the
very quarter from which their humiliation and their fufferings
liave proceeded. The attempts of defpotifm to check the rifing
fpiritof liberty, and to crufli it for e er, have completely failed.
Her fceptre has been broken by the blow by which fhe intended
to intimidate mankind. The great ones of the earth have re-
ceived impreffive admonitions, in the fate of the nobility and
privileged orders of France, to beware of abuhng tlicir dlf-
tinfiions and advantages, and of provoking the indignation of
mankind, by their pride, tlieir profligacy, and their irreligion.
The writings of fceptical and infidel authors were chiefly ad-
mired and recommended in the higher fpheres of life. Many
perfons in thefe ranks were pleafed with them, becaufe they
fet them, free from moral and religious obligations. . Wh.at tlieir
depravity led them to wifli, their ignorance prepared tl:c:n
to receive as truth. From them the admiration of thefe writ-
ings, and the adoption of their pernicious fent.iments, defcended
through the other orders of focicty, till the contagion of impiety,
univerfally diffafed, prepared the French nation for the recep-
tion of thofe fhocking doftrines, which have produced the mod
dreadful difafters, of which the feverity has chiefly fallen on the
higher fl:ations*. On the other hand, tlie popifli hierarcliy, and
all its abfurd and corrupting fyftem of fuperllition and intoler-
ance have been overturned, not only in France, but in other
countries, and a way opened for defl;roying them in thcfc where
they fl:ill appear to be firmly efl.ab!iflied.
* See, In pnrticidar, the Poflhumou3 Works of ilie late King of Pruilla,
abounding with the moft poifonous infidelity, an J the moA virulent calumnies
againft the Chriftian religion, and its divine Author.
I i 2 l-ciiy
4^4 APPENDIX.
Left, however, greater evils than thofe v/hich have be^n re-
proved and chaili'fed, fhould be introduced; left all moral dif-
tin£lions fliould be confounded; left blafpbemy, atheifm, atro-
cious cruelty, the moft dreadful oppreftion, and every fpecies
and every degree of wickednefs, fhould appear completely fuc-
cefsful and triumphant; that very people, which has been ufed
as the fcourge of other nations and their princes, has endured,
in a double meafure, the calamities it has inflicled, and, in the
midft of its external vi£lories, fuiTers at home every defcriptioii
of national mifery. Its ftreets have been deluged v/ith the blood
of their inhabitants, fhed by their fellow citizens. The flames
have confuRied its villages and many of it§ towns, and the fields
have been covered with dead bodies. Trade and manufaftures
annihilated, agriculture neglefted, every fource of national prof-
perity dried up, fufpicion, jealoufy, diftruft, and revenge reign
almoft in every heart. Parties have ri fen upon parties; revolu-
tions have fucceeded revolutions; agitations and convulfions
have never ceafed. All the temporary leaders of fa6lions have
perlflied either by their own hands, or by thofe of the execu-
tioner, or by thofe of the aftarrm, or have been driven into exile*
Even while I am writing, the laft revolution has exhibited one
of the moft aftonifhing ftrokes of defpotifm -that ever tcrrifiedi
mankind. Their mcft diftinguifned legiftators, politicians, and
warriors have, without form of trial, been fentenced to tranfpor-
tation, and fent off, in covered waggons, like fo many wild beafts.
In all this, fo extraordinary, fo glaringly repugnant to the ufual
train of human affairs, may we not obferve a peculiar direBion
of Providence, purfuing fome grand and ultimately falutary
plan ? Do we not clearly perceive, that the impotence of def-
potifm, unfupporLcd by the attachment and afTeftion of fubjeBs,
has been expoi'ed ; the grofs corruptions of Chriftianlty have, in
inany places, been exploded; the folly, diffipation, and oppref-
fion of the elevated and opulent have received an alarming ad-
monition : That, on the otberhand, the calamities of unprinci-
pled licentioufnefs, abufmg the facred name of liberty, the hor-
rors of irreligious philofophy, and the devafiations of anarchy
and democratic^il tumult, have been prefented to mankind in
• fuch a horrid and ghaftly fliape, that it is impofiible the leftbn can
be fcon forgotten : That, from the ferlcus review of both fides of
the
APPENDIX. ig^
the pitliire, this conclufion miift Inevitably follov; : that a govern-
ment eqi!ui]Iy removed from anarchy and arbitrary power; that
pure and undefiled religion, fuch as is inculcated by the facred
fcrlpturcs; that juRice, moderation, and condefcenfion in high
and wealthy Rations; and contentment, induflry, and a becom-
ing refpe6l for fuperiors in the lower clalTes of fociety, are the
chief bonds of civil union, and the grand fources of public and
private felicity ; and that whatever, in either extreme, is repug.
nant to thefe, ought to be viewed with abhorrence, and reprefT-
ed with vigour.
A general indifference for religion had begun to fpread over
Europe. Afhamed of fuperrtition and bigotry, of fanaticifm and
intolerance, mankind were verging to the contrary extreme, and
the flame of piety was faft expiring in every heart. Political,
commercial, and ceconomical fubjefts wholly engroITed the in-
quiries of philofophers, and conflituted the chief fludy of thofe
who devoted any part of their time to ferious reading. Theo-
logy was no more attended to; and, even in proteftant countries,
the groiTeft ignorance of religious truth began to prevail. It
was no difgrace for a man of education, who was not, by profef-
fion, a divine, to know nothing of the fundam.ental doftrines of
the religion which he profefTed, of the difcriminating articles of
faith, diTcipline, and worlhip of the different churches into v/hicli
Chridians are divided, or of thofe evidences of divine original
by which they concur in defending rheir religion agamft the
attacks of deifrs. As for praftice, how few, in any Chriiliau
country, thought of regulating their lives by the precepts of
Chrift, or allowed their plans of conduct to be influenced by
their viev,'s of heaven!
Infidels, availing thcmfelves of this neglecl of religion, (o ge-
nerally prevalent, formed the defign of extirpating every fperics
and defcription of Chrillianity, and of putting their atheifiical
philofophy in its place. In the profecution of this defign, and
of political fchemes connected with it, the moft atrocious actions
have been committed, and Jie firongcil fenfations of horror im-
prefled on every good and feeling heart. Mankind may nbw
clearly fee that fanatical exccfs is not peculiar to religious zcsl,
but accompanies other violent and outrageous pai'lions, and that
men may- perfecutc from- irreligious, as well as from rel?«:^ious,
motives. Every impartial perfon, who will attend to the fur?-
1 1 3 J -^'^'
^'66 APPENEir.
-jeft, miift be convinced of the mild and beneficent tendency of
Chriftianlry. This co!!vi6lion, v/hen the i^atnral eiTecls of this
religion are contrafted with thofe of principles hoftile to it, will
come home to every mind with greater force. The fpirit of
piety may thus ^cjradually revive ; the Chriftian faith may be more
refpected and loved than it had been for a confiderable period
before. Of this there are already fome indications. The higher
ranks of fociety appear to be convinced hov/ pernicious it is,
even to their worldly intereft, to fpread, through the community,
that difregard for religion, which foon brings along with it a con-
tempt for human authority. They begin to be more attentive to
.the external duties of religion; and, although this principle, as
long as it is confined to appearances, is of little account in reli-
gious eftimation, yet, what commences in fear and intereft alone,
if it fuperinduce ferious and reflefting habits, m>ay terminate in
love, and the fmcere practice of piety. Even that general agi-
tation which prevails, although, at prefent, directed to political
fubjefts, may alfo admit of religious impreflions, if ieafonably and
forcibly applied. When men's minds are roufed to exertion, they
frequently grow difgufied Vv^ith one fubje8; of inquiry, and love
to vary the channel of their activity. Total indifference to re-
ligion is unnatural to the human foul; and, when iavefiigatlon,
wh^atever be its immiediate cbjc£t, is once fet on foot, a fubjeft,
of all the moit important, can hardly fail to attract attention,
whenever its h'glit and evidence are allowed to fhine without the
intcrpcfing clouds cf prcjudisc. Religious zeal appears, even
now, to be rekindling f^r the extenfion of the gofpel to heathen
nations. Tlie dcfign is highly laudable in itfeif ; but the more
important and laudable any defign is, the more r»ece{Iary it is to
conduct It with .wifJom, a proper application oF the moll effec-
tual means, and, on the gr^md principles of Chrifii.jnity, uncon-
fined by tiie dl{lin6live tenets of parties and kRs^K The fub-
vcrlion of the power oF the Romiih Church, over fo larae an ex-
tent of its former dominion, opens an extenfive field for diffcmi-
nating the original (impiicity of the ^r.fpel, if protcfiants in thofe
countries had biit the zeal, and the courage to undertake it,
TiiHt we have never heard of any attempt oF this kind, is a la-
* How far thi^ lias bcsn the ca{^; in the prcfwnt ir-ftancc, the ilTae will
probably determine.
mentable
APPENDIX. A^y
meiitable proof of the decay of religious principle, wliere it
might have been cxpc61ed to retain fome portion of vigour.
While we fo frequently hear of political communications; while
republicanifm and democracy are fo prone to receive, and to
impart, adiilance ; while the rnoR impcrtant intereils of the hu-
man race are alleged as the predominant motive; it is furprifing
that intereils, far m.ore important than any confined to this eartli,
fhcald animate to no attempts to communicate the full liglit of
gol'pel-trut]], either to thofc who behold only its feeble glim-
merings, or to thofe who turn away their eyes irom it altogether.
This is a fpecies of fraternity unknown in cur day, to which,
however, the peculiar complexion of the times Ih'ongiy invites.
Nor can I help thinking that fom^e of that zeal, labour, and ex-
pence, v.'hich is now engroffed by extending the gofpel to hea-
then nations, might, with as great advantage, and as fair a prof-
pe6l of fuccefs, be employed in cornm.iinicating, to thofe coun-
tries, in which the power oi" the Romidi Church has beenover-
turned. the unadulterated truths, and the pure morality of reform-
ed Chrifliai-iity.
\¥hatever be the ultimate objeft of the awful difpenfations of
divine Providence 7iozv i?i the earth, which no human forefiglu
can, v/ithout prefumption, pretend to difcover, it is certain, that
the refieftions, above Hated, are evidently diBated by them at
prefent, and that, from thefe, confiderable improvement in
7-ighteoufneJs might be derived. In the midfl of fuch imprelfive
fcenes, can we rcm.ain as indifferent, carelefs, and fecure, as if
the whole afpea of human affairs were illumined with the bright-
efl funihine, and invefted with the mofl pleafing colours? Shall
we not be brought to ferious reflecfion both on cur hational, and
private fms, wiiich cxpofe us to the divine vengeance, already
difplayed on every fide of us, and endeavour, by hncere repen-
tance and amendment, to avert from ourfelves the calamities
which have overwhelmed fo many others, and which might alfo
have juftly fallen to oar fhare, but for the undeferveJ mercy of
God? Muft it not become the mofl anxious wifl:, and mofl ear-
nefl care of every rer.eaing perfon, that he may not be taken olT
his guard, but be found watching and fobcr ; that, tliough he
fhould be flripped of every other pofleiTion, he m^y Hill retain
cut treafiir^ which is fubj-a to no corruption, and expofcd to no
J \ ^^ violence.
4^^ APPENDIX.
violence, or i^'Tud; that, if he fiiould be fubje£led to tribulation,
vr4iJlrefsy:€rperfecutiG7i, or famine^ or nakednejs, or perils or
fpord,!)^ iiiay Hill retain the love of Chrifi; and that, if it ihould
pleafe, God to in{li£l thelJe feverities upon him, either as trials,
or: as chaftifenients, he may not lay on hird more than he is' able
to hear\ and direcl his vifitations more by his infinite mercy,
than bv the defert of the fufferer.
On the review of the fcenes which the world, at prefent, ex-
hibits, fuch reneciions will unavoidably force themfelves on the
mind of every man who entertains any TenTe of religion. If they
made that general jm^reffion, which they are certainly calculated
to produce, the calamities, which have fallen to the fliare ot fo
jiiany of the human race, would not have been appointed in
y.?lip,!. We proceed to more particular refieclions.
II, V The judgments of God now in the earth loudly call on all
civil rulers and magiiiiates, to keep condantly in view the pub-
Jic good, to acnuire the moft enlarged and comprehenfive know-
ledge of it,, to dilcharge their truil with the greateft integrity,
and to. conciliate obedience and attachment by the wifdom and
benignity of their adminiftration. Let them confider that their
oliices are inftituted folciy for the public benefit, that their ta-
lents, aac^ their labour -ought to be devoted to this objeft, and
that ..ev^ry neglect, much more every wilful violation, of duty ivS
not only highly cruninal in itfelf, but, in the prefent times, mnil
unavoidably expofe them to the fevereil reproa-ch,.if not to the
mod imminent. danger.
It is the height of folly for any perfon, intruRed with i\\Q
public adminiiiration, to purfue a crooked and felfiih policy, ia
opporiti,o,ri,tQ.lhe moil evident fchemes of national advantage.
The generality of mankind are, at all times, apt to imipute, to
their governor:;, the m.cft iniquitous .and unjunifiable views.
Of late years, they have grown uncommoiily vigilant with re-
gard to their conducf, and Hrarp-fighted in detecting its errors
and defects. Sedition not only exaggerates real, but malicioufly
impales Mitious, grounds of accufatlon. Thele calumnies muft
he retnted hy a wife and benignant government. The experi-
ence qf fecurity, of increafjng fources of profperity, and of hap-
pin^r!^^,g9U(?ral.ly,cliiiLiii[$d^ muif imprefs, on the minds of thcgc-
ye/acd, the mcil conciliatory conviclion ; and the confufion,
iniquitYj
APPENDIX. ^Sn
irnqnityv and diflrefs, produced by the abfurd fyPicm of oittra^r.
ous' liberty and tyrannical equality^ mull be contrafted with the
pleafing difplay of order, of juftice, and of the full enjoyment of
every civil and political right, as far as is compatible with civil
foeiety. The days, when rank and office were illumined with
thebrighteft luftre, are paft. The atmofphere is ovcrfpread with
clouds, and agitated with tenipeus. The gloom can be difTipated,
and tranquillity reflored, only by the fleady and inextinguifhable
lights of beneficent talents, and of well-informed integrity.
The prefent times, in particular, inculcate, in the moff impref-
five language, on princes, and rulers of every defcription, to
encourage, proteft, and advance the knowledge, and the prac-
tice of pure and undefiled religion, and of every ufeful and li-
beral fcience. Ignorance and prejudice are the great obftruclers
of national improvement. Genuine and fubftantial knowledge
is the firmed fupport of lawful authority, the.fureft guard of
order and peace, and \}At mcfl certain pledge of dutiful fub-
mifTion to law, and to its conftitutional adminiHration. Tiie
condu^l:, which reafon prcfcribes, religion ftill more pov;erfully
enforces. A people, accuftomed to free inquiry ,'and to that calm
and fleady inveffigation which leads to the difcovery of truth,
will not be eafily milled by the falfe lights of atheiftical philofo-
phy, by the m.eteor glare of fanaticifin, or by the funereal torch
of fuperftition. Thefe'are foon eclipfed by the bright and flea-
dy funlhine of found reafon, and of revealed truth, which both
difcovers, and invigorates to purfue, the true road of happinefs.
Let it never be faid that ignorance is the m.other either ot devo-
tion, or of any thing good and valuable. Ignorance can con-
fer no benefit, but a circumfcribed capacity of doing evil. A
perfon brutifhly ignorant, is innocent, or ufeful, as far as he
refembles an ox or a horfe whofe bodily ftrength may be ufc
fully direBed and applied by hum.an intelligence. Even the
value of inferior animals is increafed in proportion to the fa-
gacity and docility of their natures: and can it ever be main-
tained that ignorance and Hupidity can be beneficial to any clafs
or condition of men ? Ignorance is the darkncfs of night which
is as favourable to the approach of an enemy, as to our conceal-
ment from his view. Knowledge is the beneficent light of day,
which; dif<:icf;n^ to us the furrounding objcas in their true co-
* ^ lours,
490 APPENDIX.
lourr, and their j 11 ft relations, enables us to piirfue, or to avoid
them, according to our clrcumrcances. Igtiorance is the infur-
inountable lot of brutes, and the temporary condition of infants.
Knowledge is the acquifition of men, one glorious quality of
angels, and one fupereminent attribute of God himfelf. From
ignorance of true religion, of found morality, and of manly
politics, have, in a great meafure, proceeded tt?e excefies com-
mitted by tlie French in the midfl of their arrogant pretenfions
to fuperior knowledge. Under a new form of government
they continue to difplay that union of frivolity, and of the mofl
fi;:grant violation of virtuous principle, which they have fo
frequently exhibited under the old. Real knowledge, purchafcd
by the dearelt experience, rnay perhaps lead them back to
the right path in which alone true liberty, and its concomitant
liaDDincfs, can be found.
III. The initru6iion, dictated to civil rulers by the prefenfc
awFui difpenfation of Providence, is equally applicable to all
perfons of rank and fortune, though invefted with no public
cilice. On them a moil facred obligation is impofed, even in
the moff tranqitil {fates of fociety, to ufe, v/ith moderation and
beneficence, the advantages which they enjoy. If, by indulg-
ing in every fpecies of extravagance, of difnpation, and de-
bauchery, they grofsiy abufe them ; if they not only debafe them-
felves by their v^ces, but, by their fcandalous conduft , and per-
nicious example, fpread corruption through the whole comm^u-
nity ; if they think themfelves entitled to bid defiance to all
thofe obligations and decencies which they confider as bind-
ing upon their inferiors ; if they lay hold of every opportu-
nity of outraging their Creator, and infuking that very religion,
whofe influence prevents their, deftruclion ; they are rebels againft
the Sovereign of the univerfe, and the declared enemies of
mankind. For all thefe things God zvill bring them to judgment.
The day of trial is aheady come. Their indictment has been
read with a tremendous voice, and they are called to plead to it.
The abettors of the levelling fyflem, the patrons of fanati-
cal equality, the profclTed preaclicrs of political regeneration,
openly accufc the privileged orders, and the generality of the
opulent, of ignorance and folly, of difiipation and debauchery,
of pride and in.^oicnce, of inc-'.pacitv to difcharge the important
duties
APPENDIX. 4p.|
It/'
clutics of civil life, of indifference to ail that is really exct/llent,
andpraifc-worthyr of veneration for the moft contemptible ac
complifhments and for their worthlefs poireflors, and of the
inoft hard-hearted opprelTion, whenever their capricious vvilis
are oppofed. Thefe accniations, falfe, indeed, and malicious,
in a great variety ol inPcances, can be fully refuted only by a
condu6l the reverfe of Mdiat is laid to their charge, and by s.n
example as attractive of veneration and love^ as its oppo/ite is
prodnftive ol contempt or hatred. A mere title, or even a:i
opulent ellate, no more fecure reverential awe to their polfeh^oi •i :
on the contrary, they are confidered, by many, as fufncient
grounds of reproach and obloquy. Real and fubilantial merit
ought, theretore, now to be employed to fupport the affailed
cdiiice of external and privileged pre-eminence : and fuch fliil
is the propenlity of mankind to refpect illuftrious ancerny, and
to admire the glitter of wealth, that, if thefe are guarded by ths
virtues of the pofTelTor, they will, in every focicty, not agitated
by revohuionary convulfions, remain fecured againn: the Tecrot
arts, or open machinations of the enemies of all order and dftf-
tin6lion. Let thofc, therefore, who are raifed in the fcale of i'o-
ciety, whether by birth or by riches, endeavour to command the
refpeCf, and to conciliate the benevolence of mankind by their
reverence for religion, and by ti>e praQice of every fecial, civil,
and domeftic virtue. Let them be particularly careful in the
education of their children, that they may qualify them to aiTert
their hereditary honours, and to preferve their effates, which arc,
at prefent, cxpofedto fuch danger, on the one hand, by tiie vices
of the great and wealthy, and by the iicentoufnefs of the lov;er
orders, on the other. -
IV. The awful events of the prefent times convey an import-
ant leffon to the clergy. They exhort them, with the m.ofl im<
prciTive voice, to exert their utmoft diligence, and their beil
abilities, to guard, from the contagion of impiety, and all :ts con-
comitant vices, thofe who are committed to t,heir paUoral care.
They warn them to try, by the ftandard of the Holy Scriptures,
the doarines which they teach, to fee whether they be ncaih cj
OadyGT the tradition and'commicindmcnts of men. They ex-
hibit to- thera infidelity aud atheifm, the children of corrupted
religion, and of worldly policy, now emplovcd in dcHroymg
492
APPENDIX.
iheiT parents; and as they proclaim, that tiie counfd of Cod can^
not be ovj thrown, and that the gates of hell Jhall never prevail
'a^csinfi the church ofChrift; (o, they anaouncc, that the counfel
and the work of men, whenever they are inconfiilent with the
one and adverfe to the other, will come to nought. The clergy
are called upon to confider v/hethermnch of the irnpiety and pro-
CifTacv of the prefent ?.ge is not occafioned by their indifference,
their negligence, and, fometimes, by their attachment to worldly
pleafures and preferments. Let them reflect, that if tYicJhIt has
loji its favour , the corriiption of the whole mafs is unavoidable;
that if thofe who fiiould defend, preferve, and extend religion/
are acceflary to its overthrow, their guilt v/ill be aggravated by
the importance of the duties they have violated, by the lofs of all
the good they might have done both to the temporal and fpiritual
concerns of their brethren, and by the unfpeakable mifery v/hich
they have aftu.ally occafioned; and that their punifhment muft
be proportionably increafed. On the other hand, every gener-
ous and noble principle of their fouls ought to be called into
a^ion by the efforts of infidels and profligates for the ruin of
mankind; by the glorious nature of the llniggle in which they
mud engage ; hv the aiTurance of fufScient liiccour from the great
fonrce of light and povver ; and by the eternal and fplendid reward
which is promifed to their magnanimity and perfeverance.
To them are, in a particular manner, committed both the eternal
and temporal intercils of their brethren, and on their exertions
chiefly depends the prefervation of thofe fundamental princi-
ples of julticc, humanity, and temperance, which pure religion
lo firmly eflabliflies, and fo av/fuily fanftions. The conteft, in
the prefent day, is not between one particular form of religion
a;ui another, but between the exigence of any religion whatever,
and the total extirpation of it; which laft muff be, of all calami-
ties, the raoft dreadful that ever affailed the human race. It is
a iooiilii notion to fuppofe,- and direft experie'nce contradi£ls the
f'ippofition, that infidels are adverfe to corrupt forms of Chrlfli-
iiiiity only, and that they are (as they uugiu to be, if confiftent
v;ith thieir proieihon,) more friendly to the faith and worfhip of
pryQteftanA- ..The reverfc is the cafe. Infidels are infinitely more
lement!tp:jtii)«.<^briirditics and corruptions of popery than to th«
pure''ck'Bri,nc5 wl|ich' tlie reloimation iellorcd. The reafon is
obvious :
APPENDrX. j^Q^fx
obvious: the more abfurd any form of Clirlftianity is, a wider
field is opened for their attacks aoainft it, for tlie introduaion of
their fchemes oF dcifm, and, by eafy confeqiicnce, for the dif-
femination oF atheifm itfcif ; a fyftem, at prefent, much more
widely prevalent than good men arc willing to fuppofe.
';Tp.the honour of the eflablifhcd clergy of both the churches
of England and Scotland, the far greater part of them has bcca
decidedly houile to the atheiftical doctrines of the Trench fchool.
Lefs averfion, I fliall not fay, more favour, has been fiiewn to
this abominable fe8; by diiTcnters in both countries. Charity
obliges us, and rcafon alfo drfpofcs us, to believe that this h
to be afcrijped rather to political than to religious, or, to t^peak.
more properly, irrcUgious motives. The fucccfs of the French
atheifticai fyilem is ccnnefted with the i''uccers of certain politi-
c?il opinions, and, for tlie fake of the latter, the former is not
oppofed. Great zeal is profeffed again ft popery, and its over-
throw is a fubject of great exultation. This is juft and becomingr*
in all who have any regard for pure Chrillianity. But the f^irac
principle ought certainly to infpire Piill greater averfion from
atheifm openly profeiTed, and followed in condufi; or, if this is
confidered as an exaggeration, wliich I am far from granting
that it is, at 1 call, from manifeil, avowed, bigotted, and fanatical
deifm !
As the obligation is ftrong on all profefied Chriftians, efpecially
in the prefent times, to evince the efficacy of religious convic-
tion by a virtuous and holy life; it is particularly fo, on the
clergy. If ever it was neceh'ary to make ihetr light fhane^ that
men Jeeing their good works may glorify their father which is
in heaven, that necelTity exifts at prefent. By the purity of the
lives of Chriftians in general, and particularly of thofe whofe pe-
cuhar office it is to teach and defend religion, its caufe is moil
effetfually ferved, and the calumnies of its enemies triumphantly
confuted. Nothing has dene fo much injury to the interefts of
Chriftianity, as the unchrillian lives of its profeiTors. There is,,
in mankind, a general propenfity to judge of the truth of any re-
ligious fyftem by the conduft of thofe who have embraced ir.
Hence, the enemies of our holy faith, perceiving that it produces
not thofe bleffed effeas on manners, which we maintaifi ought
to flow from the belief of it, transfer, to the doarines of Chrift,
ihLit
494 " APPENDIX.
that difgrace winch ought to reft folely with the vices of Chut-
thus. Their reafoning is certainly fallacious and unfair^; for,
whatever be the condu8: of thofe who profefs them, the doBrines
and precepts of Chriftlanity remain equally true and excellent;
nor is it to be queiticned that they produce the mcft falutary
eiTc6ts in the hearts and lives of thoufands of. believers, who,
cultivating holinefs in Jtcret, Jliall be openly rewarded by their
heavenly Father. But if Chriftians had, in general, lived more
conformably to their profefiion, fewer cavils would have been
raifcd again ft Chriftianity. It may be faiely affcrted, that the
happy change which it produced in converts to the primitive
church, that that admirable perfe6lion of divine morality, that
incarnate fpirit of evangelical excellence which they difplayed,
were as efiecfual for the propagation of the gofpel, as the mJra-
cles by which its celeftial origin was attefted and confirmed. If
the happy period fliall ever arrive (and may God grant that it
may be haftcned!), when the knowledge and belief of pure, un-
adulterated, rcftored, Chriftianity fhaii generally reform thofe
vices v/Iiich the corruptions or the ignorance of it have fo mAich
contributed to engender and cherilh, the moft effeclual anfwer
will be given to the calumnies of its enemies; the ftreams will
declare the purity of the fountain from which they flow ; and,
vi\{\\Q peace and good-will reign among men^ glory will alfo be
be given to God in the highefl.
V. To the people, in general, the leftbn, conveyed by the
llriking events of our times, runs in this ftrain : — " Beware of
" revolutions of government, and of all fudden and violeur.
" changes. Bev/are left, inftcad of fome partial inconveniences
•' you now experience, and think intolerable grievances, you
•' tlraw, on yourfelves, the unqualified preft'ure of irreparable
" calamities. Guard againft the inflammatory addrelTes, or ^c~
** cret fuggeftions of infidious demagogues, who endeavour to
** roufe your pailions, as the inftruments of their ambition, and
*' of your mifcry. Such men arc always tyrants in their hearts.
** They wiih to fiiake off all eiLblifhed control, to obtain much
" greater for themfelves, and their connexions. They have li-
*' berty conftantly in their mouths, and opprcfTion in ttieir
*' thoughts. The profligacy of the prefent age has Introduced
*' a diftinclion between public, and private chara8:cr, as if a bad
" man,
APPZXDIX. i03
*' man, in private life, inight be a real patriot. But, there is no
" foundation for this diuiiiflion in the nature of things; and
*' pretended regard for the rights of men, when united >vith
*' private depravity, will ever be found to cover the moft ami>i-
" tious and tyrannical defigns. View tlie greater part of dcnia-
" gogues, and of thofe who afpirc at this diftinftion, in their
" own families, and in every relation in which they are called
" to aft, and you perceive them haughty, overbearing, impa-
*' tient of contradi6lion, and executing, with a high hand, every
" meafure they have adopted. Is it pofTible that, if fuch'mcii
*' were inverted v/ith civil power, they v/ould, in opporulon to
** their own intereft and exaltation, maintain, with inflexible in-
" tegrity, and fortitude,, the genuine principles of liberty, and
" of the equal enjoyment of right? In order to continue the
** delufion among the multitude, they would never ceafe to talk
" and harangue on thefe topics ; but, v/hile their fpeech v/as fo
" magnanimous, their a6lions would bear every exprclHcn of
" iniquity and ufurpation. What has the French revolution at-
•* tefted, but one uninterrupted ferics of jargon, and cant, and
*' noife about liberty and the rights of man, conjoined with the
*• violation of every civil and religious right, with the mofl un-
** qualified opprefTion, and with the mofl atrocious cruelty in
*• every variety of fliape?
*' The lower claffes of the community, which turbulent and
** feditious men chiefly ufe as their inflruments, commonly gain
** leaf): by every innovation. The anarcliy and diitrefs, which
" popular commotions produce, arrell the progrefs of induflr\',
" the fource of their fubfiflence. The profits and honours, arif-
** ing from fuccefsful infurreftions, are feized by thofe who con-
•' certed and conduced them. . The fituation of their humble
•• followers either remains as it was before, or is rendered wcrfe
" by the opprelTion with which ufurpation is accompanied.
** When you have the happinefs to live under a con.flltution oi
*' orovernraent founded on princioles of liberty both civil and re-
miaineis, c:
*' ligious, and adminillered with moderation and
** rifli the enjoyment as one of the mofl precious gifts ol heaven;
" acquiefce cheerfully in the di6btes of law, and willingly fub-
•* mit to confiitutional authority, which is the fafeguard of your
*' lives, your properties, your reputations, your liberties, of all
dgmeftic
49^ appendix:.
" domellic comforf, of v/hatever you account raofL\^aluabU ^^i^^
'vdear^ 4^ycu fee abufes, and defire the reformation of theia, :»
*• endeavour to -obtain this by regular, calm, and conftltutional
*' means. But, above all, read in the horrible example of France,; ,
'* underftand, and remember, that religion is the grand bafis of^
** fociai union, the foundation of virtue, the fource of true l:wp--|
** pinefs, whether private or public, domeftic or civil; that, .
*' when men abandon God and his worfhip, he gives them up to/
** all the workings, and all the confeqnences of a reprobate
*' mind; and, when they abjure and blafpheme the heavenly fa-'**
*' ther of the great family of mankind, they become the flaves'of
*' that infernal fiend who is the tempter to wickednefs, and the' -
" author of mifery." - -^
VI. All Chriftians are certainly called, by the complexion of!;
the prefent times, to value their religion as the moft precious trea-\"
fure, to adhere to it with firmncf's, and to exert themfelves, foi the'*
lUmofl of their abilities, for its defence and extenfion. Every
fmcere believer of the gofpel blelTes God/br his unjpeakahle gifi .
cf Jefus Chrifty and is firmly perfuaded, that, as life and mW
mortality are brought to light by the gofpel, fo, he has great joy^
and peace in believing. With fuch glorious profpcfts as our di-""^
vine religion unfolds to us, with fuch blelTed aflurances of re-
conciliation with God, and of eternal happinefs as-it giyes, with
fiich complete evidence of its truth as it lays before us, how dif- '"
ferent is the condition of man, thus enlightened and fiipported,"^'
tlian when left to fiis own uncertain fpeculations, and abandoned
tp his own unaffifled weaknefs. Degradation is converted into"
dignity, terror into compofure, and dillrefs into happinefs. Can'"
any Chriftian then, behold, with indifference, the impious at-
tempts of infidels and atheifls to wage war v»"ith heaven iifclf,'
to deface God's faireft work on earth, his fecond creation of man >
to righteoufnefs and holinefs, and to fnatch, from him, th'e firm- '
eft fupport of virtue, and i^ molt foothing confolation of cala-^
mity and afflifticn? Shall the divine inftruftions, the glad news^
of falvation, the blefTed found of the gloridus gofpel of peace; ^'^
proclaimed by the Son of God, and by his infpired apoflles,-^
Jcem as idle tales, and be clafTed with the abfurdities of heatheii**
mythology? Shall the firft teachers of Chriftianity hax'e fealad,
with their blood, their teftimony to its l rath* only to ctoin, in •'
^ thefe
APfENDIT. 407
tbefe !aft cJays, tlie cliaraaer of weak an-i delu(!edl fanatics?
Shall fo many bloody pcrfecutions have been undergone, with
luifhaken patience, and undaunted fortitude, for the firfl ella-
blifliraent of Chriftianity; fhall fuch cruel fufferings have been
endured, fo many valuable and exemplary lives have been facri-
nced, and fuch magnanimous refinance have been oppofed to
fpiritual tyranny, for the glorious reformation of religion; fhall
Chriftianity, thus, have been planted, propagated, and reftored
at fuch a vail expence of divine interpohiion, and of human vir-
tue; and (hali, in thefe latter times, a kck of falfe philofophers
proclaim that the truth of God is a lie, and endeavour to extin-
guifn its light ? No: it is impoffible that any, who underftand,
and have fincerely embraced the do£irincs of Chriftianity, and pro-
feiTed obedience to its precepts, can be deluded by this impotent
fophiilry. Let thofe, who have never known our religion, but
in its groiTeft corruptions, who have never felt its divine influ-
ence on their hearts, who have never ferioudy refleftcd on the
nature and perfections, or even on the evidences oF the exigence
of the Supreme Being; let fuch lend an ear to the mifei*able (o^
phifn?.s by which the enemies of religion fupport and propagate
their abfurd and pernicious 'doftrines, v/hich both outrage hea-
ven, and fap the foundations of fociety. But, no perfon, who
has ever ftudied Chriftianity, and been convinced, on rational
grounds, of its truth, can run the fmallcft riik oF being fliaken ia
his belief, and much lefs, of being perverted in his conduft, by
tlie arguments of the enemies of religion, which are frequently
repeated, becaufe they are deftitute of all folidity, in order that
the frequency of their application may compenfate their want of
flrength. Indeed, to this wretched ignorance, and culpable ne-
gl'^Et of Chriftianity, are chiefly owing the calamities whicii have
overwhelmed the country, where this irreligious Irenzy piuici-
pally prevails, as well as moft of tkofe which its arms have fub-
tUied. When the arts of impofture were detefled and cjxpofed,
and the chains of fuperftition were broken, the true dottruje oi
Chrift was unknown ; and the reveries of difeafed philofophy,
meeting with no oppofition from the diflates either ot found rea-
fon, or of divine revelation, wera p.ihned upon mankind as
truths equally foiid and falulary.
VOL, ir.
K k S E C-
49^ APPENDIX.
SECTION III.
Of the happy Tendency of Chriftianity to produce temporal, aiid,
particularly y national Happinefs.
THE prevailing paffion of the times is the eftablirnment of
fiich lorms of government as are moft conducive to the
happinefs of mankind. However laudable this obje8; may be in
itfelf, the refult of its profecution has, hitherto, been diforder,
carnage, and mifery. Whether any thing beneficial and falu-
tary may, afterwards, arife, in compenfation for fuch caiamities,
is ftill matter of uncertainty. But, when projeBed iraprove-
menfs are begun on falfe principles, it is much to be apprehend-
ed that tli'e ultimate refult will hardly be productive of happi-
nefs, as far, at leaft, as the views of fanatical philofophers are
concerned. That divine direftion may probably draw good out
of evil has already been fliown. This, however, cannot be
pleaded in behalf of fyftems which dire6lly produce the evil, and
have no natural tendency to the remoter good.
If the Chriflian morality, which is the only part of the Chrif-
tian fcheme, with which, as having immediate, influence on the
happinefs of fociety, we are, at prefent, concerned, be the purefl
that was ever delivered to mankind; the bell adapted to every
-Capacity, and confirmed by the moii; efficacious fanftions, what-
ever fyflem of polity either rejefts this altogether, or enfeebles
its energy, mud, in fp far, counteracl the moral improvement of
ourfpecies, and, of confequence, its greatcfl happinefs. The chief
objc61 of all good laws is to eftablifii the grand principles of
juftice, equity, and humanity. By the Chriftian religion this
very end is uniformly purfued. In as far, then, as found mora-
lity fhould'conflitute the eflence of all juftand falatary legiflation,
in fo far the Chriflian precepts ought to be cherifhed by eivii
rufers, and the facredfource from which they proceed, and the
fupreme authority by which they are fanflioned, to be conftant-
ly kept in view, in order that greater force and efficacy may he
•given to thofe rales of aftion which are the bands and fupports
x)f' civil fociety. It has, of late, become a popular tenet that
political inftiLutions ought to have no connexion with religion,
and
and neither to fupport, nor to be fupported by It ; In a word, tliat
national religion is equally pernicious to religious principle, and
to the public welHire. From the union of politics and religion, it
'has-been maintained, have proceeded the imporLures of prlcll-
craft, the woril arts of oppreflive politics^ and the proftitution
of piety to the mod flagitious purpoils. lience, the only meani
of .fecuring,. to religion, her uncontaminacod inlluence, *i|(4,of
-. depriving pclicical craft o£ one of its n-.oii: pov.'cvful engines, Js to
_ feparafce religious, from political, inftitutions, and never to futicr
them, in future, to form any alliance.
If, by religion, be underfiood only a certain fyHeni of fpecu-
lative opinions, whofe objecl is the ellablilhment or maintenance
cf a certain form of religious ceremonies, vv^ithout any regard to
their influence on morals, the truth of thefc prppofitions will not
be denied. The wliole drength of the, argument lies in fuppof-
ing that religion and morality are founded on diiTerent principles,
and lead to diiFerent refults ; in a word, that religion and fu.per-
xlition arc the fame. But, if this opinion be faifc (as it moil cer-
tainly is), if religion is no more to be confounded with fuperUi-
tion, than erudition with pedantry, or ceconomy with avarice,
equally falfe mult be every conclulion draun from this hypo-
theus. If the proper notion cf religion, be, in general, the me-
thod of pleafmg God by prailifing, on juft principles, evqry
domeftic, focial, and civil virtue *, {o far is it from being tVAi^
that civil government fiiould difclaim all connexion with re-
ligious infhitutions, that the more it proceeds on thofe principles,
which pure and undeS.ied religion prefcribes and enforces, tjie
mere likely it is to attain the ends for which it is appointed j and
the more it departs from them> the more corrupt it wiH t>e in iti^f,
and the more pernicious to fociety. Th^ only queftion ^hc4i is, i)o£
whether, every form of reb'gion fhouid be equally patronized or
equally rejected by any ftate,, or whether political and religipus in-
terefts be totally feparate, and independent of each other, but v/he-
ther the religion, adopted by any ftate, be true or falfe, falutary or
. pernicious. For, a civil community ought furely to advance and
prpte£l that fyftem of religion, which it is convincpd has ^ ten-
dency to promote the higheft happinefs of mankind, for the fame
reafans that any individual, who is imprciTed with fuch convic-
tion, jiot only- mav, but is ev^n bound^„i^n^(^pi^r cncou-
509 APPENDIX,
rage and extend it, without encroaching, however, on the rights
of thofe who may differ from him. If civil duties form an effential
branch of religious precept, and if thefe duties are more (Irongly
enforced by religious motives, than they can poflibly be by hu-
man laws, it muft be an egregious defe£l in every fyflem of
government to difregard thofe principles and inftitutions, which
afford the mod efficacious means of advancing the great ends
which it ought conftantly to purfue.
It has, indeed, been frequently afferted, that Chriftianity, con-
lidered as a fyftem of duty, can have no aufpicious influence on
the civil profperity of mankind, and rnuft even have a contrary ef-
fe6l, by direfting men's views wholly to another world, and, thus,
difqualifying every fincere and zealous profelTor of it from dK"
charging the mod important duties of a citizen. This falfe notion,
which, I believe, was firfl bi cached by Rouilcau, has had great in-
fluence in bringing pure Chrillianity into difcredit among ail thofe
who confider religion only as a political engine. As, to the mis-
fortune of mankind, the greater part of politicians have adopt-
ed political fyftems formed on the moft contrafted fcale, uibfer-
vienc only to the ambition, or the intereft of a few, and not to
the general welfare of the community, it is no wonder Miat they
have been either totally indifferent to an inftitution which cm-
braces the hiirheft eood, both temporal and eternal, not of one
nation or country only, but of the whole human race, or have
patronized thofe corruptions of it which were mod compatible
w^ith their felfiih and illicit purpofes. Thus, politics and religion
have both been corrupted, and have mutually tended to corrupt
each other more and m.cre. But, becaufe vicious politics have
contributed to corrupt Chriftianity, and corrupted Chriftianity
has contributed to fuppcrt vicious politics, it will not follow that
the pure religion of Chrift will not have the happieft Influence on
the civil condition of mankind. The reverfe Vv'ill be found, en
the llighteft examination, to be the cafe. Of this fome of the
principal reafons have been already ft'ated, and it will ftill mofe
evidently appear by confidering the chief objections which have '
been made to the effe^ls of the Chriftian precepts on civil con-
dua.
Chriftianity, it has been faid, Inculcates no patriotifm, roufes
to no heroic d?eds, sind fires not the foul with the love of glory.
The
APFENDIJt. ^01
Jhe anfwer is, that this very clrcum{lance,by JtiTurdlnjy an inflance
pf benevolent comprehenfion unknown to . any otlicr religion
.whatever, is a ftriking proof both of its intrinfic excellence, and
of the divine fource from which that excellence flows. Chriftia.-
iiity, inculcates not patriotlfm in cxprefs words, becaufc her in-
^uence is not confined to one particular fe£l or country, but
tends, to unite the whole human race in one great and happy
family, of which God is the Father. But, (he inculcates univer-
ial benevolence, in which patriotifni is included, and pppofcd to
which, far from being a virtus, it is a moft pernicious and tyran-
nical vice. Of this the patriotic virtues of the celebrated heroes
of antiquity frequently exhibited the moft flagrant examples.
Chriilianity animates not to feats of martial valeur, becaufe fhe
abhors carnage and defolation, becaufe Chrijl came not to dejlroy.,
hut to favt men s lives^ and becaufe it was the object of his
^o£lrine to form men to that heavenly temper which would ba-
nifh war from the earth, and fecure everlafting peace by the prac-
tice of everlafting righteoufnefs. But, in defence of truth and
right, file requires the moft undaunted fortitude, and the moft
unfhaken perfeverance, commanding us not to fear thofe who caw
kill the body, but to fear him who can cajl both foul and body
into hell. Incorporating, with her canon, all the Scriptures of
the Old Teftament, ftie records, with honour and diftingulfiied
applaufe, the glorious exploits of thofe illuftrlous champions^
who fought the battles of the Lord againft the heathen., and
conducted his people to the promifed land, or maintained them
an the poffefTion of it, by their prudence and valour. She .aUo exp
hibits, for examples, a band of Chriftian heroes who, in the ex,-
tent of their views, in the purity of their motives, and in the
fublimity of their principles, as much furpafled the brighteft
patterns of pagan antiquity, as the fun outftiines the leficr luml-
iiaries of the firmament. Chrlftianity fires not the foul with tljc
love of glory, becaufe what is commonly called by this name.i^
bafe In ks origin, deftruaive in its operations, and mifcrablc in
its iffue. But, fne warms it with the love of God and of maa-
kind : fhe excites it to aim at that moft diftingaifhed excellence
which advances the glory of the former, by promoting the happi-
jicfs of the latter, and, by dhTufing truth and virtue tlirough .the
world J and ilie aiiimiites to ti^efe honcunibic and beacpceiu
K k 3 purfuits
£0^ API?'£NDIX.
-purlivitG by holding up^ Jis tKeif rew'ard,' a c'rtrti}n''q/''^!oryf^i\ith
U inforrv.ptihle, and fadcth not an^'d\iJ' ''•5'f'»'»>i ;-,;id ;5t;/ii U^i:
" Witli fiich' extsnfive views, fucli elevated principles^ ^W f\vc1i
aiiimnting motive's, the true Chriftian muft riecefTarily feel the
full I force of that genuine patrictifm which confifts-rn defiring
?.^a pforh'oting, to the utmoft of his power, the beft interefl^^^f
fiii country, in coni'jn6lion v/ith a regard for that univerfal juf-
tice, whicli comprehends the Vv'hole human race, and lofes net
its jTorce in the midil of hoftility. When his ccurjtry is afiailed
^by the unjuft attacks of external enemies, the pure fiame of pa-
triotifm muft burn in his bieaft with redoubled bri'irktnefs and
vigour. Fortune will be readily offered up to the public fup-
port, and life cheerfully expofed for the common defence. That
temperance, which our holy religion inculcates, muft ftrengthen
its profelTors to endure military fatigue. Love of order and obe-
dience to legal government, fo ftrongly enjoined by the Chriftiaft
2n6ralit;y, will make them obferve the moft regular difcipline. A
jiift fenf^ of the blefiings of weil-regulkted fociety, joined to the
right "appreciation of civil and religious freedom, a confidetice'in
the protec>:ion of the Alrhighty, and the hopes of immortal glory
'^^nll reconcile tMeiii to hardfhip in a good caufe, make them def-
pife danger and death, a!id animate them with a courage which
'the 'moft' fGriiiidable enemy will not damp. Religion infpires
\vitli a valduY which is not ra{h and inccr.fidcrate, but manly,
iirmy and cblk(!ie<i. 'Gf all the armies in the world hn (kilful
general .would diodfe moft to command, and leaft to encounter,
that which fllould be compcfed of men inured to temperance
and honeft labour^ accuftomcd lo obedience and difcipline, con-
fidering each ether as brethren, and members net only of a tcr-
•'refifial but alfo of a heavenly community, afiured of the bleffing
''"!6f'4he' Z'^r^ <?/"7M/^i, and determined, under tliis, to facrifice
Qficir lives to their country's defence. Such cxatlty would be
"'"tf/eahny compofed of Chriftians fincere, and rightly informed.
, I'-o f.:r,'^Fief^fore, is our religion from being adverfe to military
' vrrtti^j ih its Beft and nobleft fenfe, that it infpires, encourages,
'ad'dl'n'vi^brates it, in a degree unknown to any other fyfttm of
■'^*fc]T|i6us'^teKk'H^^h^t(h/^i'i' I^ hy 'itch pimc^mk^y^U
■^. }niit^ ^irv idch 'mbtiresi atid lookittg up for pYOteOvon'5lO''Him,
-;J;n/- r-^^^^if (hx God of kofis, T.n arm V wouM Ic^J' Yii^tt'f v iH
APPE^'DIX. ^0 2
lU ranks. Nor would. tliat intemperate dcfire of .iggrandizemcnt,
and that faife fecurity which vi6lory fo commonly j3roduccs,
ever cxpofe men of this characfler to difgrao^ful reverfes. Ipr,
as the maintenance of their rights would ever he the only fprlng
of -their warlike operations; fo would it alfo he their termina-
don. ; T«hey would ihew thcnifclves as n^ady to lay down their
s^xms, as they were ahle to hold them. In the midll: of triumph
they would abhor war, and cheriHi the profpccl, and facilitate
the reftoration of peace, on the molt moderate and ec^uitablc
Jterms.
'■ All the foclal and civil virtues are (o fully and flrongly en-
forced by Chriftianity, that, by ftri6l and complete obedience to
its dictates, thofe follies and vices, which are the bane of civil
life, would be entirely removed, and, even by the tolerable ob-
fervance of them, would be greatly diminiihed. Neither princes
,and governors would be oppreffive, nor fubje6ls rebellious, nor
■fellow citizens unjuil to each other, but every ftate would be a
family of brethren, affifting each other in the progrefs of their
terreilrial journey towards that everlalling city, zvkofe builder
and. maker is God. Different flates v/ould only be different fa-
milies, conneded not only by the ties of a common nature, but by
the Hill ftronger bonds of Chriftian union, and of their relation
to one Saviour, and head of the univerfal church; If ever the
time fiiall come when the dreadful fcourge of war, nov/ fo hypo-
critically deplored by thofe who conftantly aggravate and extend
it, ihall be banifhed from the earth, we may l^ifely predicl that
this will be only when the ChrilHan rehgion, evinced to the un-
derftandings, has taken firm hold of the hearts, and influences
i|he conduct of men. , ,
, The mild, the amiable, tiis domedic virtues are prefcribed,
bv our religion, in a degree infinitely pre-eminent to that which
;-any fyitem of niere morality can exhibit. And, v/hat, ii: every
fyftem cf duty, is of the f:rft confcquence, it enforces its pre-
cepts by the mo(t./po^yerful fap^lions, reaching not the external
anions of men only ,. but penetrating into the inmoft receffes of
, the heart. It encourages obedience by the promife of the moft
.precious and ex^ked^ i^ewards, ,intlmidates tranfgreiTion by the
-menaces of the moftidreadfulpuniOinient:, — ^ ■• ^^^ " '^- -
• .foul by the mofc eiliti^cioiis faccours.
504 JkPPENDIX.
. Let infidel philofaphers try to fubuitule, indead of this admi-
,Table fyilem of duty, any other of equal elBcacy. ,They will foon
£nd how ineflcdual their abitra6l fpeculations are ,tO' afFe(St the
heart, to rePtrain the paffions, to overcome the power of tempta-
tion,, to check the infolence of profperity, to moderate the op-
preffive fpirit .of power, to bridle the licentioufnefs of tumult, to
foothe the pangs of afBidtion, and to enfure the pra(Elice of virtue
in every circumftance and condition of life. Woful experience
has already, proved that their vague and unprincipled fpecula*
tions, even when clothed with the moil fafcinating appearances
x>f benevolence, and adorned with all the colourings of popular
oratory, have produced nothing but profligacy, barbarity, and de-
Vaflation. Man requires a fixed and definite code, not abftracl
theory, for a rule of conducl:. That rule muft be di£lated by an
authority acknowledged, and revered, as fupreme, and that au-
tiiority mull be maintained by penal fan<£lions, which cannot b^
eluded Ail this religion alone can fuopiy ; and the Chriflian
religion has this peculiar advantage above every other, that, while
it touches all thofe fprings of hope and fear, by which mankind
mull ever be moved, it aU^'o pofiefles fuch evidence of its truth as
can Hand the mofl fcrupulous examination.
If abftracSl philofophy, however folid and found, whicli is the
reverfi? of infidel and atheiftical fyllems, is ever to be held fuffi-
cient for the regulation of life, why are not the abettors of fuch
Opinions, at' lead, fo far ccnfifient with themfelves, as alio to
maintain that all the laws of civil fociety, and all the penalties
by which they are enforced, ought to give place to thofe fpccu-
iations of abftratl morality which they proclaim, to the world,
v/ith (o much pomp, and affecled benevolence, as the highefl
perfe£lion of reafon, and the firmell bonds of union among men?
If they reply that, v;ithout laws enforced by vifible penalties, fo-
ciety could not fubfifl, then, the famt- arguments iiifo eftabliih
the neceffity of religious principle, becaufe, from this, even hu-
man laws derive that obligatory force, without a fenfe of which
all human fan£lions v/ould not be fufiicicnt to enfure even tliat
.degree of obedience which now exifls in the world. Such fpe-
culatovs, therefore, if thery^are not blinded by prejudice, or harr
dened by corruption, muil acknowledge that the admirable
adaptaticn cf the Chriftian mcraiity to vhe nature, the circum-
llaiices,
Mtices;^%iriS the^gerjeral" condition of IT/ ^- n:;l
• prd)of of its divine dri'gin, and a powerful v^ cjinniLr.iLi'
utility. But, fuch men are little afle6lrrl by conQdci
^iC^ferefted benevolencei VaiTi-glory, and'aft intemp^.vf^tc ^.f.^
■ fed of iliffiietKing the opmiotis of the world,- nnd of dircftin;' it
at pleafure, are the real motives of thofc actions v/hi:h r' 7
afcribe to the pureO: phlhiithropy. Never, furei-y, '^'i»'^ •
' |>oritio4y fo glaringly manifefted as in the prefect times, t.':-- 1.-.1
fhameful hypocriiy fo infamouny praOifed. Yet, thefe sxk the
'men who vilify the Saviour of tlie u'orld, v.ho, after a life c^f' ttri-
paralleled heneficence, endured tlie moft e:tcruc;at:ng de;ith', to
accomplifli the defign which inSnite goodnefs alone codd con-
ceive. Tiiefe are the men v/ho calumniate the characteV of his
apoftles, who reunquifned every worldly profpecl for the propa-
gation of truth and virtue, and, in a very fliort fpacc of titn?,
turned fuch vaft numbers of the human race from darkntj's'io
light ^ and from the pozver of fa tan to the Ivoirig and Iruetjod. "'
Thus, the docStrines and precepts of Chriitianity muil, f.o;n
their very nature, have the happieft effects on all the fourccs of
national welfare. Rightcoufncfs exaltcth a nation: but fin fr
tke reproach of any people. That corruption of manners, civil
difleniions, tlie inexorable inveteracy of party-fpirit, and undon-
-trolled ambition have uniform/ly produced the fubverfion cf po-
iitical communities-, and that the contrary virtues have elublifh-
^d and preferved tlieir fecurity, their power, iheir fplendour, and
their happinefs, the hiiiory of the Vv-orld fuinciently evinces.
Corruption, univerfally fpread ^through a nation, taints'' and
poifons every fpring of public profperity, and dcftroys the vital
principles of civil aflbciation. For, neither good laws, nor the
vigorous execution of them, will enfure the public ^^eal, unlets
a confiderable proportion of virtue ftili influence the ccrhmuriity.
Without this, the ftate m.uft neceffarily fall to pieces, fubmrttinp;
either to the yoke of a foreign invader, or reduced to the motl
wretched and contemptible condition by internal, difordcrs. Tb
the prefervation df a free conftitUtion of government purity of
morals is particuhrly neceihiry. Freedom and general proiligacy
are incompatible with each other. What Is profligistt fireedoVn?
It is the.fre(S<iom. of colifufion, of tumult, of anarchy, of ir/ph^r,
;ind mur-da-, a4id evSry fpecics of ^Vickednds. It is" the efcapr ^
'')05 A??ENDl5r.
O
every fiirious and peflilential pafTion of the numm foul. It is^"
in the firll flage of fettlement, the urxontroiled dominion of ^
powerful few, and, in the lad, the hopelefs fubjedLion of all to
the arbitrary and relentiefs fway of a fingie defpot ; the only form
of government of which fuch a people is any longer fufceptible.
it is, therefore, the greateil abfurdity to fuppofe that a nation^
extremely corrupt, can eftablifli, on durable foundations, a con-
ftitiltlon compatible only vv'ith great firnplicity of manners, and
with the general prevalence of religious principle.
To the Britifh nation alfo, enjoying a free government, found-
ed, indeed, on. principles very difierent from thofe of the French
fVmaticsj it is a matter of the moll ferious concern, that we can-
not preferve our invaluable privileges, whether civil or religious,
but by the fame virtues by which our anccflors obtained them^
by piety, induflry, fobriety, and undaunted courage in defence of
cur country. By thefe virtues alone, proceeding from faith in
JcTus Chrifl', and coDuantly influenced by it, can we expe£t the
favour and bleHing of God, as individuals, or ?.s a community ;
and, without his ])YoteCiiony zoko e?2 la?'. (r {'J k end ftraiteneth the
nations, the deepeft human policy is childifli ignorance, and the
grcatePt hum.an power is contcmpti1)]e imbecility.
The divine iudice feems, moreover, particularly interefted In
the prefent dillribution of confpicuous rewards and punifhments
to civil communities. On the grand theatre of political aciion,
virtue and vice sre both emiiiently difplayed, and have, a peculiar
and diirufive influence on the happincfs of mankind. It is ne-
ccfiary, therefore, that the rcv/ards of the former, and the pu-
iiifhments of the latter, fhould be marked in the moil diflinguilh-
abie manner. In the prefent Vv^oild alone the characteriftical
dlftin^lion of nations fubfiils. In the next, there will be neither
Greth, nor jnu. Barbarian, Scythian; bend or free: tongv.es,
kindreds, and nations v/iil be no more. The biclTed and the
reprobate will be tjie only clafTes and divifions of men. If the
divine government is to be manifefted with regard to political
focieties, which feems fbill more neceflary, for the intcrcfts of
virtue and religion, than v*^ith regard to individualsythe fanclions
qi the divine laws mud, as far as relates to the former, be exe-
-cuted in the prefent ftate of things. Tliat they are completely
Executed, in the mofl invariable manner,' the hifbory of ail a^^cs,
33
APPENQIX. co-r
as;Ka^ been already cbferved, fafficicntly teilifies. Thus, both
the natural tendency of things themfclvcs, and our nodons cf the
dkifijie j-ttft'iG©, concur to convince us that the pure precepts of
the gofpel muft have the happieft efFecls in advancing the wcjr'
fare of every nation by which they are refpe«Slcd and obferved.
SECTION IV.
InJcTznccsfrom the preceding DifcuJJton.
F it has fully appeared that piety and virtue, and^ particularly,
that pure fyilem both of theory and pra£lice, which Chrif-
tianity inculcates, muft neceiTarily have the happieft influence oa
national profperity, and that irreligion and vice are the certain
-caufes of public, as well as of private, mifery j it follov/s that
every fentiment of rational patriotifm, of a regard for our coun-
try, for its laws, its hberties, its profperity, and its honour, loud-
ly calls for a reforniation of manners, and a revival of pure and
tindejiled religion. It may be alleged that the corruption of tlie
times has ever been a fubjecl of cornp^aint, and that, as this cor-
ruption, equally prevalent in preceding ages, has, hitlicrto, pro-
duced no cataftrophe, we have no reafon to apprehend a worfe
fate to our country than our forefathers experienced. Although
the premifes were true in their utmofl extent, the conclufion,
drawn from them, would be falfe and delunve. For, if the vices
of our anceftors were as great as thofe of their podcrity, this cir-
cumflance, fo far from affording any juii caufe of conipofurc and
fecurity, ouc^ht the more to awaken our apprchenfions. The
evil would, in this cafe> be of lo'iger continuance, have acquired
a more inveterate and confirmed complexion, and be, thus, ap-
proaching nearer and nearer to its fatal termination. It would
appear a ftrange argument, indeed, that the diftempcr, with
which any perfon was affciStcd, was not dangerous, beeaufe it
was deeply rooted in his conftitution, and h.ad bidden defiance
to every remedy that had been adminidered for its cure.
Butj if the cafe be duly confidered, it will be found tliat the
vices, now prevalent among us, haye a more fatal tendency, wltli
le-'nrct
o8 APPENDIX,
regard to Rational welfare, than thoie of preceding times. It is
readily allowed tliat depravity has been too prevalent in cvefy
agepf tbe world, and that every ftate of civil fociety,i^ikje;every
period of human life, has its peculiar vices. But, there are vices,
which, like certain difeafes^ are of fuch a debilitating kind, that^
whcrij^the^ civil community is deeply infeded with thenipj^i^c^^?;^
iiardly ever recover its priiline v^our, but mud die by a gradual
decay. It is, therefore, of the greateil confequence to guard
agai'nfl thefefrom the beginning, or, if they have been unhappily
contracledj to apply, to them, the mod efficacious remedies.
Luxury, effeminacy, and voluptuoufnefs ; a fordid infatiablc
thiifc of gain, ao the only means ?>f procuring fuch indulgences,!
profufion of expence, yet, the highell eftimation of riches j fel-
lifiincfs, and indiiFerence to the true welfare and glory of men's
Cpun,try ; real or afrccled infidelity, an open contempt of things
f2cre<j, or a con drained obfervance of them.- — tliefe are the vices
>'-hich''chara£lcrize the age, and thefe are the vices which have
^*e ftrongeft tendency to fubvert national felicity.
, Our, depravity is greatly aggravated by the nngular and dif-
tmguiihed privileges which we enjoy, and by our fituation when
compared with that of other contiguous countries, groaning u;i-»
der the complicated calamities of conquedy extortion, pillage,
defolation, and every fpccres of degradation that can fall to the
lot of man ; when compared Viith that people whichj while it
glories in its victories, endures the mod dreadful internal dif-
treiTes. As this is the mod ftriking proof of the divine benignity
towards us j fo, it demands our mod lively gratitude, and, as the
only proper expreffion of it, loudly calls for a reformation of
manners. _ . ,. .,. .... .,,
_^^hc judgments of God, it mud be repeated, are fl^r^a^fiw./^^
earth. He is exercifing his judice on political communities,.
Some nations he is a dli cling with the mod dreadful calamities.
Il^rdly any country of Europe is exempted from fome fpecies of
sffliciing difpenfations. Our own fituation is generally confeded
tp'be critical. All concur in the defire of its amelioration by
exchanging the calamities of war for the bleffings of- peace. Re-
pg^ited, attempts, IiavCj, in, v^in, been tnade to, attain the happy, pur-*
pofe. But, ill the.midii:o{Y.'iriousfcheme3 of national improvement,
^ii4., 9^,-2-11 uniycrfal dcfire of peace;, of the , uunioleded purfuits of
.• ,... ' " commerce
APPENDIX. JOO
* ....
cottlmerc6^ aVid wealth, of the undifturbed enjoym^ttt of cafe ,
affliience, and tranquillity, how few look up to God, with the
eye of faith, with the foul of piety, and with the heart 'of contri-
tiHn^? Ts confidence placed in the divine goodnefs, and the hopi
of feighter days excited by the views of true religion? Have
public calamities produr;ed any tendency to national reformation
of' mariners, any plans for its commencement? The exiftertcc
of abufes, the neceihty of their ccrreftion, the moll e(tc«£lual
means of its accomphfiunent are daily agitated, and difcufTed.
^'B'tit, no mention is ever made of the. only radical and effe£\uat
reform, 2l reform of heart and conduft. It is aflonifning, that, in
this reforming and regenerating age, the reformation of manners
and the regeneration of the foul fhouid be cntively forgotten;
By fome our diftrefles arc imputed to our rulers •, by others, to
their opponents j by both, to fome caufe in which the complainant
has no fhare; and by none, to the grand, the primary, and the
univerfal ox\z — a general corruption of morals, tainting the firfl
fprings of national v/elfare, deflroying unanimity, maficing, with
the moil fpecicus appearances, the mod felfiih and unlawful
paiTions, enervating our vigour, fpreading diffenfion, and animo-
fity, removing thofe grand, elevating, and unconquerable .f)rin-
ciples which religion alone can fupply, and expofing us to' tne
merited vengeance of heaven. If every perfon would feriouiT'y
think of reforming himfelf, a general reformation of mariners
would be the neceffary confequence ; and this would produce
every other falutary reform. If political abufes exift, and that
they do esift is undeniable, they are the offspring of national cor-
ruption. The fountain itfelf muft be purified before It caA fend
forth pure and falutary ftreams. The influence of genuine reli-
gion, and of virtue, its confequence, would fpeedily reftore health
and vigour to the whole political body. Without this every other
medicine may palliate, but can never radically cure ; may delay,
but never can completely prevent the fatal ilTue of national dif-
t^mper. The mifchief is, that the more mankind ate Coitiipt^cJ,
tlie lefs fenfible they are of their corruption, and the more they
a-re difpofed to complain of its natural and nccefTary efFcas, and
to afcribe them to every caufe, but the real one, which, till re-
Rioved, muft continue to operate with incrcafrng violt^nce.
" 'That lieiftical writings have more powerfully, than any other
[.■^mrno?-.
c?ufc
rjo APPENDIX.
caufs \vhatever, ccntributed, in this, and otliCY countiics p£ Eu-
rope, tq the diiTemin?.tLon of vice, and to the deftruclioii pf^all
,tlijofe^|>rinciplcs which either adorn cr preferve fociqty^.caiij^a^^^l-
ly- be doubted by any rejecting mind. The pernicious eiTeccs
of thofe Vr^itings have been proved by the mcfl melancholy expe-
rience ;.'lan)i. are depifted, in the moll glaring colour^, . i^,tiie
convulfions and calamities of tlie prefent times. The futility of
their rcalpnir;gs has been fuiliciently evinced by the. maiierly
janijw-jexs wkich have been made to them, as the preceding volumes
of the learned and accurate Leiand have clearly fhewn, in rela-
tion to tjie deifhical performances, of any reputation, which had
;ii4J^4e>, their appearance before he v/rcte. Thofe, which have
been fmce publiflied, although, in many inllances, the productions
pf men eminent in the literary world, have alfo been triumphant-
ly refuted. An account of thefe, and of the defences oppofed to
them, might form a very ufeful additional volume : and, if
God ill ail grant, to the v/riter of this Appendix, the necefiai-y
health and leifure, he may,, perhaps, turn his thoughts to this ^n-
dertakingj.iyhich, however, he fhouid be happy to fee executed
by fome abler hand. ,- ,-. .-•
After all, it is not fo, much the ftrengtLof deilliqal^argu^ipntsi,
that has given fuch currency to infidelity, as the corrupt inclina-
tions which they fo drongly favour -, and nothing can fo power-
fully tend to check thefe, as the experience of the evil confe-
cuences of their indulgence. Religion has, in former times,
been expcfed to contempt by the cant and jargon of its zealous,
but ignorant, or hypocritical defenders and propagators. Philo-
fophy, endeavouring to rife on her ruins, and load even true reli-
gion with all the cenfure, v/hich is due to the falfe only, has, at
laft, had its turn of difgrace. It is furely impoihble'to conceive
greater nonfenfe, abfurdity, and madnefs, than have been vented
under that fpecious name. Philofophy has been fuppofcd to con-
fift with the reje6t:ion of every principle of cpmmon fenfe, and of
every diftate of .experience, with barbarifm, cruelty, and the de-
vaftation of all that is fair, and good, and honourable in life. A
pcrfon, who confidcrs the vulgar and common acceptation of
the term, as eftabliflied by recent ufe, mull dread the appella-
tion of a philofopher as implying every thing abfurd and perni-
cious. But, the wife and the good will ever difcriminate between
APPtNDlir. ni
tlie real^ and the fiiJ^ltious nnmes, between tlic ufc zvA nbufc of
thiripjs. 'Astbey know that true religion, contained in the divine
otacles, is the mod precious gift of heaven j fo, they will be more
'it^Brigly jittached to it by thofe very corruptions which have pro-
icfe^eddd from the i;;novaiice and depravity of men. In Hkc man-
ner, while they abhor that pretended philofophy, which is dific-
minated' by impoflure, received by credulity, cherillied by vice,
and dete6led, at lail, by its baneful confcqucnces, they will ever
refpe6l and cultivate that real improvement of reafon, which is
th6 refult of experience, and of patient inquiry, wiiich enlarges
and humanizes the foul, ftrengthens every pure religious prin-
ciple, extends the reign of order, peace, and happinefo, and unites
the highefi; enjoyments of the prefent life with the exhilarating^
affurance of ablelTed immortality. A philofophical mind of this
complexion will regard every infidel v/riter as an enemy to the
bed interefrs of mankind, will difcourage, to the utmofc of his
power, and oppofe his principles -, and, althci^gh, in conformity
to the exprefs diftatss, and to the general fpirit of our holy faith,
he will hate every perfecution of his perfon, or defamation of
his characler, will view his attempts to fubvert the grand prin-
ciples of religion, with contempt, or abhorrence, as he appears
to be inSuenced eidier by a weak judgm.enf, or by a corrupt
IN-
INDEX
TO T H E
VIEW OF THE DEISTICAL WRITERS.
N. B. The fubjecfls treated of in the Reflexions on L:>rd Boll/Krbroke* s Lcitert
on the Study a/id Ufe ofHi/iory, are not mentioned in this Index, as there is
a copious Table of Contents preceding that piece, vol. ii. p. ^63, &c.
A.
BBADIE, Mr. — His arguments eo prove tliat Mofes was tK^
lutbor of the Pentuteuch, not fairly reprcfcnted by Lord Bo-
lingbroke, Vol. II. p. 84.
AcBE DE PaPs.is — ^Tlie miracles pretended to be wrought at his
tomb confidered : and it is fiiewn, that no argument can be jud-
ly drawn from thence to the difadvanta;je of the miracles
wrought by Chriil and his apoRles, I. 349, etj(;q. The high
opinion of his fan6i:ity chiefly owing to his extraordinary aufte-
rities, ib. 389. He carried fuperfiition to an excefs, ib. 390.
Voluntarily and defignedly haftened his own death, zb. 391.
His conduct and characler of a different kind from that rational
and folid piety recommended by the precepts and example of
our Saviour and his apollles, ib. 393, 394.
Abraham — God's entering into covenant with him had notlnn;^
in it unworthy of the divine wifdom and goodnefs, Ii. 124. It
was defigned to be of extenfive benefit to mankind, ib. 125.
He did not learn the knowledge and worfhip of the one true
God from the Egyptians or Chaldeans, II. 109. marg. nGie.
Allegories of the'Old Testament — Not defigned to be paif-
ed upon the people as a literal narration of fa£ts, II. 10 1.
Angels — the notion of them rcprefented by Lonl Bolingbroke a;
owing to the ancient ailrologers and profcilbrs of nngic, I. 469.
Yet he owns, that there are many orders ^A fuperior inteliigcnces
' vadly exceeding the human kind, ib. 4^9, TJiey arc employed
as the inftruments of divine Providence, ib. 4^0.^
Angels Fallen — Nothing in the Scripture doClrirc concermn^
them inconfutent with rcafon, II. 159, marg. note.
Apostles — An entire harmony ampng ihem ia t-hsgofp-I wa»ch
VOL. 11. Li- '^^;
tiiey preached, I. 153. Wrongly charged vv'ith having worldly;^
interefts aad advantages in view, I. 257, 258. The reveiatioiit
they pubiifhed truly and properly the revelation of Jefus Chi-ift,
as well as that which he himfelf delivered in the days of his
perfonal miniflry, 11. 197.
Atheism — hath a direcl tendency to take away or pervert the na-
tural fcnfe of right and wron;^, I. 87. It is fubverlive of all
virtue, lb. 88.
Atheists — can only cavil, but cannot reafon againd: the extil:-
cncQ of the Firft Caufe, I. 422. According to Lord Bolingbroke,
they only deny God, but the divines defame him, ib. 415. Pre-
tended aiii;rince between them and divines, idan ib. II. 16. Lord
Sh?ftefbury feems to aficrt, that Atheifls may be really virtuous,
I. oi, 82. — Yet ov/ns, that he that denies a Deity,' fcts up an
opinion againft the fentiments of mankind, and being of fociety,
and it is juftsy punifiiable by the magiflrate, ib. 88.
Atkey, Mr. Anthony — x\uthor oiThe main Argument of a late
Book intitlcd, Chrifcianity as old as the Creation, fairly Jiatcd
and examined, I. 135.
ATKINSON; Mr. — His Vindication of the literal Senfe of three
M:racles ofChriJ}^ in anfwer to Woolfton, I. 121.
Attributes of God — Moral attributes neccfiarily included in
the idea of the infinitely pcrfeft Bein;^, \. ^2iy^ etfeq. Infepa-
rable from his wifdom, ib. 433, &c. Rightly diftinguiflied from
his phyfical attributes, 2^.434, 435. Lord Bolingbroke's objec-
tions againft afcribing moral attributes to God, according to our
ideas of them, confidered and obviated, ib. 435, etfcq.
B.
BALGUY,Mr. John — His Letter to the Deifts, containing reflefticns
on Lord Shaftcibury, I. 7 1. His fecond Letter to the Deifts, in
anfwer to Tindal, ib. 135. His EiTay on Redemption, ibid.
Baxter, Mr. Richard — His Aniinad'verfions on Lord Herbert's
book de Veritate, I. 23.
Bexson, Dr. George — An account of his book of the Reafonable-
nefs of Clirijliamty as delivered in the Scriptures, in anfwer to
Clirijiiamtynotfouridedon Argumenty I. 182. His Refleilions
on Defmf airly Jiatedyih. 281.
Bentley, Dr.. Richard — His Remarks on Collins' Difcoiirfe en
Free Thinking, I. 97 to 99.
Berrow, Mr, Capel— His Anfwer to Deifm fairly fiat ed, I. 281.
Blount, Mr. Charles — His notes on PhiiofLiatus's account of the
life of ApolloniusTyan^euS; L 42, 43. His Religio Laid copied,
for the moll part, from Lord Herl^ert, ib. He was one of the
chief authors of the Oracles of Reafon ^ ib. His argument againfl
the worfiiip of God through a Mediator confidered, z^. 44) 4c.
. ^ 'He
INDEX.
He acknowledgeth Deifm not to be fafe without Chrlftlaiuf v, -ib,
BoLiNGBROKE, Loul Vifcouiit— His Letters on the Study and tljc of
'HtJloryill.2%'$,etJeq. His PoJhu?nous JFarks.l, 40-] tet/eq. He
ratfeth himfelf above all other writers ancieut or modern, zb. 469.
His invectives againft the holy Scripturcj, ib. 411,412. Agahilt
the ancient philofophers, zb. 413, i:^c. And efpccially againlt
ancient and modern Chriftian writers, z'^^. 414, 6?c. Cliargej
thofe that differ from him with madnefs, ib. 418, 419. Tlic main
principles of his fcheme reprefentcd, ?/;. 419, 420. He treats
thofe as profane wlio talk of imitating God in his moral attri-
butes, ib. 427, 428. OiFers fcveral objections agalnil afcribing
moral attributes to the Deity, ib. 435, &c. Yet in cucO: acknow-
ledgeth thole attributes, zb, 443, &c. He denies that God's end
in making man v/as to communicate happinefs to him, ib. 441.
ProfelTes to own a general Providence with regard to colleflire
bodies ; but denies a Providence, as extending to individuals,
ib. 450. The inconnftency of his fcheme (liewn, and its ill con-
fequences to mankind, ib. 457, &c. He acknov/Icdges the great
antiquity and ufefulnefs of the doclrine concerning the immor-
tality of the foul, and a future (late, II. 2. Pretends neither to
alhrm nor deny it, tb. 3. Yet treats it as a fitlion, ib. 4, 5. Will
not allow that the foul is an immaterial fubltance diftincl froni
the body, ib. 5. Attempts to dcftroy tlie moral argumiCnt for a
future ilate from the prefent unequal diilribution of divine Pro-
vidence, ik 16, &c. Sets up as an advocate for Providcnce,|z^.
— His great inconfiftency in this fnewn, zb. 1 8. He fpeaks with
contem.pt of thofe that liave VvTitten of the law of nature before
him, ib. 26. AHerts the univerfal clearnefs of that law to all man-
kind, and that no man can millake it, ib. 29. Yet owns that it
is often miftaken, and affords a dubious light, 2b. 35. IN'lakes
polygamy to be a precept of the lav/ c( nature, i5. 38. His loo'fc
way of talking about marriage, ib. 39. Suppofes monefly and
chaility to have no foundation in nat::re, but to be o>ving to hy-
man vanity, ib. The pernicious tendency of his fcheme, with
refpea to rncrals, zb. 44, 6?c. He denies that mankind have a^/
need cf extraordinarv fupernatural revelation, and ende;voui^s
to anfwer Br. Clarke's arguments for it, zb. 48, £^c. Yctjns own
fcheme, contrary to his intention, tendeth to Ihew the ufefulnefs
and neceffity of revelation, z^. 74.' His attemot^ to difprove tl\e
truth and authenticitv of the Mofaic hillory, zb. 80, e.t fcq.*^ His
charge againfl the Scriptures, particularly the Mofjvic writings,
for degrading the Deitv to mean and unworth); olBpes and em-
ployments, \b. 120, &c. And for afcvibing to God human
INDEX.
153, ^c. The acknowledgments he makes in favour of Criirrtia=*.^
nity, V^. 175, &c. He feems'to give up feveral of the deiftical'^'
obje£lionSj VZ'. 179. His great inconfiftency on this head, ?^. i8r.
He pretends that Chriftianity is a republication of the do£l:rine
of Plato, but more unintelligible than it, 2^. 184, 185 And that
the New Teilament confifteth of two different gofpeis. CT>ntrary
to one another ; that of Chrift, and of St. Paul, 7b. 185, 186.
His inve^lives againft this apcfcle, ib. 187, c3c. .Sfems to ac-
knowledge the gofpeis to he credible and authentic records of
Chrift's difcourfes and actions, ib. 195. Yet docs all he can to de-
{troy their credit, ib, 196, &c. The way he takes to account for .
the propagation of ChriHianity (liewn to beinfufficicnt, 2^.204,'
205, ££'c. Pretends that Chriilianity has been of no advantage
to the refornrat'on of mankind, ib. 207. His obje<£lions againit
fhe doclrine of a Mediator, and of redemption by the blood of
Chrift, z^. 2i8,2I9j &c. He endeavours to expofe the Chriftian
dcftrine cf future rewards and punifliments, as abfurd,and con-
trary to the divine attributes, ib, 239, 240. Seems to deny the
exercife of divine juflice, either here or hereafter, ib. 241, 242.
Finds fault with the gofpel do£trine of a future judgment, for
ireacliing that men fhall then be called to an account for the
thoughts and dii'poritions of their hearts, 2(^. 242. Pretends that,
according to the reprefentations made in the New Tcftament,
men (hall be favcd or damned in the lump, without any regard
to the diiFerent degrees of virtue or vice, 2^. 247, &c.. Objefti
againft the eternity of future punifliments, ib. 25 1 . Rem.arkabic
ijcknowledgment of his on this head, ib. Pretends that future
puniftimcnts cannot be reconciled to the belief of an ail-perfe£t
Being, U>, 254.
Bradley, Mr. John — His reflcdions on the Oracles of Reaforiyl,
j8, 49.
Bkamhall, Archbiiliop — His writinj::s againft Hcbbes, I. 40.
Brown, Mr. John, now Dr. — His EJfciys on the Earl oj Sliaftes-
biirys CharaBcriJlics^ I. 71.
Brown, Mr Simon — His Rebuke to a ludicrous Lifidd^ya anfwer to
Mr. Wooifton, I. 121. His Aiifwcr to Dr. Ttndals Ckrijlianily
as old as the Creation, ib. 144.
Bullock, Dr. Richard— His Anfwer to Collinses Dfcourfe of the
Grounds and P^cafons of the Ckrifiian Religion, I. 107. And
to*his Scheme of literal Prophecy confidered, ib. no.
BuKN£T, Dr. Thomas — Y^Siz- Conferences, in anfvrer to .Tindal's
Chnfllanity as old as the Cr eat tony I. 134.
tl^ANAAN^iTES — The command for exccrminating them not'incon-
fiftcut with the, law of naturp, I, 160. IL 136, &c.
INDEJC.
Cause — .Accor diner to Mr. Ilumc, ilierc is no ccnnexioii bctrVeen
Caufe and EiTo£l ; nor is there any wa)r of knowing it, citlicr
by reafon, or by experience, I. c8(). The manner in which tlie
Caufe produces the Eftecl is inexplicable ; but this^no areuuacrit
againfl: it, 2^.289 297. m -k; i;,., . ,. • ,,
Chandler, Dr. Billiop of Coventry and LitchrieTd— An account of
his D fence of Chnflianity, from the Propluacs of the Old Tr-f
lament — in anfwer to Mr. Collins's Dfcourfc on the Grounds ^
&c. I. I04;, 105. His Vindicanon of it, in anfwer to the S-V'\nr of
literal Prophecy conficlered^ ib. no.
CljANDLER, Br. Samuel — An account of liis Vindicai{u,t oj thr.
-Chriflian E.eligion., in anCvver to Mr. Collinses Dfcourfc on the
Grounds, Sec. I. 106. ' His Vuidi cation of the Anbquliy and
Authonty ofDanieVs Prophecies, ap^ainft the objections of the
Scheme of literal Prophecy confidered, ib. iii. His Vindicaiio.i
of the Hiflory of th^z Old Tejtament — again (l the third volurhs
, of t\\t Moral Philofopher^ ib. 164. His Witn^ffcs of the Re fur -
rcElion re-examined, and proved conjijient — in anfwer to th*
'Refurreclion of Jefus confidered, ib. 206,207.
Chapman, Dr. John — An account of his anfwer to the Moral Phi,
1 0 fop her, intitlQd Eufebius, I. 153. 156. 166.
Chinese — Their ancient figes exprefled themfch'cs obfcurely
concerning the Deity, II. 68, marg. note. Great diiTcrence be-
tween them and Mofes in this refpeci-, ib.
CiiRlST-r-Taught reli^qion with great f;mplicity, II. 177. Lord
Boiingbroke pretends that he artfully engaged the Jews to put
him to death, ib. 232. 233. The doctrine of his being appoint-
ed to judge the world, pretended by the DeiPis to be of no ufc
to mankind, I. 278. The ufefulnefs and importance of it
{hewn, ib.
CiiRibTiAN Revelation — Has fet the principles of natural religion
. in the clearell light, I. 16, 17. Want of univerfality no jult
objection againft it, ib. 19, et Jeq. A fummary of the evidences
for Chrillianity, II. 394, e^/7. Its great ufefulnefs and excel-
lency acknowled.scd by Lord Boiingbroke, ib. 178, ^c. It has
cnntributed to dedroy polytheifm and idolatry, and has reformed
- many laws and caitoms contrary to the lav/ of nature, «^- 268.
It does not teach lii^ht and trivial expiations for fin, ib. Izi. ^ It
13 not true, that the v/hole fyltcm of CIn-iilla:iity '^'^'^^'^•^^ ^f^'}-
iiattera the pride of the humaq heart,, ib. 27,^, ;34- ^ Nor thai: it
confifts merely of unintelligible doarines, and uirlefs militu-
tionsj I. 276. r n I
Christianity not founded on Argument Apnnplilet focalled,
I. 167. Obfi^rvations upon it, ?/<. 169 — i8i. TIrole reprefentcd
bvMr. Hume as dangerous friends, or difidifet C" • ' *^ to
Chrl'tianitv, who endeavour to prcVclt by i*^iifon, I. :
Christians — Unjuuly charged by toid Bolingbroke with mur-
muring through this life agahiPc the juflice of God ; and there-
fore unwortiiy to taile of his goodnsfs in a future Kate, 11. 23.
And with alTuming that happinefs confifteth principally in the
advantages of fortune, ib. Note, r/ivihons among them no
argument againll the truth or certainty of the Chridian religion,
I. 6, 7. 242. II. 371. The corruptions of profslTed Chriftians no
juft objection againtl true original Chriflianityj I. 280.
Chueb, Mr. Thomas — ^Publifhed fcvcral trails, in which, under
pretence of a great regard for pure uncorrupted Chriftianity, he
endeavoured to betray it, I. 214. His pofthumous works mani-
fciily intended againft revealed religion, z'i^. 215. Kis high pre-
tences and felf'futiiciency, ib. 216. Denies a particular provi-
dence, lb, 217. Sometimes feems toafTert a future ilate, at other
times reprefents it as altogether uncertain, and that no proof
can be given of it, z^, 218, 219, (^c. He abiolutely reje6ls the
Jewiih revelation, ib. 225. But fpeaks very favourably of Maho-
ir.etanifm, 2^. 227. ProfeiTes to believe ChriiVs divine mlHicn
as probable, ib. 228, Yet endeavours to fubvert the evidence by
■v/hichitis proved, ib. 230. He reprefents the Scriptures as an
. uniafe guide, and of a pernicious tendency ; yet blames the
church of Rome for locking them up from the laity, and that
this tends to involve the people in the moft grofs ignorance,
fuperftition, and llavery, r^. 230, 231. His attempt to expofe
our Saviour's precepts in his fcrmon on the mount, ib. 232,233.
Jle grofsly mifreprefents the gofpeb doctrine of atonement, 7b.
237, 238, &c. Pretends that the Scriptures were corrupted in
tl-re times of I'opery, ib. 243, 244. That the apoiiiles changed
the original fcheme of Chriiiianity as laid down by our Saviour,
.ib^%r^6i 257. And that they had worldly w^".aUh and povvcr in
view, ib. 258, ^c. He abufes St- Paul, 2^. 239, &c. 259, 260.
Reprefents all religions as indifferent, ib. 262. Sets up Deifm
as an infallible guide, ib. 264, 265. P^-uns a parallel between the
progvcfs of Chriilianity and that of Methodifm, ib. 254, .255.
ClafiIiNDON, Earl of— His Brief View and Survey of the pernicious
■ ' .Errors, in Ilobbes's Lezjiaihan, I. 40.
Ci^ARKE, Dr. Samuel— His RsflcClions on TolancCs Amyntor, I. 51.
His anfwers to Mr. Coiiins on the immateriality and immortality
of the hum.an foul, I. 91;. II. 11. Inveftivcs againft him by Lord
Bolingbroke, I. 417. Cenfured by his Lordiliip for fuppofing
tiiat juftice and goodncfs are the fame in Cod as in our ideas of
them, ih. 425, 425. And for reprefenting God as having a
tender concern for the happinefs of man, ib. 425. And for f up-
pofmg that there are inequalities and diforders in the prefent
fltate of things, and arguing from whence for a future flat6 . of
'retributions
INDEX.
vctributions, TI. 1 7. His arjiuments to prove the r.eccfTiiy of rc-
yeiatibn vindicated againft Lord Boliligbrokc, II. 48. 68,69. '
Clergy — Thofeof the primitive Church chviricd by l^ord Boling-
broke with being a very lawiefs tribe, and ftirrinjr up tlie people
^o tumults and infurre£lions, II. 257.
CLogHER; Bifliop of — His Vindication of the Hijlories of the QUI
' and Nezv Teflainent — in anfw er to Lord Bolingbroke's Lttters
on the. Study and Ufc of Hy?ory,l. .83.
Collins, l\'lr A!ithony-r— Writes againft the immateriality and im-
inortality of the foul, and againft human liberty,!. 95. His
Difcourfe oj Free-Thvnking^ ib. Obfervations uponit, ?^. He
pretends to prove, that there was a general alteration of the
foUr gofpels in the fixth century, ib. 96,97. His Dijcourfe on
the Grounds and Reafons of the ChnfHan Religion^ defigned to
■I fhew that Chriftianity hath no jufc fc^indation at all, lb. 100,101.
An acccurt of the anfwers that were made to it, ib. 104 His
Scheme of literal Prophecy confidcrcd, ib. 109. Books pub'ilhcd
in anfwer to it, -ib. no, &c. Pretends that Chrift's refurrec-
tion, if it could be proved, would not be a fuffitient proof of
the truth of the Chrillian revelation, ih. 186. Remarkable paf-
fage of his concerning the afcribing human paffions and affec-
tions to tlie Supreme Being, II. 134. Unfair management in the
French vr^inflation of his Difcourfe of Free -Thinking \. 100*. note.
CoNYBEARi:, Dr. John, late Bifhop of Briftol — An account of liis
Defence of revealed Religion, in anfwer toTindai's Chrijlianitv
as old as the Creation, 1. 137. His argument to fhew thai
there is no neceffity to produce the originals or attelled copies
of the Scriptures, II. 199.
Country — Love of our country, how far countenanced and r^-
comm.ended by Chriftinnity, L. 58, 59, note.
Creation — Mofaic account of it fimple and noble. II. 148, 149.
Vindicated againll Lord Bolingbroke's objections, ib. 15c.
-God's refting from the works of creation, how to be underftood,
ib^ 152.
CuDWORTH, Dr. — Unworthy cenfure paflcd upon him by Lord
Bolingbroke, I. 416.
Cumberland, Bifiiop— His book De Leg^bus Natura:, in anfvrer to
Mr. Hobbes, I. 40. Charged by Lord Boimghrokc with meta-
phyfical jargon and theological biafpheniy, I. 417-
D.
Tizim fairly Stated, and fully Vindfcafed—K pampMet fo called,
oti^rvatlons upon 'it,"L i6^— 28K, fliat aut^or^ no-n-outi
accountof deiftn, aticl His way of ftjitin;^ the'qacf cen
C:>riftians and :cfelrts '/xaminedj'z'^.'id-j'f/J^y-- . . ,.
Pi^isTS— Who firft z^^xmck cKat name, L i^ Moml^'iiid immor-
Li4 ' *•
INDEX,
Jfal lieifts, :?^. Great oliTerences among them abcut the main
articles of natural religion, ib. 9. II. 379. Their unwearied
attempts againft Chriftianity, and diiterent attacks upon it, I.
125. Their ipecious pretences, and high opinion'of themfelves,
and contempt of others^ -ih, 131, etfeq. They often profefs an
ePLcem for Chrifiianity, whilll they do all in their power to -
fubvert it, II. 380, 381. Their unfair and dillngenuoiis con-
dxiSiy lb. 3S2, 383. They feem frequently to diicard all moral
evidence, and advance maxims which feem to deftroy the credit
of all.hifliory, 2^.383,384* Their inconfiflencies and ccntra-
4i<SI:ions, ib. 386, 387. Addrcfs to them, ib. 362, etfeq.
Beluqe — General tradition of it, 11. 83. ;..
DiviKES — Virulent reproaches and inve^ivcs againfl them by
Lord Bolingbroke, I. 414. Rcprelented as forming a confeder-
acy with the atheiiLS againfc the attributes and providence of
God, ih. 415. 11. 17. And as worfe than atheids, I. 416. Charged
with denying the tendency of virtue to make men happy, II. 18.
And with cenfuring their Creator in the government oi the
world,, and accuhng him of injuftice, ib. 16. 248.
DivoKCES — Lord Bolinf^broke's wron^; account of the legal caufes
qf divorce, II. 214. 13itTerences among the Jewiili docfcrs on
that head, ^b. 215. In wh;'.t fenfe it mull be undertlccd that di-
vorces v/cre permitted to the Jews for the hardnefs of their
hearts, \b. 216.
Douglas, Rev. Ivlr. — His Criterion^ or Miracles examined, zn
account of it, I. 403.
E.
Education of children recommended— -The great importance
of it ihewn, and bad elTcvSts of negled^ling it, II. 448.
Egyptians — Their hiitory in the hands of the priefts, and con-
cealed from the Yulgar in hieroglyphics and facred characS^ers,
II. 83, Sy. Their account of tlie exode of the Ifraelites out of
Egypt not to be depended upon, ib. 96, 97. Their abfurd ac-
re unt of the origins! formation of man, ib. 152. There is no
luiScient proof that Mcfes adopted their rites and cuitoms, ib^
103, 104, marg. note.
Evidence, moral — I'he fufficiency of it (hewn for giving afTur-.
ance of fa£ts, I. 161, 162. II. 383, 384. The near connexion
betv/een moraKevidence and phyfical, I. 295', 296. 318,319.
338. In fome cafes it yields a certainty equivalent to that
which arifesfrom demonftration, I. 374, 375.
Experience — The abufe Mr. Hume makes of thpt word, I. 300.
315, 316. Hov/ far and in what fenfe it may be faid to be a
j^uide in reafoning concerning matters of fa<^, zi. 316,. 317.
iTr WV.y.v, ejrpcrience is fo far from beir.g a full proof againft th'e
cxiflcnge
INDEX.
XM^'inc^ of rniracks, tliat it affordctK no proof aganul it at att,
'2^Ki32ar323- "^ ' ■ v:.
Expiation by the B'ood of Christ — DlfiiUTenuous reovf^reutatinn
of it by Mr. Chubb, I. 237, 238. And by Lord lioiin^Torcki,
li. 224, 225. 228, 229. It anfwers the mod valuable ends, H,
J52(^x227, 228.
-ftOD F.
FiCTS EXTRAORDINARY — By which the lav/ cr Mopjs was strefc'd,
were of the mofl public nature, and the accounts of them cocvcl
' with the law itfeh^, II. 401, &c. Thofe accounts to be dcpcn.icd
on as fafely tranfmitted to us, ib. 86, 87, &c. Ti\c fame thing
fhewn with regard to the fa6ls by which Chriilianity is attcltcd,
I. 334, ££?<:. II. 201,202. /i^o-^^ et J'ttq.
pAlTH — That v/hich is required in the gofpel not a hr/rc fpccu-3-
tive afientj I. 5. 177. Not inconfiftcnt v.dth rcafcn, nor to be
cppofed to it, ih. 182, 183. II. 211. The diftc-rence between
faith and fiftion refolved by i^.lr. Hume into a more lively and
forcible feeling, I. 366, marg. note.
Fall of man — The jMofaic account of it vindicated againfi th'j
obje£lions of Lord Bolingbrcke, II. 153, 154, ^c.
^Fathers'of the christian church — Contemptuous rcprcfenta-
tion of them by Lord Bolingbroke, I. 414.
Foster, Dr. James — An account of his Anfwer to Dr. Tindal's'
Chri/iianity as old as the Creation, I. 136, 137.
Free-thinkers — Blamed by Lord Bolingbroke for a fadlous
fpirit, under pretence of liberty, I. 410, 411.
Friendship — ^^I'he pretence that it is not required in the gofpel
confidered, I. 98. 99-
Future State of Rezoards and Pumfliments — R.eprefentcd by Lord
Herbert as an eflcr.itial article of natural religion, I. 3. Deilb
divided about it, ib. 2, 3. 9. Lord Shaftefbury infmuates, that
the belief of it may be of bad influence in morab, th, 56, &l\
74. 78, 79. Chubb's variations with regard to a future ftate,
zb. 219, 22c, &c. This do6lrine believed from the earlieft an-
tiquity, II. 2, 3. A part of the primitive religion comnvjuicatcd
to the lira anceftors of the human race, 2!?. 14. 68. The frrcat
iifefulnefs of that doftrine acknowledged by Mr. Hume and
Lord Bolingbroke, ii?. 437, 438. Jullly argued from the pre-
fent unequal diftribution of Divine Providence, L 307, 308.
II. 25. To aihire us of this, one important end and ufc of di-
vine revelation, II. 64, 65. It is plainly implied in the b\v of
Mofcs, though not exnrefsly mentioned there, r^. 167—169. At
the time, of our SaviSur's coming, it was not only denied or
doubted of by many among the philofophers, but had htt.c hold
e£iYul2;ir.ininds, zb. And therefore a clear auci cx-refs reveia-
INDEX*
tion Ox it was then nccefTary, z^. 170. The Chriftiaii doctrme
cf future retributions vindicated againft Lord Boling'oroke's ab-
iefbionsj ib. 247, etfeq.
' G.
GiLDONj Mr. Charles— Publifhed the Oracles of Reafon, i/43.
Afterwards wrote a book againrc the deifts, intitled, The Dajls'
Manual, ib. 48.
Gnostics — Lord Bolingbroke's pretence that the primitive Chrif-
tians were Giiodics, II. 256, rnarg. note.
QOD — our notions of his aLtribut?s, though inadequate, not falfe,
I. 438, 439. Noble idea of God in the facred writings, II. 119.
123. Concerning God's being the tutelary God of Abraham,
and of the people of Ifrael, ib. 124, 125. In the idea' of God,
as reprefented in Scripturej there is united the higheO: majelly,
and the molt marvellous condefcenfion, zb. 129. In what fenfe
aiTeclions may be afcribed to God, ib. 133, 134.
Gospels— -The fpurions ones v/ere never generally received in the
Chriilian church, and therefore no argument to be drawn from
them to the prejudice of the true Gofpels, which were received
from the beginning as of divine authority, -L 51, 52, 53. II. 107.
Pretended corruption of the Gofpels in the fixth century, falie
jind abfurd, I. 96, 97. The, Gofpels now received acknov/ledged
bv Mr. Ilobbes and Lord Bolingbroke to have been written in
the times of the apoftles, and to contain a true account of the
difcourfes and actions of our Saviour, I. 36. II. 196. Tranfmlt-
ted to us with an evidence which may be fafely depended upon,
IT. 204.404. Not neceffary to have the originals or ^attefted
copies of them in our own hands, tb. 199, 2co. Some copies
of them fo ancient as to bring us near to the firit ages of the
church, lb. 199. m^arg. note.
Government — Religion necefiary to government, and Chriftia-
nity particulr.rly friendly toit, il. 179. 437, 438.
Grace, divine — Never mentioned by Lord Bolingbroke but in a
wav of fneer, 11. 211. The notion of it not inconGftent with
reafon, ib.
Greene, Mr. John — His Letters to the author of the Difcourfi
on the Grounds, &c. concerning the application made in the
New Teilamentof palTages in the Old, I. 107.
H.
Hallet, Mr. Jofeph — His DifcQurfe of the Nature,, Kinds, and
Numbers of our Saviour s Miracles — in anfwer to Woolfton,
I. 122. His InimoraUty of the Moral Ph:lofopher, ar.d Vindi-
cat: on of it, ib. 153. His Rebuke to the Moral Philofopher,for
the Errors and Immoralities in kis third Volume, ib. 166. His
Confiflcnt
INDEX.
Confifttnt Chrifiian, in anfwer to Mr. Chubb's True Goffjd pP
Jtjiis' Chrijl ajftrted, ib. 214. ^^ ^
Halyburton, Mr.— His Natural Religion ivfuj^aent, and rr..
vealed necejfary to Mans Happinefs, in anfwer to Lord Herbert,
1. 23.
Happiness — Differences amonp: the plulofophcrs about it, II. 61.
Men apt to confound pleafure with happincfs, ?/'. 62. Divi:ic
revelation of great iife to inftrucl men in the nature of true bnp-
pinefs, and dlre£l them in the way that leads to it, id. ib. Ilo.r
it is to be underftood that God made men to be irappy, I. ^^i.
Harris, Dr. — His Remarks en tke Cafe of Lazarus, m anfwer to
Wcolftcn, I. 122.
Hervey, Mr. — YS\^R.emarhs en Lord Bolir.gbrokes Letters ciilhe
Study and Ufe of HzJIory, I. 283. '
Heathens — The fun the principal obje£l of their ador?,tic>n, I.
10. They were, by Jjord Herbert's acknowledgment, involved
in univcrfal daiknefs, I. 13. The wrong notions the vulgar en-
tertained of God, II. 50. They worfliipped a mondrous nf-
feinblage of divinities, id. ib. True theifm among them paiTtrd
'3
rites, ib. 54.
HenPwY, Dr. — His Defence of Scripture Hijlory,\v. anf^^xr to jNIr.
Wcolilon, I. 122. His Difcourfe of our Saviour's iniidci.ljus
Power oj healings ib.
Herbert, Lord, of Cherbury — One of the firft and moil ^..;i.it:.L
deiits that have appeared among us, I. 3. The firft tliat formed
deifm into a fyilem, id. ib. The five articles in v.'hich he nial;c3
all religion to confifl, id. ib. The deifts themfelves not agreed
in them, ib. 9. Thofe articles not fo univerfally known and re-
ceived among the heathens as to make any farther revelation
needlefs, id. zb, S^c. Set in the bed light by the Chriftian re-
velation, lb. 18. Anfweifs to Lord Herbert, ib. 23, 24. Curioucj
anecdote relating to him — with refle£lions upon it, 7/'. 24, 3c,
His pretence that no man can be certain of a revelation, u^cept
it be made im.mediately to himfelf, confidered, II. 396.
History — No impropriety in endeavouring to iiuiilrate hzitl
hiftory by pipfane, I. 282. II. 82, 83. ^
History, Mosaic — Its antiquity,. impartiality, and excellent ten-
dency, II. 77—80, 6?c. Not forged in the time of tlic Judges,
ib. 89,90. See Moses.
HoADLEY, Mr. Benjam.in, late Lord Bifliop of Winchefler— His
Q^uenes addrtfjed to the Authors of a Dfcourfe of Fru-Tkinh^
ing, I* 99*
HoBBES, Mr. — Sometimes li^eaks honourably of the holy Scrip-
tures, I. ^::. Allows thc'vv-ritings of the apoltles to hare been
written
IKDEX<
Written by eye^witnefTe^, ib. 36. Pretends that tlie Scripture
depends upon tx:e magiftrate for its iiurhority, and that he is
the only interpreter of Scripture, tb. ^6, 7']- Allows men to
derty the faith with their mouths, provided they lieep it in their
iiearts, ?/'. 37. The ftrarsge account he givesof religion, f^. 2^.
^A-iTerts the materiality and mortality of the human foul, 2^: 37.
Kis principles deflruclive of natural religion, morality, and
government, r^. 37, 38. Anfwers publiflied againfthim, ib. 38.
&c. Declares his perfuafion, that the clergy did not falfify the •
Scripture in favour of their own power and fovereignty,' I. 65.
Hume, Mr. David — An ingenious, but very fceptical writer, I.
284. Speaks highly in praife of his own performances, ib. 285.
296. 395. Denies any connection between Caufe and EiFecl:, 2^.
286. The abfurdity and ill confequences of his fcheme, ib. 288.
et feq. V/ili not allow that v/e can have any alluirance of the ex-
iilence of God by his works, becaufe the obje6l lies entirely be-
yond the reach of human experience, -ib. 300. His argument
againft a future ftate, ib. 302, 303. Remarks upon it, ib. 305,
etfcq. Yet he acknowledgeth the belief of it to be of great ad-
vantage to m.ankind, ib. 309, 310. ' He intimates, that it is pre-
fumption in us to afcribe any attribute or perfe£lion to God, ib,
■:? 1 1. His E^ay on Miracles^ ib. 312, etfcq. Endeavours to {hew,
that miracles arc incapable of being proved by any evidence or
te{limony v/hatfoever, ib. 313, 314. Yet afterwards feems to
allow, that they may admit of proof from tedimony, except
when wrought in favour of religion, ib. 342. The infolent re-
proach he caftcth upon thofe that believe Chriilianity, ib. 322.
He pretends that the miracles of the Abbe de Paris much furpafs
thofe of our Saviour in credit and authority, ib. 349. Repreferits
thofe as dangerous friends, or difguifed enemies, to the Chr^f-
tian religion, who endeavour to prove it by reafon, ib. 3M,
367. His odd account of the nature of faith, or belief, ib^
note. He attempts to call a flur upon the go fpei- morality,
ib. 396.
Humility required in the gofpel — Kn amiable and excellent
virtuCi I. 40 1> 402.
I.
liu
Jackson, Mr. John — His Remarks on Ckriftianity as old as iht
Creation^ I. 135. '^\% Proof of revealed Religion from Miracles
and Prophecies — in anfwer to The ReJ'urredion of Jefiis con^
fdered^ih.no^.
liiEAS — -Whether ideas can be afcribcd to God, I. 446$ &c. Eter-«
^ nal ideas and eHences how to be underftood, 2b. 447. Our ideas
of rcfiefition ,as clear and dirTin£i: as thofe of fenfation, and
■^ pfteu convey knowledge that may be i^;id to be more real, II. 8.
IroLATiiy
INDEX..
Idolatry— Forbidden by tlic law of nature, II. 3^^. iqp. The
command for putting- idohitrous Ifraclitos to d-ut':, under the
Mofaic conllitution, vindicated, ib. 140.
Jeffrey, ?>Ar. Thomas — His Review c/t/ieControver/y betiue^n lu-i
Author of the Grounds and his Adver /dries ^ I. 107, His ChnJ-
tianity the PerfeBion of all Religion — in anfwer to 'Tht^^ckime
6J literal Prophecy confidered^ ib. 1 1 1 . ,. „ < •
Jews — See Israelites.
Imitation of GOD — ^Thofe that fpeak of it charged by Lord
Bolin^brokc with impiety and blafphemy, I. 428, 429., ^f,,-,,-,.^,.
InterpositiOxNS, occasional — Not properly miracalous, jior.in*
confident with the general laws of Providence, I. 455. 4^;.
Inspiration — God's communicating thoughts or ideas by in-
fpiration, not inconfiftent with the laws of tne intel]e£luai fvi-
tem,or with the freedom of the will, I. 464, 4^)5;. Infpiration,
as it fignihes an extraordinary aclion of God upon the hun^au
mind, acknowledged by Lord Bolingbroke not to be move incon-
ceivable than the ordinary a£tion of mind on body, or of body
on mind, II. 47.
Jones, Mr. Jeremiah — His New and full Method of fettling the Ca-
nomcal Authority 0} the Nezo Tejlament^ L ,51, ^2.
Israelites — Probably more free from idolatry than the n^jigh-
bouring nations, when they were firfl ere6led into a facred po*-
iitv, I. 225. Their Scriptures notdefigned to flatter their prid-
and prefuraption, XL 78, 79. 1 15. Not driven out of Egypt for
ieprofy, ib. 96, 97. The wifdom and propriety of fetting them
apart as a peculiar people, vindicated, I. 225. II. 98. 104.111, 112.
Notwithilanding their frequent revolts, their law had a great ef-
feel in preferving the worihip of God among them, in a manner
which eminently diftinguiflied them from the heathen natJonr,,
II. 109, lio. 171. They did not allow the worfiiip of paiatcJ,
any more than of carved images, II. 105, note.
K.
Knowledge— -Our knowledge not fufficient to difcover (0 us ti-.r
inward eiTences of things, but to prove their exigence, and
diftinguiflr them by th^ir properties, II. 7
Lardner, Dr. Nathaniel— His Credibility of the ^ Gofpd-lnjlory.
1.52. H-s Vindication of three oj our Saviour's Mtmcles—m
anfwer to Mr. Woolfton's fifth difcourfe, ib, i2a.- , . ,\
INDENT.
jUliyfiatecl — in anfwer to Tindal's Chrijiianiiy as old^^^s tin
CrcMicn^\, 135. < :ii\^Vi
Law of nature — Lord Bolinp-broke's conterriDtuous rettt^efelifr.-
tion of thofe that have written on that fubjecl:, II. 27, 28. His
own account of that law oonfidercd, ih. 28, &c. His pretence
of the abfolute clearnefs of that law to all mankind, contradi6ted
by experience and by his own acknowledgmeiits, ib. 32, 33. Ke
denies any fan6tions of that lav/ with refpetl: to individuals, ib^
43. Pretended oppofition between the proofs and evidences of
the Law of Nature, and thofe of the Chrifdan Revelation, ih.
182, 183.
Laws/ciyil — ^Very imperfecl meafures of virtue, and not alone
fuiiicient for the fecurity and improvement of it, I. 459, 460.
I'l. 43. 59, 60. Many laws in all countries have been contrary
to the Law of Nature, II. 60. Chriftianity has been of ufc to
coriecl and reform many fuch laws, ih. 208.
Leland, Dr. John — Account of his Aiifwerto Tmdars Chrijlia-
mty as old as the Creation^ I. 140, £yc. His Divine Authority
cf the Old and New Teflament djferied — in anfwer X.Q>Vi.\Q Moral
Fhilofopher, ib. 156. &c. 164. His Re?narks on Chriji.ianity
not founded on Argument, ib. 183. His RefieBions on Lord
Bolingbroke's Letters on the Study and life of Hijlory, I. 283.
II, 0.^1, etfeq.
Llvites — Br. Ivlcrfj;an's extravagant computation of their reve-
nues, I. 165. The appointment of them, and proviiion made
for them, in the law of Mofes, jufl and reafo2iable, ib. 226. The
charge brought againft them of mailacring three thcufand men
by Mofes's order, ccnfidered, II. 145, 146.
Le MoinEj Mr. Abraham — His Treatifeon Miracles — in anfwer
to Mr. Chubb's difcourfe on that fubje6l, I. 215. 366.
Locke, Mr. John — -His obfervation onLord Herbert's five articles,
I. 23. He proves the infuiTiciency of natural reafon unafFiiled
by revelation, in its great and proper bulinefs of morality, ib,
o5c. His high edeem for St. Paul, ib. 2^9. He is charged by
Lord Bolingbroke with a philofophical delirium, ib. 416. And
blamed by him for reprefenting the heathens as deficient in the
firfl: article of natural religion, the knovvdedge of the one true
God, the Maker of all things, II. 49. Lord Bolingbroke owns
that he has reduced St. Paul's doclrine of predcfiination v.ithia
the bounds of credibility, ?7'. 187. Remarkable pafhige of his
concerning the reafonablencfs of giving afient to m.iracles upon
?,'iair tcftimony, I. 383, 384.
London, late Bifhop of. Dr. Gibfcn — His Paftoral Liters y in an-
fwer to Woolfton and Tindal, I. 121. 134. . .'^rr J
Lor^DO>:, ''"^'* ^^'ihop of, Dr. Sherlock — His Uft ctnd Intent of
Prophecy
INDEX.
- Prophecy in the fiver al Ages of the Church, \. io3. His Trial
of the JVitmffes of the Rfarreclion of J (f us, in aufwer lo
-;Woolllon, lb. 122.
LoWMAN, Mr. Moles — His Argument from* Prophecy, in proof
that Jefas. was the Mc/jiah, vindicated, I. 108. Hh Di/priu-
.Hon on the Ciml Govern?nent of the Hebrews, ih. 160. His Ap'
ipendix. to that Di£'ertatiou, in anfwer to Morgan, ib. 165.
Lytti^eton, Sir Geortre — His Obftrvalions on the Convcrfion and
Apoflleflizp of St. Paul, I. 211.
M.
.Mahometan ISM — Mr. ChubVs favourable account of it, I. 22<S.
He pretends it was not propagated by the fword, id. ib. The
Mohometans not only expreisiy allow a plurality of wives, but
that they may make ufe of their female Havco as often as they
pleafe, il. 214, 215, marg. note. The revelation of Mahorn^:t
not neceOary to eftablifh the unity of God among Chriftians, ib.
236, 237.
Mediator — The Scnpture-doftrmc of a Mediator doth not de-
rogate from the Divine Mercy, I. 44. It is a doftrine worthy
of God, and which makes a!i eminent difplay of the Divine
"Wifdom and Goodnefs, id. ib. II. 218, etfeq. The heathens
had fome notion of the propriety or neceflity of a Mediator;
but Chriftlanity fets it in the ncbleft light, II. 222, 223.
MESSIAH — Many of the Old Teftament prophecies relate lite-
rally to the Mefiiah, and were fo under Itood by the ancient
Jevv's, I. 105, 106. 108. The Me (hah foretold by the prophets
not merely a temporal prince, ib. 156^ 157. 161.
Miracles— The pretended ones of Apollonius Tyanxus cppofcd
to thofe of our Saviour, I. 42. Mr. V/oolfton's objections
againit them confidered, ib. 114, &c. Difrcrence between the
popifh miracles and thofe recorded in the Gofpel, ib.2^^2. 403.
A feries of uncontrouled miracico a proper proof of divine reve-
lation, I. 155. irp. 11. 400, 401. Acknowledged by fome of
the deifts themfelves to be of great force, IL 399, Aco. Uniform
experience atFordeth no proof againft miracles, I. 323. 326. ^^6.
They are not impOiTibk to the Divine Power, ib. 323. Net
contrary to the immutability of God, ib. 324. Nor unworthy
of his wifdom — and may anfwer very valuable ends, tb. 3E4.
U. 309. Fajfe miracles no jull objeaion apainlt the true, I.
.^347,''348. The miracles v/rought among the Jews » reahy
wrought, fufhcient, according to Lord Bolingbroke, to have con-
viiiced them, and other nations, of the divine authority ot their
law, II. 113. The fame thing atknowledeed by Inm with r •-
•;gtirtl\to thofe wrought in attcflation to Clirlftir.nity, :b. iQ?.
INDEX,
294. Foiitive evidence for tbofe miracleo, and no ^^^d^Rce at
allp.gainft them, I. 378, 379. • ' ■'■' ^':
MoNTGERON, Moiif. cic — His book in derence of th^ miracJes
wrought by the intercciiion of the Abbe de Tavis, I. 35a, 351.
Morality — of aftio^is, according to Lord Boliiigbroke, confilt-ech
not in their being prefcribed by God, but in their be ii^g the
means of our acquiring bapninefs, II. 42. It is net true, th?t
morality was carried to the fame extent by the heathen philoso-
phers as it is in the Gofpel, ik. 58, 59. Nothing fo proper, by
Lord Bojingbroke's acknouledgmcnt, to enforce moral obliga-
tions, as a true divine revelation, ib. 61.
Moral sense — Lord Bolingbrcke ridicules thofe that fpeak of it ;
and treats it as enthufiafm, II. 31. . .
Moral evidence and certainty — See Evidence.
Morgan, Dr. Thomas — -An account of his Moral Philcfcpher, I.
140, &c. He acknowieds;es the p-reat ufcfulnefs of divine reve-
lation in the prefent ftate of mankind, and particularly of the
Cliiiftian revelation, ih. 141. But leaves no v/ay of knowing
T/hen a tevelation is realiy given, nor will allow us to receive
any thing upon the authority of it, z/f. 148. Denies miracles
cr prophecy to be proofs of divine revelation, ib. 149. His in-
veftives againft the Old Teftament, and againil the ancient pro-
phets, ib. 150. He profefles a great veneration for our Saviour,
yet inhnuates feveral unvv'crthy refietlions upon his perfon and
charadler, ib. 150, 151. Pretends that the cpofties preached dif-
ferent, and even contrary Gofpels, ib. His pretence', tli?-t the
New Te {lament was corrupted by the Jevv's, examined, 2/;,.i^i.
Anfwers to the firit volume of his Moral Philojcphcvy ib. 153,
&c. An account of his fecond volume, and remarks upon it, ih,
158, &c. His grofs mifreprefentations of the Seripture-hiftory,
ib. 156 — 150. 163. An account of his thiid volume, and the
anfwers to it, ib. 163, 164.
Mortification required in the Gofpei — How to be undcrflood,
I. 399, 400.
Moses — Lord Bolingbroke's inveclives againft his writings, L4ii>
412. II. 77. 148. The great antiquity, impartiality, and ex-
cellent tendency of his hiliory, II. 77. He was cotemporary to
many of the facts he relates, and had fufficicnt afhirance of the
reft, ib. 8c, 81. Theie is all the proof that he was the author
cf the Pentateuch that can be rcafonably deGred, or v/hich the
nature of the thing admits of, ib. 84. His hiftory cleared from
the charge of inconfulencies and contradiftions, ib. p3, &'c. He
ufcd'none cf the arts cr paliiatir.g methods of-the ancient priefts
and IrtVvgivers, ib. ico, loi. Vaftly fuperior to the moft ct]C'
.brated !eg:ilaicrs of s^itiquity^ ib, 2,o2> 103. Did net adopt the
idolatrous
KJDEX.
idolatrous fupeirtitions of Egypt, II. 103. Cleared tVom the.
charge of making; mean and unworthy reprelVntations of tl\e
, Dikyi ib. 1 19, ^c. His account of the creation of the world,
and oi the original formation of man, noble and ration.il, ib. 148.
151. The fanclionvS of his law confidercd, 2^. 162, CBc. Why
he makes no exprcfs mention of a future ibate/zi'. 170, s^c.
Mysteries, pagan — Lord Bohngbroks's magnificent account of
their nature and defign, II. 50. Yet owns that v/e know little
about them; and that the ablurdities of p.o'ythcifm w.re retain-
ed in them, however mitigated, ib» Socrates would- never be
initiated in thofe niyileries, to. 51,
N.
Nature, human — Original -dignity of it afTerted by Mofcs, II.'
153. It is now in a corrupt ftate, ih. 219.
Nature, law of— See Law.
Natural religion — No account of any nation that ever profelT^d
it in its purity, abilracting from all revelation, I. (^2>, 6g» note.
Set in the cleareft light by the Chriilian revelation. I. 18. No-
where fo clearly taught and underftood as amon^^ Chrilbinis, \.
146. II. 380. No oppofrtion between tliis and th'^ Chriilian rc-
veiatioUj or betv»reeii the proofs of the one and of the ether, II.
182, 283.
NlCKOLs, Dr. — His Conference with a Tlieijl, oppofed to the Ora-
cles of Reafon, I. 47, 48. '
Nye, Mr, Stephen — Hi-- Defence of the Canon of the 1\l'j) Ttjta-
mertt — —in anfwer to foland's Aniyiitor, I. 51.
P.
Paris — See Abbadie.
Paul, St.— His converfion furnifli'-th a remar'iable proof in favour
of ChriRianity, I. 30—32. 199. Not the author of a difrercnt
^ofpel from that of Cbrilt and the other apoflhs, I. 157, 166. 11.
^86, 187. His account of jefus's having been fcen by above five
hundred brethren at once, vindicated a^ainil Mr. Chubb an.'i
Lord Bolingbrckc, I. 190, 200. II. 195. His fcnle greatly irnf-
rcprefented, and injuricj.s charges brought agaiiift him by Mr.
Chubb, I. 239. ^c. lb. 260,261. Lord Bollni<broke*s mveaives
againft him, I. 412. TL 187. His excellent chan^aer^, U. 190.
Vindicated agaiml the charge of madnefs, H. iflO. i"... ^
Pearce, Dr. Zacharv, Bilhcp of Bangor— His / /«-^
Vindicated— Ti^cnu^k Mr. Vv'colfton, I. 121. . . ,. fr
PsNiATEUCH-See Mo.ES-Great conformity between the .le-
bi:ew and Samaritan code of the P^tatcuch, a pr.of 0 - •-
thenticity, H. 93. i- , r .;,. ^r-
Philosorhers— InVufficient to recover man.<md irom t ;. c .-
ruptlon into which th.y had fallen, «^ 5;; ^^ ' f T .'^U;!^
gion, or moral duty, I. 16, X;- H- 57, ^^^' ^^^^ "''^.J^c'
® ' " T\.T ,n oDtirves,
VOL. -II. *^ '"
INDEX.
obferves, that tliofe of them who acknowledged the Monad nt-
glc'fled to worfiiip hhn, II. 5 1 . And that they conformed to the
practice of idolatry, though not to the do6ivines of Polytheifm,
7b. It is not true, that there is no moral precept required in the
goipel but what they recommended, or that they all agreed what
is virtue and what is vice, ib. 58, ^c). The belt and wifeft of
them were fennble of their need of a divine revelation, zb. 6S.
Plato — Lord Bclingbroke fpeaks of him with great contempt —
The reafon of it, I. 413^ 414- ^^c pretends that Chriftianity is
only a republicati m of the do£lrine of Plato, II. 184, 185. His
banter about Plato's being the precurfor of our Saviour, and
infpired by the Holy Ghoft, z'^ 185. Excellent things isa.- Plato,
but mixed with many errors, 2^. _ ?' '
Polygamy — According to Lord Bolingbroke, allowed, and even
required by the \d/\v of nature, II. 38. The contrary fnewn, ib.
Barely permitted in the law of Mofes ; not encouraged, but
rather difcountenanced by that law, ib. 216. The prohibition
of it unc^er the Gcfpel an argument of the great excellence of
the Chriftian revelation, 7b. 217.
Polytheism — According to Lord Bolingbroke more conformable
to the natural fentiments of the human mind, efpeciaily in the
firil uncultivated ages, than the belief of one only Supreme
Caufe of all things,"ll. 49. Countenanced by the mod ancient
philcfophers and Icgiilators, who thought it dangerous to cure,
and ufeful to confirm it, 2^. 50. 102, 103.
Prayer — Objections againfc it infmuated by Mr. Blount, I. 46.
Mr. Chubb thinks there is an impropriety in praying to God ;
and that there is reafon to apprehend that it is difpleafing to
him, ib. 217. Lord Bolingbroke leemsto acknowledge it to be
a duty of the law of nature, II. 38. Events coming in anfwer to
prayer no argument of their being miraculous, I. 462, 463.
Pp^jpe — Not encouraged by the Chriftian fyftem, II. 232, 233.
The principal doctrines of religion attributed by Lord Boling-
broke to the pride of the human heart, ib. 233, 234.
Proofs — Abfurd to require greater proofs than the nature of the
thing can bear, II. 85. 193, 194. ^
Prophecy — The argument from it vindicated, I. 245, 246".
Wifely added to miracles, in proof of divine revelation, 2b.
Prophecies of the Old Teftament~Not merely to be underftood
in an allegorical fenfe, I. 102. Many of thenv literally applied
to our Saviour, tb. J05. Others of them typical, Hk The double
fenfe of prophecy vindicated, ib. 107. Some of the paffages
which are regarded as prophecies only cited by way of accom-
modation, V^. 108. '^''
Prophets, ancient — Mifreprefented by Mr. Collins, L 97, 9S,
Inveighed againft by Dr. Morgan, as the great dlftrurbers of
their country, andcaufes of its ruin, ?b: 151.
PRorosiTiONS— The truth of them to be acknowlcd'^ed, when
fairly
INDEX.
fairly proved, tliough wc are unable c!e:irly to folve the uiilj-
culties leiatinj^ to them, 11. 423, 424. ^-y't.
JP«,0VIDENCE — A particular one denied by Mr. Chubb, I. 216,
.r^i.7. Lord Bolingbroke pretends neither to aPiirm nor deny a
,..J>articuiar Providence — yet argues againft it at large, tb. 452.
^ Tlic do£lrine of Providence averted and explained, ib. 453, et
-feq. It naturally follows upon the exiftcuce cf God,, and his
creation of the world, ib. What we are to undcrlland by a
particular Providence, ib. 454. The great importance of that
tioclriae fliewn, ih. 45,5. The abfurdity of Lord Boli'igbroke's
notion, that Providence regards men coUedlively, and not in-
dividually* ib. 456. His arguments againft a particular Pro-
vidence proceed upon a falfe foundation, ib. 460. He charges
the doctrine of a particular Providence as owing- to hurnaa
pride> ib. 467. His injuilice in charging ChriiVians with ac-
ciifing Divine Proyidence in this prefent (late, II. 23, 24. 24c.
Punishments, future — ^I'he belief ol" them acicnowledgedto be
cf great ufe in this prefent ftate, by the Earl of S'laftcibury, L
61. By Mr. Hume, I. 309. II. 439. And by Lord Bc'i!ngbrolu%
ih. 2. Not believed by many of the philcfophers, and at the
time of our Saviour's coming generally difregarded, even by
the vulgar, ib. 66, 67, 246. The Gofpel-account of future
punilhments vindicated againft Lord Bolingbroke's objeclions,
zb. 2423 el feq. The degrees of puniftiment proportioned to the
different degrees of men's crimes, 2b. 247, 248.
R.
Randolph, Dr. Thomas— His Chrijnans Faith a rational A/fert
— in anfwer to Chri/iiamty not founded on Ar;jumenf, L 182.
Ray, Mr. Thomas — His Vindication of our Saviour's MuacUs,
— in anfwer toWoolfton, I. 121.
PvEASON— Generally fcduced by paftion, II. 30, 31. According
to Lord Bolingbroke, appetites and paffions^ are aKvays ot
greater force to determine us than reafon, ?/). Realon was
little informed by experience in the earlioft ages, and made
very wron^ applications and falfe deduaions from the law of
nature, ^^?67, 68. The grcatcft men. in the heathen world
fenfible tliat bare reafon is infuiTicient to enforce doftrmcs and
laws upon mankind without a divine authority, ib.6<), 70.
Redemption by Christ— The dodrine cf it worthy oi Go.,
I. 44. II. 223, ttjeq. 420, etPq. It doe.s not encourage pre-
fumption, ib\ 228. Not contrary to reafon, thougu not dilco-
verable by it, tb.. 229, 230. See Expiation.
RELIGION-Its clofe connexion with vu-tue, and great uiliucnc.
upon it, I. S8, ctfcq. Man born to religion, accordmg to Lord
Shafteibuiv and Lord Bolingbroke, ib. 91, 92. ^^
]^£P£r^r— In what fenfe God is faid to repent, IL 132. -Hi- --
penting ilui he made mr.n, how to be uudcr.cood, ib. note.
Mm 2 ;..,.•••
INDEX.
REfefft'AN'CE---- Alone r.ot a fnfEcient expiation or fatisfa£lion for
fn;ii:-64. 220. ' ^ui ri^i^ir w^nilno^vij^^iinq
JIksurrectiOn c.5'- Christ— His hdt-'&^^^ri^ fi^iirfelf' ^.ft'ef WsT'
rc-furreclion to the chief priefts nojuft Gbjeciioii agaitlit iti I.
1 18. 201. Chriji's r:furre£tion an article of the higheft im-
pvirtance, and furnifli-th an evideni: proof of his divine miiTion,
iif. r85, 1 8(5. The objections again ft the account given of it
in rheGofpel examined, I. 118, 119,^^. 187, 188, etjdq.
Lord Bolingbroke's infniuatious againft it, II. 194. The evi-
,de;ice. given of it every way fufEcient, and fuited to the import-
' ante of t^e cafe., I. 328, stjeq. TV^^yij "'V:.'
RhbURRtCTioN OF Jlsus coNbiDERED — A pamphlet fo called, L
186. ()bferv3tions upon it, z/'. 187- — 206. AnfweiG that wcr^
made to it, z^. 20^, et feq.
IIevelation, divine — Of great ufe in the prefent corrupt flatc
of mankind, I. 14. 145. A divine revelation poffible, I.' 14.
147, 148. 222. II. 47. 395. Tlie great need rnen ftand in^ of
divine revelation to inftruft them in matters of the higheft im-
portance, I. lo. 145, 146. II. 48. etjc.q. 305, 396. And to
enforce moral obligation, II. 61. The lupp^fing the neceility
of revelation doth not cafl; a redcClion on Divine Providence,
ih, 'fo. Lord Bclingbroke's own fcheme, contrary to his in-
tention, tends to (hew the ufefulneils and; neceiTity of divine
revelation, ?/'. 74. 76. A revelation communicated from the
b ginning to the firft anceftors of the human race, I. 19. II.
6Z. 71. 1:^^, 156. Revelation not defigned to come with irre-
firtiblc force, (o as to confirain men's affent, II. 72. Whcu
fufficiently proved, it ought to be received with the moil pro-
- 'found reverence, v/irh the moft lentire fubmiffion, and with the
mofb unfeigned thankfglving, 2^.48. Its teaching- things in-
" comprchenfible, an to their manner of bertig, no juft objection
againft it, II" 180. 49.2. 436, 437.-
B-LWARD, FUrURE---Promi fed in the Gofpc!-- Noble and ex-
^ c-jll-n'tj I. 58. 79. The beifig anim.ated with the hope of it
confifteMt with the mod eminent virtue, and hath nothing iri
" it difingenuous and fl vifii, but is rather aii atgumcnt of a great
aild nohie mind, ih, 60. 77. 79. It doth not hinder our loving
virtue'-for its own fake, but rather heightens our elleem. of ita
w,0Tth and amidblenefs, ib. 7,8, 79'. ' The rewards of a future
fin tV admit of different degree s,' in"- proportion to men's difFer-
•■'tffit proffcit'-ncies in holincfs and virtue, II. 2:;o.
RiCHARDsc)N, Mr.— His Canon oj the New Teflament Vindicated^
in anfvver to Toiand's yiw^Tz'ST, I. jf. -
RipiCULE^Not the propercft t- ft of ttiith, I. 67, He. A turn to
ridicule iKJt the heft? difpoiit^on for iViaking an impartial in-
quiryV'ti^-; Wl^eil'WtBngly applied, it hath often been of great
(ir#c^rVice-to rdigibn a^d virtiiei"?^-.
Risi-IT — That maxim, Whatfocvcr iSy is righi. in what fenfe to
be
be jjmlcrdootl, II. 24, 25. When properly cxphincd, it u
perfeiliy confident with the fuppofition of a future flat;, ib.
RpGEWs, Dk. — Ills Sermons on the Nuc-JfUy of Rcvdation — and
) Remarks on Collinses Schdr.ie of iiteiat Pvoplncy conjidacd^
„: I. I 10.
Rp^lAN STATE — Its profpcrlty, according to Lord BoHngbrokc,
owing to religion, and the belief of a Providence \ and tl;c
;, iiGgle^^ of religion the caufe of its ruin, II. 438, note.
'■^^^- s.
Sacraments of the New Tellamerit acknowledged by Lord Ba^
linghrjke to be fmiple and ufeful inllitutions, II. 176.
Sacrimces — Of divine original and appointment, II. 221. The
reafons and ends of thtir inftitution, ib. 0.22,
Sajisf ACTION— See Expiation.
Scriptures, HOLY — Not corrupted by the Clergy, I. 6';,.g%\
Nor by the Jews, ib. 15 i. Nor by any ethers, I. 243. II. 200.
Tranfmitted to us in a manner that may be fafely depcni'-d
upon, I. 155. 160. 180. II. 202. 402. Excellent tendency of
the Scripturrs of the Old Tedament, II. 117, 118, 403. KrA
of tliofe of the New, II. 412, etjeq. The important doc-
trines and fads fo often repeated there, that no particular in-
.. terpolations could defcroy their ufefulnef? or authority, I. 152.
2o5. Not neceffary that the Scriptures ihould be more per-
fect than any other book, according to human ideas of perfec-
tion, IL 172. The argument from the internal charatlers of
Scripture treated by Lord Bolingbroke with great contempt,
iL. 191.402. The differences among Chriftians about tiie
way of knov/ing the Scriptures to be the word of God, no:
fo great as fome would reprefent them, I. 273, 274.
$]-;lf-denial— Required in the Gofpel, how to be undeifloou—
Its neceiTity and ufefulnefs, I. 397, 393.
Shaftesbury, Earl of — A fine writer, hut inconfiftent 1 . i.. - ;-
.. counts of ChrifUanity, I. 54, SS' '-t'i^'^'^^^'s out frequent infi-
nuations againfl the being influenced by a regard toj'uturo
eternal rewards, as of bad inilucr.cc in morals, ih. 56, 6'r. -/),
78,. 79. .Xct acknowledgcth the belief of them to be_ an ad-
,: vantage and fupport to virtue, ib. 61. Agrees with^ Mr.
Hobbes in making the authority of holy writ depend wiiolly
upon the civil mairillrate, ib, 62. Endeavoureth to expofc tae
Scriptures to ridicule, ib. 63. His unworthy mrmuatipni
■. ag.aijiil the charafter of our Saviour, ib. 64. Treats t.he la-
" cred records as the pure invention and artificial compiicraent
of a f^lf-interefted Clergy, ib. Vv^hat he faitJi concerning n-
diiculp, as the bed criterion of truth, exammcd, ib.O^y t: . .
He places the obli^ntion to virtue 'in its being conduc.ve to
;)^r^hapninefs, ib. 80. ^eui^ to ercd fucii u luhcme of v.r-
iNDsrc,
iigion
great inHuence the former hath upon the latter, ib. 88, 89.
Smalleroke, Dr. Biftiop or St. David's— His Vindication oj our
' ■Saviour's 'Miracles, \n anfwer to Wooiilonj I. 121.
Socrates — Cenfured by Lord Bolingbvoke for making the con-
• templation of Gcd, tlvA the abftraiS^ion of the foul from cov-
.-•'■Jjoreal fcnfe, the two offices of phiiofophy, I. 413. And for
""-'teachmg his auditors to endeavour after a conformity to God,
ib. 428. Reprefented by Lord Bolingbroke as the apoftje of
the Gentiles in natural religion, as St. Paul was in revealed,
• ir. 190. He fell in with the idolatries of his country, -e^.
Sou t 6y•^i^Xy ^Proved to be an immaterial fubftance diftincl
^''•'ftom the body, II. 6, 7, &c. The idea of thought not in-
^-tluaed in the idea of matter, ib. 9, 10. Intellect; above the
mere power of motion and figure, ib. The fuppofidon of
• • Gcjd's Tuperadding a power of thinking to a fyflem of m.atter
^^bfyrd T.nd unphilofophical, ib. Lord Bolingbroke's objec-
V tidhs' againd the immateriality and immortality of the foul
"anrwered, ib. 1 i, et ftq. He hath a.cknowiedged feveral tnings
-iliat' yield a ftrong prefumption of the foul's immortality, ib,
\;14V i^. -The fours being naturally immortal doth not imply
''a ne.celiity of its exiPcence independent cf God, ib. 14.
SduLJf OF BRUTES- — No argum.ent can be jufily drawn from them
ajrainft the immateriality and immcrtality of the human foul,
II. 13.
Spinosa — His argument againfl miracles, from the immutability
of God, (hewn to be inconclufive, I. 325. He has taken pains
to form Atheifm into a fyitem, ih. 85:'. According to him,
every man hath a natural right to do whatever he hath power
to doj and his inclination prompts him to, tb. ctftq. His prin-
ciples fubverdve of ail virtue, ih. 87.
Stacmhouse, Mr. — His Fa.ir State of the Controverfy between
Mr. JVooluOn and his Adverfaries, I. 123.
Stfbbin'G, Dr. — His Difccurjk of the life and Adrjaniage of ths
Goffjel Revelation, in anfwer to the cbieclions of Dr. Tindal,
in his Chriftiamty as old as the Creation, I. 135. His Dc^
fence of Dr. Clarh's Evidences, 8< c.2^2.'m^ ditto, ih.' ■
Stillingfleet, Bifhop — His Origines Sacrce^ I. 47. Treated
with contempt by tile author of Chrifiianiiy not founded on
Argu?7ienff II. 378. And by Lord Bolingbroke, t. 417.
SvKES, Dr. — His Efay on the Truth of the Chrfcian Religion — •
in anfwer to Collins, I. 107. His True Grounds of the £.r-
pcCl^ti^n 'of the Meffialiflltiit 1 o.
T.— T£NI^
lis D ex:.
TfikisON, STr. afterwar Archbifl^iop of C;uUerbury~HU CtAcd
ofMrylrlobhesexajninrd, I. <^(^. ' '
Theists, AisXiENT— Cenfured bf Lord Bollngbroke for being fc
crful and wife, ib. 425. And for faying, that God rande man
to communicate banpinefs to him; and that lie is a luvjr of
mankind, ih.
Theocracy, Jewish— liow to be utidcrftood, I. 469. II. izr^,
127. Did not fuperfede the office ai the ordinary m.igillratc, tb.
TiLLOTSON, Archbifhop— His argument for the exiftence of (iod,
from the confent of nations^ anfvvered by Lord Bolingbrokc
yet in effect acknowledged by him, L 424, 424. Charged with
flattering huTx-ian pride, in aficrting, that God p.uiTcd by the
fallen angels, but fent his Son to redeem man, IL 233.
TjNDAL, Dr. Matthew — His Chrijlianky as old as the Craition,
I. i£(5. A general account of his fcheme, which is defjgned
to fet afide all revealed religion, and to fubvert the authority
of the Scriptures, 2/5. 127. Obfcrvations upon his fcheme, ib,
229, et Jeq. The inconfiftency of it iliewn, ib. 130, 131.
Account of the anfwers publifhed againft him^ ib. 133, et jeq.
ToLAND, Mr. John — Fond of averting paradoxes, L 51. An
admirer of the Pantheillic, i. e. the Spine fan philofophy, ih.
His Amyntor deilgned to invalidate the authority of the fa-
cred canon of the New Tefcarnent, ih. 52. He gives a cata-
logue of the fpurious.Gofpcls, and writings falfeiy attributed
to the apoilles; and pretends, that they are of equal authority
with tnQ prcfent Gofpds, ib. 52, 53. His grciit unfjiriicfs
and difingenulty, ib. Anfwcrs publilhcd againft him, ib.
Tradition — That by which the Gofpel is tranfmitted, is to be
depended upon, IL 202. 403, 404.
Traditions — Of feveral nations conformable, in many infiances,
to the fa£ls recorded in the Mofaic hiflory, IL 82, 83, note.
Trial — It is agreeable to the Divine \Yifdom that thcr-i fli>')uld
be a llate of trial and difciplinc appointed for mar.kind, IL
240. 252, 253.
Trinity — Accor^ling to Lord Boiingbrokc, a Trinity in the Dei-
ty ,W3S generally acknowledged among the ancient fagcs of all
nations, IL 236. Thofe that hold it nrr - •';' ciiarHcd v.iih
denying the unity of God, tb. 237.
V.
Virtue— Not wholly confined to gccd aflcdions towards man-
kind ; but takes in proper aiTections towards the Deity as an
efibitlal part of it", L 89. 91. VoL\::Zf
INDEX.
VoEUX, M. Des — His Lcttres fur les Miracles — and his Critique
Gciicrde du Livre de Mr» de Montgeron^ I. 352.;
w. - •
Wade, Dr.— His Appeal to the Miracles'of CJiriJ} for his Mf-
Juihjliip — znd his ^Demonjhatwn oj the Truth and Certainty of
Chrfl's Refurredion in anfwer to Woolfton, I 122.
Waterland, Dr. — His Scripture Vindicated ^^in anfwer to
Titidars ChnjHamty as old as the Creation, I. 135. ,
\Vest, Mr. Gilbert — An accoun't ofhis Obfervations on the Hf
tory and Rfurreclion ^ Jf-^s Chrij}, I. 208, et feq.
Whiston, Mr. — His Literal Accompifltment of Scripiure-Pro-
'f)kecies in anfwer to Collins — and his Supplerdcnt to it, I.
107. ^ ., ^.
Whitby, Dr. — His NcceJJity and Ufefulnefs of the Chrifian
Revelation, 1-23.
Witnesses for Christianity — All the conditions requifite to
make any terdmony credible, concurred in them, and that in
the highefl decree, I. 334 to 342.
Wollaston, Mr. — Severe and contemptuous cenfure pafled
upon him by Lord Bolingbroke, I. 417. Reprefcnted a$ a
learned lunatic, ih. He fuppofes that the foul is clothed with
a fine material vehicle vvhen it leaves the body, II. 12.
WcoLSTON, Mr. — Kis Dfcourfs en our Saviour's Miracles, I.
112. His grofs fcurrility, ib, 113, 114.' His falie quotations,,
and mifreprefentations of the an-jient fathers, ib. His difinge-
nuity and prevarication, ib. 115. Remarks on the account he
gives of feveral of ChriiVs miracles, ih. The anfwers pub-
lifhed againft him, ih. 120, ct feq.
Worship — Lord Bolingbroke feems to deny' that any external
woriliip is requiiCd by the law of nature, II. 38. 53, 54. Reve-
lation neceiTary to infiirucl us in the right manner of divine
v/orfhip, ih. Neglect of public worfhip inexcufable in pro-
fefTed Chriftians, II. 442, 443.
Zfal, prepollerous kind of— For propagating infidelity — not to
be accounted for upon any principles of good fenfe or found
policy, II. 457.
Zealots among the Jews — Their fury not juftly chargeable on
the law of Mcfes, XI. 143. - Nor properly autiicrized by the
mllances of rhineas and Mattuthias, ih. 144, 145.
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