V'>i iKi^ii^-'^U m (^ ^"^^"^ tj ^ r ,. / C^^/^^<^ t LIBRARY OP THE Theological Semi n ar y, PRINCETON, N. J. 1 Case, Scc^ Pivision Shelf, ':i3^5> Section 1 Hook, v./ W^ ■y'^^me)^^^ tZ^u, 7- V -Nn^ .,' N.A" , ; THE DIVINE LEGATION O F MOSES DEMONSTRATED, ON THE Principles ofaRELiGious Deist, From the OmiHion of the Dodlrinc of a FUTURE STATE O F Reward and Punishment 1 N T H E JEWISH DISPENSATION. In S I X B o o K s. (^l /(Q/l, ^. B Y ^ WI LL I AM^TVARBURrO N, A.M. AuT H o R of The AUia7ice bet'vjeeri Church and State. AnOKAATi-ON TOTS 0(l)©AAMOrS MOY KAI KATANOHSn TA 0AYMAEIA EK TOT NOMOT SOT. Pfal. LONDON: Printed' for FletcherGyles, agaiiift Grafs hm in HoWoTfi. MDccxxxYiii. R ADVERTISEMENT 0^-j,,^ TO THE R E A THE follozving Sheets make the firfl: Volume of' a Work, ivbofe Contents are to be found in a Book intituled. The Alliance between Church and State. As the Author 'was neither indebted^ nor engaged to the Public, he hath done them no Injury in not giving them more j and had they not had this, 7m- ther he nor they, ferhaps, bad efieemed themfehes Lofersf For writing for no Party^ it is likely he will fie afe none ; and begging no Prateolion, it is more likc^ ly he will find none. And he mtijl ha\)e more of the Confidence of a modern Writer than falls to his Share, to think of making much way with the feeble EjJ'ort of his own.Reafon. For fo homely is the 'Treat which he has here prepared for his Reader, that he is not con- fcious of borrowing a fingle Thought from any one, which he has not fairly acknowledged. Writers, indeed, have been oft betrayed into fir ano-e abfurd Conclufwns from an obfolcte Claim of Letters, to the Patronage of the Grea,t : A relation, if indeed there 'ever was any, kng fince expired and gone ; the Great feeming now to be reafonably well convinced, that it had never any better Foundation than the rhc- A 2 torical ADVERTISEMENT. torical Importutiity of Beggars : An Incumbrance upon every high Station j and of no very good Example to the Public : the Prote^ion of Bankrupt Letters being too like that which is fometimes apt to be gracionfly afforded to other kinds ^ In fol vents. But however this Claim of Patronage may be under - flood ', there is another Point of Patronage of a more important "Nature ; which is^ that 6/ Religion. The Author begs leave to affure thofe who have neither Ears to hear, 7ior Hearts to underftand, / mean any Thing, hut what concerns the Public Good, that the Protection of Religion is indifpenfably neceffary to all Governments : and for his Warrant he offers them the following Volume; which endeavours tofhew the Ne- cefftty of Religion in general, and of the BoSfrine of a future State in particular, to Civil Society, from the Nature of Things, and the univerfal Confent of Man- kind. The proving this, I make no doubt, many Po- liticians will ejleem fufficient : But thofe who are foli- citous to have Religion true as well as ufeful, the Author will endeavour tojatisfy in the fecond Volume. T O t O T H E FREE-THINKERS, GENTLEMEN, AS the following Treatife v/as written for your Ufe, you have the beft Right to this Addrefs. I could never ap- prove the Cullom of dedicating Books to Men whofe Profeffions made them quite Strangers to the Subjec^l. To fee a Difcourfe on the Ten Predicaments addreffedto a Leader of Ar- mies, or a Syftem of Cafuiftry to a Minifter of State^ always appeared to me a high Ab- iurdity. Another Advantage I have in this, is, that I fliall not lie under any Temptations of Flat- tery, which, at this time of Day, when every Topic of Adulation has been exhaufted, will be no fmall Eafe to us both. Not but I muft own you have been ma- naged, even by fome of our Order, with very lingular Complaifance. Whether it was, that they afFed:ed the l^ame of Moderation, or the higher Ambition of your good wordy I know not i but I, who neither love your Caufe, nor A3 fear ji D E D 1 C A "T I O N. fear the Abilities that fupport it, while I pre- ferve for you that Juflice and Charity which my Profefiion teaches to be due to all, can never be brought to think otherwife of you, than as the Defpifers of the Mafl:er_whom I ferve, and as the implacable Enemies of that Order, to which 1 have the Honour to belong. And as fuch, I couid glory in your Cenfures; but would certainly refufe your Commenda- tions. Indeed was it my Defign, in the manner of modern Dedicators, to look out for power- ful Prote(5lors ; I do not know where I could fooner find them, than amongft the Gentlemen of your Denomination : For nothing, I believe, fhikes the ferious Obferver v/ith more Sur- prize, in this Age of Novelties, than that Grange Propenfity to Infidelity, fo vifible in Men of almcll every Condition: Amongft whom the Advocates of Deifm ai'e received with all the Applaufes due to the Inventers of the Arts of Life, or the Deliverers of opprelled and injured Nations. The glorious Liberty of the Gofpel is forgot amidll our Clamours a- gainft a pretended Ecclefiaftic Tyranny ^ and we flight the Fruits of the reftot-ed Tree of Knowledge, for the fake of gathering the bar- ren Leaves of mifgrafted Free-thinking. But miftakc me not, here are no Infinua- tions intended againft Liberty : For furely, whatever be the Caufe, it would be unjuft to afcribe it to the Freedom of the Prefsj which, though it be the Midwife, as it were, to thefe - Monilers D E D I C A'T I O N. iii Monflers of the Brain ; yet, at the fame time that it facilitates the Birth, it lends a /or/;;/;;^ Hand to the IlTue: For, as in natural Bpdies, become mifhapen by fuffering Violence in the Conception, or by too long Imprifonment in^ the Womb, a free unreflrained Expofition of the Parts may, in time, reftore them to their natural Redtitude ; fo crude and rickety Noti- ons, cramped by Reftraint, when permitted to be drawn out and examined, may, by the Re- dudion of their Obliquities, and the Corredtion of theif Virulency, at length acquire Strength and Proportion. Nor lefs friendly is this Liberty to the ge- nerous Advocate of Religion : For how could fuch a one, when in earneft convinced of the Strength of Evidence in his Caufe, defire an Adverfary, whom the Laws had before dif- armed ; or value a Vi6lory, where the Magi- ftrate muft triumph with him ? Even I, the meaneft in this Controverfy, fliould have been afliamed of projecting the Defenfe oi the great JewiJI:) Legijlator^ did not I know, that his AlTailants and Defenders fkirmifhed under one equal L-^i^^ of Liberty. And if my diilenting, in theCourfe of this Defenfe, from fome common Opinions needs an Apology, I fliould defire it might be thought, that I ventured into this Train with greater Confidence ; that I might (hew by not intrenching myfelf in authorized Speculations, J put niyfelf upon the fame foot- ing with .you, and would claim no Privilege ' thai was npt enjoyed in common, A 4 Thla iv DEDICATION. This Liberty then may you long poflefs 5 know the \]{t of; and be grateful for the BlefTing ! I fay this, becaufe one cannot, without Indignation, obferve, that amidft the full Enjoyment of it, jou ftill continue, with the meaneft AfFed:ation, to fill your Pre- faces with repeated Clamours againft the Dif- ficulties and Difcouragements attending the Exercife of Free-thinking : and, m a pcc.- liar Strain of Modefty and Reafoning, maJ.:e ufe of this very Liberty to perfuade the World you {till want it. In extolling Liberty we can join with you ; in the. Vanity of pretending to have contributed moll; to its Eftablifhment, we can bear with you ; but, in the low Cun- ning of pretending flill to lie under Reflraints, We can neither join nor bear with you. There was indeed a Time, and that within our own Memories, wlien fuch Coirj.laints were feafonable and of ufe -, but, happy for you, Gentlemen, you have outlived it : All the reft is merely Sir Martin, who continued to fumble at the Lute, though the Mufic had been long over : For it is not a Thing to be difguifed, that all we hear from you, o^^ this Head, is but an aukward, though envenomed Imitation of an Original Work of one, whoever he was (for as I do not pre- tend to guefs, fo neither fliould you) who ap- pears to have been amongft the greateft and ir.oll fuccefsful of your Adverfirics. It was publilhed at an important Juncture, under the Title of, The Drjjiculties and Dijeouragments ivhich DEDICATION. ^ r nvhich attend the Study of the Scriptures. But with all the Merit of this beautiful Satire,| it has been its Fortune not only to be abufed^ by your bad Imitations, but to be cenfured by thofe, in whofe Caufe it was written 5 I mean the real Friends of Religion and Liberty. An Author of Note thus exprefles himfelf : — ^ Nor was this the ivorft : Men were not only dif- couraged from Jludying and revering the Scriptures by — but alfo by being told that this Study was difficult , fruitlefs^ and danger- ous ; and a public^ an elaborate^ an earneji difj'uafive from this Study, for the very Rea- fins now mentioned, inforced by two well known Rxamples, and believed from a F erf on of great Eminence in the Church, hath already pajjed often enough through the Prefs, to reach the Hands cf all the Clergymen in Great Britain and Ireland : God in his great Mercy forgive the Author ! Serioufly it is a lamentable Cafe 1 — That any well meaning Man fhould fo widely miftake the End and Defign of ano- ther ; or not fee, by the Turn and Caft of the Difficulties and JDifcouragements, that it is a thorough Irony, addrelTed to fome hot Bigots then in Power, to fhew them what dif- mal Effeds that inquilitional Spirit, with which they were pofTefled, would have on Literature in genera), at a Time when public Liberty looked with a very .lickly Face ! That he ^ Religion examined ivitb Candour, in the Prefage. ihould vi DEDICATION, fhould not, I fay, fee this, but believe on the Contrary, that it was really intended as a pidi- lie, an elaborate, an carnejl Difjuafive from the Study of the Scriptures ! But I have fo charitable an Opinion of the great Author, for a great Author without Doubt he was, as to believe that had he forefeen, the Liberty that animates this fine turned Piece of Rail- lery, would have given Scandal to any good Man, he would, for the Confolation of fuch, have Jiiade any reafonable Abatement in the Vigour of his Wit and Argument. But you, Gentlemen, have a different Quar- rel with him : You pretend he hath fince wrote on the other Side the Queftion. Now though the Word of his Accufers is not apt to go very far with me, yet I mufl own, I could be ea- fily enough brought to believe, that an Author of fuch Talents of Literature, Love of Truth, and of his Country, as this appears to have been, would as freely expofe the extreme of Folly at one End as at the other j without re- garding what Party he oppofcd or favoured by it. And it is well known, that at the Time this is pretended to have been done, another Intereft being become uppermoft, ilrange Principles of Licence, which tended to fubvert all Order, and deflroy the very EiTence of a Church, ran now in the popular Stream. What then iliould hinder a Writer, who was of no Party but that of Truth, to oppofe this Extravagance, as he had done its Oppofite ? And if he pleafed neither Bigot nor Liber- tine DEDICATION. vii tine by his Uniformity of Conduct, it was becaufe they were fo. How rare, how excellent, how public a Bleffing, is fuch a Virtue ! that dare equally oppofe the different Extremes of Parties ; and ftand, as the Poet fays, Unaivd by Danger of Offence, ^he fatal Enemy of Senfe, But to return to our Subjed : — The poor thread-bare Cant of the Want of Liberty, I fhould hope then you would be at length, perfuaded to lay afide: But that I know fuch Infinuations are amongfl your Arts of Contro- verfy j and that fomething is to be allowed to a weak Caufe, and a Reputation that requires managing. We know what to underfland by it, when after a fuccefslefs infult on Religion, the Reader is entreated to believe that you have a ilrong Referve, which only waits the fetting open the larger Port of Liberty, yet fhut againft you. Thus at the very Entrance of your Works, you teach us what we are to exped:. But I muft beg your Patience now I am got thus far, to lay before you your principal Abufes of that Liberty indulged to you for better Purpofesj or to give them the fofteft Name I can, in an addrefs of this Nature, your Arts of Con- troversy. ' By this, I fhall at *)nce pradlife the Cha- nty I have profeffed, and juftify the Opinion I have paffed upon you. Your vlii DEDICATION. Your Writers, I fpeak it, Gentlemen, to your Honour, offer your Confideratlons to the World, either under the Character of Petiti- oners for oppreffed and injured Truth ; or of Teachers to ignorant and erring Mi"nkind. Thefe are Characters" fure, that if any, re- quire Serioufnefs and Gravity to fupport them. But fo great a Stranger to Decorum, for the moft Part, is Man, on his Entry on the Stage of Life, that (like Bays% Ador in the Re^ hearfaU who was at a lofs to know whether he was to be ferious or merry, melancholy or in love) he runs on in a ftrange jumbled Cha- ra(fter ; but has, moil: an end, a flrong Difpo- fition to make a Farce of it, and mingle Buf- foonry with the mofl ferious Scenes. Hence in religious Controverfy, even while the great Caufe of eternal Happinefs is trying, and Men, and Angels, as it were, attending the Iffue of the Conflict, we can find room for a merry Story j and receive the Advocate of In- fidelity with much welcome, if he comes but with a Difpofition to make us laugh : Though he brings the Tidings oi Death, and fcatters round him the Poifon oi .our Hopes, yet like the dying Affaffifi^, we can laugh a- long with the Mob, though our own Agonies and Defpair concluded the Entertainment. This Quality in a Writer making him To well received, yours have been tempted to difpenfe with the Solemnity of their Chara- •» Balthazar Gererd, who murdered the Prince of Orange. DEDICATION. ix <3:er ; as thinking it of much Importance to get the Laugh on their Side. Hence Ridicule is become your favourite Figure of Speech ; and your Writers have compofed diftind: Trea- tifes to vindicate its Ufe, and manifeft Its Uti- lity. But to be fair with you, it mull be owned, that this extravagant Difpoiition in the Reader, towards unfeafonable Mirth, drives all Parties upon being witty where they can. As being confcious of its powerful Operation in Controverfy : Ridicule having from the Hands of a fkllful Difputant, the (lime EfFcft with the new invented Darts'^ of Marius^ that though fo weak as to break in the throw, and pierce no farther than the Outfide, yet flicking there, they more entangle and in- commode the Combatant, than thofe Arms which fly ilronger, and flrike deeper. How- ever, an Abufe it is, and one of the mofl Pernicious, of the Liberty of the Prefs. For what greater Affront to the Severity of Reafon, the Sublimity of Truth, and the "San- 6tity of Religion, than to fubjed them to the impure Touch of every fcurrilous Buffoon ? The Politenefs of Athens^ which you pretend fo much to admire, fhould be here a Lcflbn •a-j^ytcu^ xcclHXiJiufA.hov a^yi^dic,' tots 3 » Mcc^Ao; t ,«, iVsre^ «X;"j ^*fffi -r oi- ^u^^^iTo Air' aJ~if; l^n f^Hv ef^ov, Dr. WaJ(rland, P- 52' ^"d fei- ha-. DEDICATION. XIX has this fine Writer any Caufe to be afhamed of this Acknowledgment j nor his Adverfaries any Pretence that he mufl needs efteem it the Meafure for the prefent Times. For, as a great Ancient well obferves, AXXuig rtg -srS* «A)j5«af Kiy&ty ctKXug n dhyi^eio, IoujIy^v i^f4.t}V^ci. It was Chriftian Truth and Charity, the Truth and Charity you fo much infult, which only could take off thofe Rellraints j and re- quire no more of you than to be as free, a?jd not ujing your Liberty for a Cloak of Mali' cioufnefs. I have now done with your Buffoonry ; which, like chewed Bullets, is again ft the Law of Arms; and come next to your Scurrilities, thofe Stink-pots of your offenfive War. The Clergy of the eftabliihed Church, being the Men, who amongft us have been princi- pally watchful in the common Caufe of Chri- ilianity, and moft fuccefsful in repelling the Jnfults of its Enemies, have fallen under the heavieft Load of your Calumny and Slander. With unparaiiel'd Licence, you have gone on, reprefenting the whole Body as debauched, avaricious, proud, vindidlive, ambitious, de- ceitful, irreligious, and incorrigible. A?i order of Men prof i gate and abandoned to Wickednefs^ inconfiftent with the good of Society ^ irrecon- cileable. Enemies to Reafon, and Confpratori againfl the Liberty and\Froferty. of Mankind^. And fo low have you defcended in your Ri- ' ' Rights of the Chrijiian Churchy and Chrijlianitj as old as the , Creatjon, paffim. a 4 baldry XX DEDICATION, baldry, as to defcant upon their very Ha^s and Habit '^. This is the Condud of your Lead- ers. For I would not be fo hard upon you, cts to exped you iliould be anfwerable for the Diforders of the loofe undifciplined Rabble, the forlorn Hope, that roll together in the Old Whig^ and follow the Camp only for Mifchief and Plunder. To fill up your common Place of Slander, the moft inconfillent Qualities are raked toge- ther to adorn them : Qualities that could never fland together but in Idea -, and in the Idea of a Free-thinker too. The Order is now reprefented as the moft contemptible of Politicians, ever in the Wrong; and under a Fatality of continued Blunders, at- tending them as a Curfe : — But anon, we are alarmed with their deep laid Schemes of a feparate Intereft, fo wifely conducted, as to elude and baffle all the Policy of Courts, and Wifdom of Legiflatures. Now they are a Set of fuperftitious Bigots ^ Blind Leaders of the Blind y red hot Zealots, always prompt to iacrifice the Rights of Hu- manity, to what they call the Caufe of God: But now again, they are a Cobal of mere Po- iitiques j Tartu fes without Religion ; Atheijls in Black Gow?is ; Apojlates without Faith or La-iv. Now fo clofely united in one common Confederacy, that they make their Caufe the Caufe of Religion ; rijing together like a Neji •" The hde^ndcnt Whig, paflini. D E D^l'^C'^'^ril V W.:" xxi , of Home f si 'to •'reve'nge^an Infult done to oncd of their Body, while they leave no Ways un- " tried to fcreen their of ending Brethren from Punifhment:— But on a fudden, this wife and clofe PoUcy is dilTolved : The Church is be- come a State of Anarchy ; and the Clergy are perpetually tearing andworryirig one another-, to the great Scandal of that pious Chriftian, the Author of the Difcourfe oj Free-thinking. ^ But it is to be hoped, as the Evidence is fo ill packed, the whole Accufation may be groundlefs. .You will fay, that in this you do but copy from our own Accounts; which being given of ourfelves, may furely be depended on. I know indeed there has been a Hickenijigall oi oV\, a Woolfton of late, and perhaps, one or two more, happier in their Obfcurity". But thele are monfters rarely feen, aad univerfally de- tefted. I wonder our Anceftors could con- ceive this to be a Degeneracy likely for any Race of Animals to fall into ; as they feem to have done, by their coarfe Proverb of an '111. Bird. I, for my part, know of none but the 7^// Bird, and one or two oUhefe, that fpeak Evilof the Places to which they belong: And both for the fame Reafon, becaufe they had been brought to Juftice there. But. if the whole Body cannot efcape you^ what muft the-ParticuJars of it exped: at your Hands? And where-' muft w^ believe you would drop your Virulence, but on thofe, whofc , " See the Paper called the Old Whig. Eminence xxii D E D I C A r 1 ON Eminence expofes them to the Blafls of Ca- lumny ? Is there a Prelate, who has been more than ordinary fuccefsful in the Caufe of common Chriftianity ? He is Jure to be ftigmatized for a yacobite^ and an Enemy to his Country °. Is there another, whofe Vigilance and Firm- nefs fecures the jufl Rights and Immunities of the eflabH{hed Church? Such a one is the ex- prefs Image of Priejicraft, with infolent Gri- tnace^ and power lefs Formality p. But what talk I of the Clergy, when there is not one, however other wife efteemed by, or related to you, that can efcape your Slan- der, if he happens to difcover any kind of In- clination for that Caufe, againft which you are fo virulently bent? Mr. Locke, the Glory of this Age, and the Bleffing of Futurity, ihews us in the Treatment he received from his Friend and his Pupil, what a Believer is to exped: from you. It was enough to pro- voke their Spleen, that he had fliewn the Reafofiablejtefs of Chrijiianity, and had placed all his Hopes of Happinefs in another, Life. The Intimacy betv^^een him and Mr. CoUifis is well known. Mr. Collins appears to have idolized Mr. Lory(v v/hile living, and, Mr. Locke was confident Mr. Collins would prote^ his Memory when dead'^. But no fooner was he gone, than ° See The Aiif--wer to the Country Parfotis Plea, p. lOl. P See p. loo. of the fame Trad. 1 / knoiu you loved me Imitig, and luill freferve rhy Memory 7701V I am dead, fays he in the Letter to be delivered to Mr. Collins at his Death Mr. DEDICATION, xxii1 Mr. Collins publicly ' infults a Notion of his, concerning the Fojjibility of conceiving how Matter might firji be made^ mtd begin to be : And goes affededly out of his Way to do it. The noble Author of the CharaSferiJlics had received f part of his Education from this great Philofopher : And it muft be owned, that this Lord had many excellent Qualities, both as a Man, and a Writer. He was temperate, chafte, honeft, and a Lover of his Country. In his Writings he has fhewn how largely he had imbibed the deep Senfe, and how natu- rally he could copy the gracious Manner of Plato. How far Mr. Locke contributed to the cultivating thefe Qualities, I will not enquire: But that inveterate Rancour h^ indulged againft Chriftianity, it is certain, he had not from him. It was Mr. Locke's love of it that feems principally to have expofed him to his Pupil's bittereft Infults. One of the mofl precious Remains of the true Piety of this incompara- ble Man, are his laft Words to Mr. Collim: " May you live long and happy, ^c. all the " Ufe to be made of it is, that this World is " a Scene of Vanity that foon paffes airay, and " affords no folid Satisfailion, but the Confci- " oufnefs of well doing, and the Hopes of " another Life. This is what I can fay ^^ by Experience, and wliatyou will find when «■ Anpvoer to Dr. ClarkeV 3^. Defaife pf his Letter to Mr, Podweil, at the End, [ Voie^ Bib, Choijie, torn. 6. p. 343. ** you xxlv D E D I C A "T I O N. f* you come to make up your Account." One would imagine, that if ever the parting Breath of pious Men, or the laft Precepts of dying Philofcphers could claim Reverence of their Survivors, this ineflimable Monument of FriendQiip, and Religion, had been fecure from Outrage. Yet hear, in how linwortliy, how- cruel a Manner, his noble Difciple apoftro- phizes him on this Occafion : " Philofopher f " let me hear concerning Life, what the right « Notion is ; and what I am to ftand to upon " Occafion : That I may not, when Life feems " retiring, or bas rim itj'elf out to the very « Dregs \ cry Vanity! condemn the «* World, and at the fame Time complain «^ that Life is short and passing. For *' why iofiort indeed if not iawndfiveet? or «« why do I complain both Ways ? Is Vanity^ " m.ere Vanicy a Happinefs, or can Mifery «' pafs away too foon"?" I will leave the ilrangc Reflexions, that naturally arife from h^jnce, to the Reader ; who, I am fure, will be beforcliand with me in judging, that Mr. J^ocke had Reafon to condemn a World that af- forded fuch a Friend and Pupih''. • But - Mr. Locke was then in his 73d Year. u Cbarat7cri/}ics, vol. I. p. 302. 3d Ed, ^ The fpite he bore his Mailer, is inconcciv.Thle : He did not difdaiii to take up withthoie vulgar Calumnies that Mr. Lccac had ever and over confuted. Some e^jen (fays he Chara^. vol. v. When Mr. Lockt realbns .againft //i«rt/f Idca:^ he. brings it as one DEDICATION, xxsf But to return, Gentlemen, to your Abufe of the Clergy: This is not only an infult on Religion, which you feem by your Pradice, to regard as one of the neceilary Branches of literary Liberty, but likewife on Civil Society. For while there is fuch a Thing as a Church ejiahlijhed by Law, the Minijiry of it mud needs bear a y^rr^^ Character, that is, a public one ; even on your own Principles '^. Any In- one Argument againft them, that Virtue and Vice in many Places, were not regulated by the Nature of Things, which they rauft have been, were there fuch imate Ideas ; but by mere Fa- ftiion and Vogue. Is this then fairly iohl of our admired modem Philofopher? But it was Crime enough that he hiboured to over- throw innate Ideas ; things that the noble Author underflood to be the Foundation of his Moral Senfe. (See vol. 3d. p. 214.) In vain did Mr. Locke inceffantly repeat, that, the Di-jlne Laiv, is the only true Toiich-Jlone of moral RsFcitude. This did but in- creafe his Pupil's Refentment, who had all his Faculties fo pof- feffed with the Moral Sense, as the o7ily true Touch- f one of moral Re£titude ; that, like the Knights Errant of old, he Hood up Challenger againft all Oppofers, tor the fupcrior Charms of bis Idol. But the whole Effay itfelf, one of the nobleft, the ufeflilleft, the moft original Books the World ever faw, cannot efcape his Ridicule : In Reality (fays he, vol. i. p. 299.) how fpecious a Study, honu fokmn an j4mufetnent, is raifed from nvhat 'we call ■philofophical Speculations ! the Formation of Ideas ! their Compojitions, Comparifns, Agreement, and Difagrecmsjit ! Bai ivhy do I co7icern myjelf in Speculations about my Ideas P ivhat is it to me, for Infiance, to knovj muhat kind of Idea I can form of Space? *' Divide a folid Body, ^V." and fo he goes on i.n Mr. Locke's own Words : And left the Reader fhould not take the Satire, a Note at the Bottom of the Page informs us, that thefe are the Words of the particular Author cited. ' But the invidious Remark on this Quotation furpailes all Credit. Thus the Atomif, or Epicurean. The Free-thir.kcrs after this, can never, fure upbraid us with our Flippancy in giving the T>eifi and Athcift to thofe we do not like, when the very Hero <)f their Caufe is thus taken in ^fhe Fad. ^ They alfo that hanje Authority to teach, ScC are public Mi" giijiers. Leviathan, p. 124. fult xxvi DEDICATION. fult therefore offered to them as a Body, be- comes an Affront to the State that conferred the CharacS^er. It is an high Injury likewife, becaufe a Body politic cannot prefervc the Veneration neceffary for the fupport- of its Authority, longer thaji its public Officers, whe- ther Civil or Religious, receive the Reverence due to their refpedtive Stations y. And here, the Excufe you make, w^hen charged with treating holy Writ irreverently, is out of doors. You pretend that is unjufl ; becaufe it takes for granted the Thing in Difpute. But in this Cafe, it is allowed on all Hands, that the Mi- niflry of the eftabliflied Worfliip has a facred, that is, a public Character. Out of your own Mouths, likewife, are you condemned. A few Inftances there are in the firft Ages of Chriflianity, of fomething refem- bling this Mifcondudt j where the Intempe- rance of private Zeal, now and then gave the Affront to the national Religion. But who are they that fo feverely cenfure this accidental Diforder ? that raife fuch tragic Outcries againft the fadlious Spirit of primitive Chriflianity? Who but yourfelves, the very Men who out of Libertinifm and Wantonnefs, daily perfift in doing what a mifguided Devotion, now and then, though rarely, betrayed a Martyr to commit. v'oXiui, K^ :2^T>;j£«. Jnt. Scrip, apud Stab, de rep. Scrm. \\. But DEDICATION, xxvii But would you read Chriftian Antiquity with equal Minds, you would not want Ex- amples of a better Condud:. For in general the Apologifts for the Chriftian Faith obferved a Decency and Moderation, becoming the Truth and Importance of the Caufe they had to fup- port. We need only look into LaBantius for the Continence they prad:ifed in this Regard. This eloquent Apologift, who wrote in an Age that would have indulged greater Liber- ties, giving in his Dhi?ie Injlitutions the lafl Stroke to expiring Paganifm, where he con- futes the national Religion^ fpares as much as polTible the Priejis j but in expofing their Phi- lofophy, is not fo tender of their Sopbijis : For thefe laft having no public Charader, the State was not concerned to have therh managed. Nor can you plead. Gentlemen, in your Ex- cufe, that you lie under any Neceffity, but that infeparable from a weak Caufe, of com- mitting this Outrage. The Difcovery of Truth is fo far from being advanced by it, that on the Contrary it carries all the Marks of Difm- genuity, when you fo induftrioufly draw off the Reader's Attention from the Caufe, by di- verting him at the Expence of the Advocate. It is true, that at what Time the Miniftry fo far forgot the Nature of their Office, and of the Caufe they were entrufted to defend, as to call in the fecular Arm to fecond their Ar- guments againf}:'wrong,"Opinions^ wefaw with- out much Surprize or Refentment, you Gen- tlemen, in the fame Delufion of a contrary Extreme; xxvili DEDICATION. Extreme ; falling without fcruple to affront the State, then little difpofed to give you a fa-' vourable Hearings by abufing a Body, whofe private Interefts the State had indifcreetly efpoufed. For where was theWondec, when the State had affumed too much, for thofe op- prefled by it, to allow it too little. They thought this a fair Reprifal, and their candid Enemies allowed that fome Indulgence was to be given to the Paffions of Men, raifed and enflamed by fo unjufl a Treatment. But now, that the State hath withdrawn and confined its Power within its proper Office ; and that, that learned Body, as fuch, publicly difclaims its Aid i it will fure be expeded, you fhould like- wife return to a right Mind ; and forfake a Pradlice infolently continued, without any rea- fonable Pretence or Provocation. Your laft Abufe, Gentlemen, of the Liberty of the Prefs, is in that DilTolutenefsof Mind, reo^ardlefs of Truth and Falfhood ; which you betray in all your Attacks of Revelation. Who that had not heard of your folemn Profeffions of the Love of Liberty, of T^ruth, of Virtue y of your Aim at the Honour of God, and good of Man, could ever believe you had any thing of this in View, by the Spirit of Levity, that animates your Writings ? ' That you may not fay I flander you, I will produce thofe Marks in your Writings, on which I have formed my Accufation, of this abandoned Difpofition, J. The DEDICATION, xvb r. The firfl Is an illimlted Buffoonry; which fuffers no Tell or Criterion to your Ri- dicule, that may fhew, when you are in jeft, and when in earneft. 2. An induftrious AfFedtation to keep your true Perfonage out of Sight ; and the perpe- tually afluming fome new fidtitious Charadler. 3. A Love of Chicane and Contradiction 5 fupported by a monftrous Mixture of Scepti- cifm and Dogmatizing. And here, Gentlemen, in illuftrating thefe three Charad:ers of your Guilt, I could deted all the Arts of Controverfy in ufe amongffc you ; and difplay the whole Myftery of modem Free-thinking. But the Limits of this Addrefs will only permit me to defcribe in a few Words, the Nature of each of them, in order to {hew how certain Notes they are of the Temper of Mind I charge upon you. I. The illimited undiftinguifhed Irony, that leaves no Marks of Infight into the Author's Meaning, is our firft Note. This, which is your Favourite Extravagance, the noble Au- thor, who was fo much your Friendj calls ^ a dull fort of Wit which amufes all alike. Nay^ he even ventures to pronounce it a.grofs^ im^ morale and illiberal Way of Abtfe, foreign to the CharaSier of a good Writer, a Gentleman^ or Manof'worth\ 'Tis pity he himfelf (hould fall under his own Cenfure : But this is 'cer- tain, there is no' Way qi efeaping his Admir-* ^ CharaFt, vol,.i. Traft 2= pt. 1, § 24 .^ Vol ni^. Mifcel-4. c, 2. i ^xx DEDICATION. ers, uncharged of Credulity or Uncharitable- nefs, which way foever we determine of his real Sentiments. However he has not overloaded the Extravagance, in the Charadler he has given of it: For here, quite forgetfuLof your own Precepts (which is your common-place Topic againft public Inflrudors) while you prefcribe Ridicule to be fo managed, as to JJjew it tends to a ferious I[jue ; you pradife it on all Subjeds fo indifcriminately, as to make one think you are all the while in jeft. While you diredl it to iinmajk formal Hypocrify, you fuffer it to put fober Truth out of Coun- tenance 5 and while you claim its Aid, to find out what is to be laughed at in every thing ; you employ it to bring in every thing to be laughed at. That a Reftraint on free Enquiry, will force Writers into this vicious manner, we eafily allow. Under thofe Circumflances, fuch a Key to Ridicule asjufl Writing demands, be- ing unfafe j and the only Way to efcape Per- fecution, to cover and intrench themfelves in Obfcurity ; it is no Wonder that Ridicule fhould degenerate into the Buffoonry that amiifes all alike: As in Italy^ which gave Birth to this Species of Writing, it is the only Way, in which the poor crampt thinking Wretches can difcharge a free Thought. But happily for Truth, in Great Britain^ you, the Geniusesof the Times, are free; and may phjlofophize at your Eafe, through all the Modes of doubting, objeding, and confuting. Much D E D i C'A'tl O N: xxxi Much lefs Reafon 'have you to fufpe^fl your good Reception in the World, if you fpeak without Difguife. You have a Caufe that will bear you out, and fupply all your Deficiencies: A Caufe which now-a-days fo faniflifies the Character of the Advocate, that we have feen Writers of each of the learned Profeffions, who, while they confined their Pens to their proper Sciences, with Difficulty made them- felves fo far known as to be defpifed ; but have no fooner ftruck into this high Road to Fame, and wrote againfl the Religion of their Country, than they have become great and ter- rible Authors j and even recovered in a good Meafure, from the Contempt of their own Faculties. For Infidelity has the Virtues of Lord Peter's brown Loaf^ and contains inclu^ fively the ^ii?itejfence of Learning, Wit, and Argument. It is not pofiible for us then, to affign any other reafonable Caufe of the Extravagance, than that vicious Levity of Spirit we complain of. For as Man is formed by Nature with an incredible Ardency of Appetite for the Pur- fuit of Truth J fo his ftrongeft Pleafure, in the Pofieffion of it, arifes from the adual Com- munication of it to others. Without this, it would be a cold Purchafe, would beabftrad:, ideal, fplitary Truth ; and poorly repay the Labour and Fatigue of the Search. Amongfl the Ancients, who, if muft be owned, had high Notions of this yi5a^/5^^t', it was a Say- h 2 ing xxxii DEDICATION. ing recorded by Cicero with Approbation'*, that €vc?t Heaven ivould be no Happinefs^ without fome one^ to whom to cormminicate the great 'Truths, were there to be dij covered, " Si quis in coelum afcendifTet, naturamque «* mundi, & pulcritudinem fiderum perfpe- «' xifTet, infuavem illam admirationemei fore; ** quaejucundiffima fuiflet, fialiquem, cui nar- " raret, habuiflet." Se?ieca goes yet farther^: Nee me ulla res delcBabit, licet eximia fit & falutarisy quam mi hi u?ii fcifurus fwt. Si cum hac except iojie detur Sapientia, ut illam inclu- fam teneam, nee enunciem, rejiciam: nullius boniyfinc jocio, jucunda poffejjio eji. It was this Paffion that gave birth to Writing, and form- ed literary Compofition into an Art ; in order to perpetuate thofe Difcoveries in the Sciences, which Particulars had, with fo much toil and labour of Mind, fitted up for public Enter- tainment. The principal Concern therefore of the Writer, while his Paflions are in their natural State, mufl needs be to deliver and ex- plain his Sentiments and Opinions with all poflible Perfpicuity. So as no particular Caft of Compofition, or Turnof Expreffion, which he judged conducive to the Embellifliment of his Work, may be able to throw any Ambigui- ty over it, that fliall tend to miflead his Reader concernincr his real Sentiments. To fuch a one nothing can be a more mortifying Refledion, than to find liis chief Defign become defeated, ^ DcAmicitia. • Ep. 0. But DEDICATION, xxxiii But when on the Contrary, we fee a Writer fo far from difcovering any thing of this Paf- fion, that an Air of Negligence appears in eve- ry thing he delivers ; a vifibL Contempt of his Reader's Judgment, to whofe Satisfa — That the Charadcrs of Completion, accord- ing to the Chrijlian Scheme, do not coincide and quadrate: — to which indeed, his An- fwer would be pertinent ; but on this : r— That there are compleat Characters of the .Completion of the Prophelies, under the yeivijh Oeconomy, and therefore, fays the DEDICATION, xxxvii Jew, you are not to look for thofe Marks un- der the Chrijiian. The only reafonable Way then of replying to this Argument, is to deny the Major, that there are fuch Marks under the Jewijh Oeconomy ; which if they f wean- not prove, his Objed:ion founded on 2i prior Completion^ is entirely overthrown. Inflead of replying to this, we are put off with the cold BufFoonry of, I am not obliged to Jind a Meaning for your Prophejies, *l 3. The third Mark of this abandoned Spi- rit, is that monftrous Mixture of Scepticifm, and Dogmatizing, which deforms all your Writings. I do not mean by it, that unrea- fonable Temper of Mind, which diftinguifhes the whole Clafs of Free-thinkers 5 and fuffers you at the fame Time, that you affedl much Scepticifm, in rejecting Revelation, to dogma- tize very pofitively on fome favourite Points of Belief. The noble Author, fo oft before quoted, could not himfelf forbear to ridicule his Party for this Foible <=. // mujl certainly, fays he, be fomething elfe thaJi Incredulity which faJhio?is the Tajle and Judgme}jt of jna-- ny Gentlemen^ whojfi *we hear cenfured as A- thei/is. — Who if they ivant a true Ifraelitifli Faith, call make amends by a Chinefe or In- dian one. — Though Chriflian Miracles ma\ not fo well fat isfy thetn^ they dwell, with the higbefl Contentment on the Prodigies of Mooriih and Pagan Countries. , • Vol. I. p. 345. CharaSl. 3d Ed. .-Til • Tnis xxxviii DEDICATl ON. This is ill enough, but the Perverfity I mean, is infinitely worfe : And that is when the fame Writer, on different Occafions af- fumes the Dogmatift and Sceptic on the very fame Queftion ; and fo abufes both CHaradters, by the moft perverfe Self-contradidions. For inftance, how common is it for one of your Writers, when he brings Pagan Anti- quity to contradid: and difcredit the Jewi/b, to cry up a Greek Hiftorian as an Evidence, to which nothing can be replied ? An imperfedt Hint from Herodotus, or Diodorus, though one lived a Thoufand, and the other fifteen Hun- dred Years after the Point in Queftion, pick- ed up from any lying Vagabond they met in their Travels, fliall now outweigh the circum- ftantial Hiftory of Mofes ; who wrote of his own People, and lived in the Times he wrote of. But now turn the Tables, and apply the Teftimony of thefe Writers, and of others of the beft Credit of the fame Nation, to the Confirmation oijewifi Hiftor}\ and then no- thing is more uncertain and fallacious than an- cient Records. All Antiquity is Darknefs and Confufion : Then we are fure to hear of, ^licquid Grcecia inendax Audet in hifloria. Then Herodotus is a lying Traveller, and D;V dorus Siculus a hafty Colled:or. Again, when the Choice and Separation of the IJ'raeh'tes for God's peculiar -PeoplCj is to be DEDICATION, xxxix be brought in Q^ueftion, and rendered ridicu- lous, then are they to be reprefented as the vileft, moft profligate, and perverfe Race of Men. Then every indilcreet PafTage of a de- clamatory Divine is raked up with Care to make them odious ; and even the hard Fate of the great Hiftorian Jofephm pitied, that he had no better a SubjeSl than fiich an illiterate^ barbarous, and ridiculous People ^. But wlieii the EvangeUcal Account of the Treatment, the Holy Jefus met with from thefe People, is thought fit to be difputed, thefe Jews are become an humane and wife Nation ; which interfered not with the Teachings of Se(5ts, or the Propagation of Opinions, but where the public Safety was thought in Danger by fedi- tious Do(ftrines. But fo it is, even with the Bible itfelf ; and its Interpreter, human Reafon. It is generally allowed that the Author of The Difcourje of Free-thinking, and of The Grounds and Re a- fons of the Chrifiian Religion, was one and the fame Perfon. Now it being his De- fign in the firft Pamphlet, to blaft the Cre- dit of the Book in general, as a Rule of Faith, the Bible is there reprefented as a mofl obfcure, dark, incomprehenfible Colledion of multifa- rious Tradis. But in his Difcourfe of The Grounds,, &c, where § he is to obviate the Rea- fon we draw, of the Difficulty in explaining ancient Prophefies, frofh the Genius of the f Difcourfe of Free-thinkinz, p. I c?. Eaflern ^t^ D E D I C A r I 0 N. Eaftern Style and Sentiment, on a fudden, this very Book is become fo eafy, plain, and in- telligible, that none can poflibly miftake it. Again, the fame Writer, where in his Effay concerning the life of Re a Cony he is upon Dis- crediting the Dodrme c: the ever blefTed Tri- nity, and other Myfteries of the Chrijiian Faith, reprelciics human Reafon as omnifcient, and the full Meafure of all Things: But when the Proof of the Immateriality of the Soul, from the Qualities of Matter and Spirit, is to be ob- ftinately oppofed, the Scene is fhifted j and we are prefented with a new Face of things : Rea- fon is then become weak, ftaggering, and im- potent : then ^ we know not but one Quality may be another Quality; one Mode another Mode: then may Motion be Confcioufnefs ; and Matter Sentient. Thefe, Gentlemen, are the feveral Ways, in which you have abufed the Liberty of the Prefs. One might defy you, with all your good Will, to find out a new one j or to go farther in the old : So having done your worll:, it is time you fliould think of doing better. This is the only Conclufion I would draw from your ill Condud : So far am I from thinking with thofe, who fay you ought to be disfranchized of the Rights you have fo wan- tonly and wickedly abufed. For could the limple Abufe io eafily incur a Forfeiture, na- tural Rights would be ftrangely hazardous. Ad- * See his Answers to- Dr. Clarhv ventitiou's D E D I C AT I O N,-: xlt ventltious Rights are, 'tis true, frequently be- ftowed on this Condition. And the Difference in point of Security, is founded in the plaineft Reafon. Natural Rights are fo neceflary to our Being, that, without them. Life becomes miferable j but the Civil only contributing to our ealier Accommodation in fome circumftaiitial Matters, may be loft without Injury to our common Nature. The not diitinguilhing be- tween them, may have occafioned the Miftake : For the common Lawyers, being folely conver- fant in thefe latter, and having judged that the Abufe of thefe incurs a Forfeiture ; have fome- times raflily adventured to decide the Ric^hts of Nature by the fame Standard. But thefe Rights were beftowed on no fuch precarious Conditions : Nay, which deferves the moft fe- rious Refledion of all Men in Power, fo far was God from exadling this Penalty, at that Period, when thefe Rights were moil outrage- oufly abufed, that he not only continued, but enlarged and extended them : While on the Contrary, " Man, proud Man, " Dreft in a little, brief Authority, « Plays fuch fantaftic Tricks before high " Heaven, " As make the Angels weep. But It will be faid, the particular Authors how- ever of thefe Abufes fhould be perfonally pu- llifhed. I will here again, Gentlemen, become ' your xlii D E D I C A r I O N. your Advocate; not for your own Sakes, who furely deferve Punifliment; but for the Pub- lic's, which cannot, I think, inflid: it, without great Mifchief to literary and religious Li- berty. Abnfes of natural Rights are of two kinds ; which we fhould always carefully diftinguifh : The firft is of fuch Malignity, as to invalidate, and even deftroy the Vfe: And being of the Nature of a fimple Fa6t, leaves no room for recurring to a venal Jadge's Interpretation : Thefe Properties demand Punifliment, as ma- king it both necelTary and fafe. But there is another kind of Abufe that deflroys not, but only difcredits the Vfe ; and in which the Mat- ter of Right being intricately involved in the Matter of Fad, a Magiftrate has the largeft Latitude of Interpretation : Here Punilliment, for very obvious Reafons, is neither necellary nor fafe. That the Abufe of Ridicule is of this latter kind, is evident. But befides thefe two kinds of Abife, which we may call Original, there are two others, derivative from thefe, and compounded of them: Asfifft, ^\\ Abufe that only difcredits the Vfe: though it be of the Nature of a fimple Fad: and of this kind is that, which is the Subjed of the fecond Head of this Difcourfe ; namely, the Defama- tion of the Miniftry of the eflablijhed Worjhip. Secondly, an Abufe that deftroys the Vfe\ .but where yet the Matter of Fad is intricately in- volVed in the Matter of Right : of which kind is the Subjed of- our third Head 5 namely, a vicious DEDICATION, xliii vicious difregard to Truth and Faljhood, Now in neither of thefe Cafes, fhoiild I think it right for the State to interfere: In the/r/? it is not neceflary, in thtfecond it is not fafe : And I prefume it to be a Maxim in Politics, not to punifli, but where thefe two Realities of NcceJJity and Safety concur. In a Word then, all that we defire, is your Amendment; without any finifter Aim of call- ing upon the Magiftrate to quicken you. So I leave you, as I dare fay will he, to your felves. Me?id when you can, grow better at your Leifure, Nor let any good Man be fcandalized above Meafure for your Faults ; or be more impa- tient for your Reformation, than mere Chari- ty requires. I don't know what Panic the pre- fent monflrous growth of Infidelity may have thrown fome of us into. I, for my part, con^ fide fo much in the Goodnefs of our Caufe, that I too could be tempted to laugh in my Turn, while I think of an old Story told us by Herodotus, of your favourite Egyptians -, of whom you are like to hear a great deal in the following Work. With this Tale I fhail beg leave to conclude my long Addrefs to you. . He tells us then, that at what Time their Deity, the MM returns into his ancient Chan- nel, and the Hufbandman hath committed ^ the good Seed to the opening Glebe, it was their xliv DEDICATION. their Cuftom to turn in whole Droves of Swine ; to range, to trample, root up, and deftroy at Pleafure. And now nothing ap- peared but Defolation, while the Ravages of the obfcene Herd had killed every xhearful Hope of future Plenty. When on the IfTue, it was feen, that all their Malice and Greedi- nefs had efFe(5ted, was only this j that the Seed took better Root, incorporated more kindly with the Soil, and at length {hot up in a more luxuriant and abundant Harveft. I am. Gentlemen, ^r. A S U M MA R y O F T H E C O N T E N T S. Vol. I. In three Books : Containing the Neceffify of Religion in general^ and of the DoBrine of a future State in par- ticular to Civil Society^ provedfrom the Na^ ture of 'Things^ and the iiniverfal Confent of Mankind, na^^l— — — -■III in ■ iiM B^— ^— ^■^^■^^^^— ii—Mi ■■ ■■■■■■II I ^.—-a BOOK L PV.OYV.S the 'NeceJJity of the 'DoBrine of a fu- ture State of Rewards and Pumfhments to Ci- vil Society, frof?i the Nature of the ThifJ^, -^ p. I — 86. Sect. i. CONTJ iNS'the IntroduElion^ concerning the Nature of internal Evidence ^ theOccafton of this Dif-' CDurfe^ and the Propofition, p. i — 9. e Sect* \ CONTENTS, Sect. ii. 0 F the Original of Civil Society ; the Caufes of its defeElive Plan : that this Defe5t can be only fupplied by Religion : that Religion under the prefent J}ifpenfaiion of Providence cannot fuhfift without the Do5irine of a future State of Rewards and Punifhments \ that there- fore that DoUrine is neceffary to Civil Society, p. 9 — 24. Sect. hi. T H E Arguments of thofe who deny the Neceffity of Religion to Society confidered: Pomponatius falfely ranked in that Number, and vindicated : Cardan cba- ra^erized andcenfurcd, p 24— 33, Sect. iv. and v.' Mr. Bayle, the great Defender of this Paradox in bis Apology for Atheif?n, exa??iined. His Arguments colle^ed, methodized, and confuted. In the Courfe of this Difputation, the true Foundation of Morality is en- quired into, and fhewn to be neither the eflential Dif- ference of Things, nor the Mor2i\ Senfe, but the Will of God. The Caufes of the contrary Errors fheivn : And the Obje^ions againjl Morality* s being founded in the Will of God, anfwered, p. 33 — * 78. Sect. vr. THE Author of the Fable of the Bees, who contends that it is Vice and not Virtue that is ufeful to Society y examined, expofed, and confuted, p, 78 — 86, BOOK CONTENTS, BOOK II. PR ov E s the Necejftty of the Bo^rine of a future State to Society^ from the Condu^ of the ancient JLe^iflatorSy and Founders of Civil Policy, p. 87 — 255. Sect. i. S HE WS the Magif raters Care in cultivatitig Reli- gion^ I. From //?7^ Univerfality of it, among Ji all civil policied Nations. 2. From the Genius of Pagan Reli- gion, both with regard to the Nature of their Gods, the Attributes afftgned to them, and the Mode of Worlhipi« civil life amongjl them, p. 87 — 102. Se CT. II. BEGINS with the particular Jrts the Legiflator employed tothisPurpofe : Asi. the univerfal Practice of -pretending to Infpiration. It is floewn that this was done to efiablifh the Opinion of the Superintendency of the Gods over hwnan Affairs : Not to fecure the Re- ception of their Laws •, nor to render thofe Laws per- petual and immutable when received, p. 102 — 1 1 1. Sect. hi. SHEWS the ne-xt Art the Legifator ufed wc.s to preface his Laws with the Doctrine of a Providence in its full Extent. The Prefaces to the Laws of Za- leucus and Charondas, the only Remains, of this kind., proved genuine againji the Arguments of a learned Cri- tic, p. Ill ^ ig3. c 2 Sect. CONTENTS. Sect. iv. 7*// E next Art here difcourfed of^ is the Legijlaton Invention of the Myi\:enes^ fokly injiituted for the Pro- pagation and Support of the Do5frine of a future State of Rewards and Punifhments. Iheir Original and Pro- grefs deduced : Their Nature and End explained : Their Secrets revealed : And the Caufes of their Degeneracy accounted for. And to give a compleat Idea of this important Injlitution, the fixth Book of Virgil is ex- amined, and the Defcent of vEneas into Hell, is fhewn to he only an Initiation into, and Reprefentation of the Shews of the Myfleries, p. 133 — 231. S E C T, V. SHEWS the next Lijlance of the Magiflrate*s Care cf Religion, in efiablifhing a national JVorfJoip. That an eftablifhed Religion is the univerfal Voice of Nature. The Right of ejiahlifhing a Religion juftified^ in an Explanation of the true Theory of the Union between Church and State. This Theory applied as a Rule to judge of the actual Eftablifhments in the Pagan World. The Caufes that facilitated the Ejiah- lifhment of Religion amongft them \ as likewife thofe Caufes that kindred their Eilablilhments from re- feiving their due Form, p. 231 r^ 266. Se C T. VI, TREATS oj the laft Inftance of the Magiflrate's Care for the fupport of Religion, namely, in the Al- lowance of a general Toleration : The Meafure and Caufes of it : The Nature of the ancient tolerated Re- ligions : How, under the Sirpervifion and Direction of the Maglftrate : And how firfl violated and dejhoyed hy civil Tyranny, p. 266 — 295. •^ y • - — ^' BOOK CONTENTS, BOOK III. PROVES the NeceJJity of the Bo^rine of a future State to Society^ from the Opinion and Condu^ of the ancient Sages and Philofophers^ p, 295 — 443. Sect. i. CON TAINS the 'T'efi??wnies of ancient Sages and Philofophers, concerning the Neceffity of the Do^rine of a future State to Civil Society, p. 295 — 303. Sect. ii. BEG INS with Jhewing that none of the ancient Philofophers believed the Doctrine of a future State of Rewards and Punijhments, though, Jon account of its confeffcd Necejfity to the Support of Religion, and con- fequently of Civil Society, all the 'Theijlical Philofophers feduloufly taught it, and preached it up to the People. 'The feveral Senfes in which the Ancients conceived the Permanency of the human Soul explained. The fe- veral general Reafons premifed that induced the Author to conclude that the ancient Philofophers did not always Relieve what they taught, and that they taught the Do5frine of a future State of Rewards and Punifh- ments without believing it : Where the Principles that . Induced the ancient Sages to deem it lawful to deceive. for public good, in matters of Religion, are explained^ andfhewn to be fuch as had no Place in the Propagati- on or Genius of the Jewifli and Chriftian Religions, In the Courfe of this Enquiry, tJpe Rife, Progrefs^ Perfe5lion, -Decline, and Genius cf the ancient Greek Philofophy, under . its fever dl DivifwnS, are confidered and explainedy p. 303 —. 325, ^ ' ' . Sect. CONTENTS. Sect. hi. ENTERS on a particular Enquiry into the Sen- timents of each Se^ of Philofophy on this Point. The Divifwn and Succeffion of their Schools. TheCharatJer of Socrates; and of the new and old Academy. The Character and Genius of each Seel of the grand Qua- ternion of Theifiic Philofophy, the Pythagoric, the Platonic, the Peripatetic, and the Stoic : Where it is fhewn that not one of thefe believed the Doolrine of a future State of Rewards and Punifhments. The Cha- raoler of Tully, and his Sentiments on this Point. The Original of the ancient Fables, and of the Do- oirines of the Metempfychofis and Metamorphofis, are occafionally enquired into and explained, P* 3^5 Sect. iv. S H EWS, in order to a fuller ConviBion, that the antient Philofophers not only did not, but that they could not polTibly believe a future State of Rewards and PunifJjinents, becaufe two metaphyfical Principles, concerning the Nature of God, and of the human Soul, which entirely overturn the Doctrine of a future State of Rewards and Punifhments, were univerfally held and believed by all the Greek Philofophers. Thefe Doolrines examined and explained : In the Courfe of this Enquiry, the true Genius of the andent Egyptian IFifdom explained •, and their pretended PJjilofophy, as delivered by the later Greek Writers, fJjewn to be fpu- rious. The Scolion concludes with the life to he made of this remarkable Fa^ (of the ancient Philofophers not believing, and "^et fedulouffy teaching a future State of Rewards and PunifJoments) for the Support of our main ^tejiiouy p. 367 — 410. Sect, CONTENTS. Sect. v. S HE IV S that this account of the ancient Philo- fophy^ is fo far from being prejudicial to Chrijlianity^ that it greatly credits and recommends it. Proved from the Mifchiefs that attend thofe different Repre- fentations of Paganifm^ in the two Extremes, which the Defenders of Religion are accujlomed to make : Where it is fhewn that the Difference in point of Per ^ feSiion, between the ancient and modern Syjlems of Morality^ is entirely owing to Cbriflianity, p. 411, — 415- Sect, vi, 'THE atheiftical Pretence of Religion^ s being an Invention ef Statefneny and therefore falfe^ is here con- futedy and fhewn to he both impertinent and fotfe. For thaty was the Atheift^s Account of Religion righi^ it would not follow that Religion was falle, but the contrary. But that the Pretence is falfe and ground- lefsy Religion having exijled before thi Civil Magi- firate was in being, p. 415 -::r 44^. 2 'The Divine Legation Book L of the firft Kind, thefe Materials of Defcnfe are infeparable from its Exiftencc -, and fo always at hand, and the fame. But Time may, and doth efflice Memorials independent of that Exiftence •, out of which the external Evidence is compofcd. Which Evidence muft therefore become more and more impcrfcd, without being affedted by that v.-iiimfical and pariial Calculation, to whieh a cer- tain Sioifmdn'' would fubjccb it. Nay, fo 'neceflii- ry is the internal Evidence, that, even the veg-y beft of the external Kind cannot fupport itfclf without it : As may be feen from hence, that when the Mi- racles, performed by the Founders of our holy Faith, are unqueftionably verified, by -human Tc- llimony, the Confequence, that therelbre they were wrought by divine Power, cannot be deduced 'till the Nature of that Doftrine be examined, for whofe Eflablifhmcnt they were performed. But was there no other Benefit accruing from the Cultivation of the internal Evidence than the gaining, by it, a more perfc6l Knowledge of revealed Religion, this, furely, would fully recompenfe the Pains. That this is one of its Fruits I need not tell fuch as are acquainted with its Nature : And it is not without Occafion I take notice of it : For who, in this long Controverfy between us and the Deifls, hath not applied, to certain late Advocates of Revelation, what was formerly faid o^ Arnchlus and Laolantius^ that they undertook the Defen/e of Chrijlianity before they iinderfloocl it : A Misfortune, which the more careful Study of the internal Evidence would pro- bably liave prevented. Notwithftanding thefe fu- perior Advantages, it hath fo happened, that the 2;// ^;vi(7/ Evidence hath been hitherto ufed as an. In- troduction only to the external : and while by this =■ Cnig. ThcQlogiae Cluift. Principia Mathematica, Lottd. 1699. 4"- ' Jatter, Sedl. I. of Moses demonjirdtcd. 3 latter. Men have proved our Religion a6lually di- vine, they have gone no farther with the former, than to fhew it worthy indeed of fuch Original, But, from the State in which the intei-nal Evidence, at prefenr, lies, a late Writer^ hath dn'.wn a quite contrary Conclufion. I, from the fmall Progrefs hitherto made in it, exhort to its better Cultiva- tion ; he, from the fime Fa6l, concludes, that, jlri^ly fpeahng^ there can he 'no internal Evidence of a, Revelation at all. He fuppofes this fmall Advance to be owing to a Defecl in the Nature of the Proof; I, to the Negligence of its Cultivators. Which of us is in the right, if that can be a Queftion, a few Pages will difcover. What may have occafioncd this Ncgleft, is not fo eafy to fiy. Whether it be that Writers have, in general, imagined the DifBculties of effeftually profecuting the internal Method not to be fo eafily furmounted as thofe are, which the Writer in the €>:lernal is engaged in: while they fuppofe, that this latter, to be Mafter of his Subjcd:, needs only the ufual Rcquifites of Church-hiftory, common Di- ligence, and Judgment. But that the Reafoner on the internal Froot\ mufl, befides thefe, have a tho- rough Knowledge of Human Nature, Civil Policy, the univerfil Hiitory of Mankind, an exaft Idea of the Mofaic and Chrijlian Difpenfitjons, cleared from the Froth and Grounds-of School-fubtilties^ and Church-fyftcrns : and, above all, fliould be bleffed with a certain Sagacity, to invefligate the' Relations of human Actions, through all the Com- binations of natural, civil, and moral Complexities. What may itiggeft, this Opinion may be, the re- tie(5ling, that, in the f.v/(?r;W Evidenxre, each Cir- cumftance' of Faft, that makes for the Truth of '' Dr. Cnnybeare'h Defenfe cf Revealed Religion, edit. z. S"*' »/• 431- . , ^ B 2 revealed 4 The Divine Legation Book I. revealed Religion, is feen to do lb, as foon as known : lb that die chief Labour, here, is to fearch and pick out fuch Facls, and to place them in their proper Light and Situation ; but that, in profecuting the internal Evidence, the Cale is wide- ly ditterent. A CirQum (lance in the Frame and Compolicion of this Religion, that perhaps fome time or other may be difcovered to be a Demon- ftration of its Divinity, lliill be fo far from being generally thouglu affilling in the Proof, that it ihall be efteemed, by moll, a Prejudice againll it: as I think I have given a remarkable Inftancc, in the Sab}e(fl of x\vi follov/ing Treatife. And no wonder, that a Religion oi divine Original, con- ilituted to lerve many admirable Ends of Provi- dence, fiiOuld be full of fuch complicated Myfte- ries, whole View filled the learned Apodle with Admiration. As on the other hand, this Religion being for the Ufe of Man, we need not defpair,' when we have attained a proper Knowledge of Man's Nature, and the Dependencies thereon, of making ilili grovv'ing DIfcoveries, on the internal Evidence of the Divinity of its Original. Now tho' all this may perhaps be true •, and that, confcquently, it would appear ridiculous Arrogance in ari ordinary Writer, after having feen the Diffi- culties attending this Method, to hope to over- come them, by the qualities above -fiid to be re- quired : yet no modeft Searcher after Truth need be difcouraged. Lor there are, in r^yealed Reli- gion, bcfides thofe interior Marks of Truth, above defcribed, which require the moft delicate Opera- tion of a great Genius, and Mafter-workman, to bring out and polifh -, 'others alio, no lefs illultri- ^ A noble Tnflnnce of this, a great Writer hath given us in the 4th DiJJeriatlon of the Ufe and Intent of Prophecy, &:c. intitled, ChfjJTi Entiy into "J erufalem. OUS, Sed. I. o/* M o s E s demoiijlrated. 5 ous,, but more univocal Marks of Truth, thatGod hath been pleafed to imprcfs upon his Difpi-nlliti- ons •, which require no great Qualities, but Hu- mility, and Love of Truth, in him, who would, from thence, attempt to vindicate the IVays of God to Man, The Subje(5l of this Difcourfe is one of thofc il- luftrious Marks ; from which, the Difcoverer claims no Merit from any long, learned, or laborious Search. It is Honour enough for him that he is the firft who brines it out to Oblervarion ; if he be indeed the firil. For the Dem.onftrarion is fo ftrong and beautiful, and, at tlie fimic time, ap- pears to be fo eafy and fimplc, that one cannot tcl! whether the Pleafure of the Difcovery, or the Wonder that it is now to make, be the greater. The Title of this Difcourfe tells my Reader, that I undertake to prove the divine Legation of Mofes^ from the OmifTion of the Do(5lrine of a fu- ture State of Rewards and Punifhments, in the Laws and Religion he delivered to the Jewifi Peo- ple. In which I pretend to carry the internal Evi- dence much farther than ufual -, even to the Height of which it is capable, Denionftration. • Why I chuf^ to make the Defenfe o{ Mofes the Subjed: of this Difcourfe, is the obferving a Notioa to have fpread very much of late, even amongft many who would be thought Cbrijlians, that . the Truth of Chriflianity is independent of the J cjoijlj Y)\fytr\hi\on : An Opinion, that was, W\\ now, peculiar to the Socimans ; who go fo far as to aiaintain, ^ that the Km-idcclge of the Old Tcjfa- me fit is not ahfolutely neccjfary for Chriflians : And, that thofe who prbfefs to. think more foberly, are generally gone into the belief that the Truth of ' "^ C«/^r,- adverf. Tradl. Theol. Folic, lib. i. ' ' ■ B 3 the 6 "ihc Dhiuc Legation Book 1. the Jeivijb Religion is imporTible to be proved but upon the Truth of the Chrijlian. As to the firfl; ibrr of People, if they really imagine Chriftianity hath no Dependence on Judaifm, they deferve our tendereft Compalfion, as being plainly ignorant of the very Elements of the Religion they profefs. However fuitable the Opinion may be to a modern fafhionable Notion that Cbrijliamty is only the Re- publication of the Religion of Nature •, the fiUieft, and moft wretched Error, in an age of Paradoxes. As for the other, it is reafonable to think, they fell into the Miftake from a View of Difficulties, in the yc-a'z/iJDirpenfation, they judged too weighty to be removed. I may pretend then to their Thanks, if I fucceed, by coming fo feafonably to their Relief; and freeing their Rcafonings from a vicious Circle, tliat firft prove the Chriftian by the Jewifh ; and then the Jewifli, by the Chriftian Religion. Why I chufe this Medium, namely, the Omijfion of a future Stat i in the JewifJD Difpsnfition (before fe- veral others of equal Strength, which I have in my Choice) to prove its divine Original, is for the Hike of the peifts : being enabled hereby to Ihew them, I. That this very Circumftance of OmifTion, >vhich they pretend to be fucn an Imperfection, as makes the Difpenfation unworthy the Author to whom we e.fcribe it, is, in Truth, a Demonftra- tion that God only could give it. 2. That thofe feveral momentous Pailages of Scripture, which they charge with Obfcurity, Injuftice, and Con- tradi(5tion, are, indeed, full of Light, Equity, and Agreement. 3. That their high Notions of the Antiquity of the Religion, and Learning of the JE::^yptidns^ which they inceffantly produce, as their Palmary Argument^ to confront and overturn the " Hiftory Sed. I . of Moses demonfirafed. 7 Hiftory of Mofes^ do, in an invincible manner, confirm and fupport ir. In this Demonftration, then, which we fuppofe very little fliort of mathematical Certainty, and to which nothing, but a mere phyfical PofTibility of the contrary, can be oppofed, we demand only this fmgle fojlulatu7n^ that hath all the Clearnefs of Self-evidence, namely, " That a fkilful Lawgiver, eliablifhing a Reli- " gion, and Civil Policy, ad:s with certain " Views, and for certain Ends -, and not ca- " pricioufly. Or without Purpofe or Defign. This being granted, we erect our Dcmonflration on thefe three very clear and fimple Propofitions : 1. " That the inculcating theDoctrixe *' OF A FUTURE StATE OF ReWARDS AND "Punishments, is necessary to the *' well being of Civil Society. 2. '' That all Mankind, especially the " most v/ise and learned Nations of *' AnTI(VU1T Y, HAVE CONCURRED IN BE- " LIEVING, AND TEACHING, THAT THIS *' Doctrine was of such Use to Civil *' Society. 3. "That the Doctrine of a future State " OF Rewards and Punishments is not " TO BE FOUND IN, NOR DID MAKE PaRT OF " THE Mosaic Dispensation, Propofitions fo clear and evident, that one v:ouId think, one- might direftly proceed to thole Me- diums by which we deduce our Concluiion, That therefore the Lav/ of Moses is of Divine Original. B 4 But S J'he Divine hegation Book I. But fo great is Men's Love to Paradox and Syjlem^ that thcfe, with all their Evidence, have need of a very p.irtk-ular Defenle : the Infidel having dif- puted the one, and many Chriftian Writers thought It neceflary to deny the other. Thefe-PafTions, however different, wich regard to the Objects that excite them, and to the Subjecfls in which they are found, have this in common, that they never rile but on the Ruins of Reafon. The Bufinefs of the Religiooill being to eftablifh, if his Undcrllanding be narrowed by Prejudices, he contraifts himfelf into Syflem : and that of the InSdel, to overturn ; if his Will be depraved, he, as naturally, runs out into Paradoxes. Slavifh, and licentioijs Thinking, the two Extreams of free Enquiry, fliuts them up from, or makes them fly out beyond, all reafona- ble Views and I>imits. And, as Extreams fall ea- fily into one another, we fomctimes fjc the oppo- fite Writers change Flands : The Infidel, to fhew fomething like Coherence in his Reveries, repre- fents them as the fevcral Parts of a Syjlcm •, and the Religionift, to give a Relifh to his Syftem, powders it with Paradoxes. In which Arts, two hit Hibeniians% the Hoioes of their fevcral Par- tics, were very notably praftifed and dillingaifhcd. In removing thofe of either Kind, that lie in cur Way, we iiiall be obliged to ftretch our En- quiries high and wide. But this, always, with an eye to the Direction of our great Mafter of Reafon^ To er.deavour, throughout the Body cf this JDifcoiiyfe^ that e-jery fonner Part may give St-rengih unto all that fcl!o-zv, and every latter b7-ing feme Light unto atl bcjlre. ■ ■ ' • * Sec the Dircoarrc called i\n:tsiref::is, — .^/i F.pijlobr; D'tfccurfe ;zr.^crr.irg the Irr.-r.crtalitv cfthc Scul, — D{Jiriationcs Cypr-ianica:, iic. ' Kookcr. Sect. Seft. 2 . o/" M 0 s E s demofiji rated, 9 S E C T. II. OUR Firft Propofition, That the i\cul- cating the doctrine of a future State of Rewards and Punishments is ne- cessary TO THE WELL BEING OF CiVIL So- .ciety, I (hall endeavour to prove, from the Na- ture of Man, and the Genius of Civil Society. The Appetite of Self-prefervation being mod in- difpenfablynecefTary to every Animal, Nature hath .made it the ftrongeft of all. And though, in ra- tional Animals, Reafon alone might be fuppofed iiifficient to anfwer the End, for which this Appe- tite is bellowed on others, yet, the better to fecure. that End, Nature hath given Man, likewifc, a very confiderable Share of the fame Inftin<5b, with which fhe hath endowed Brutes fo^ admirably to provide for their Prcfervatipn. Now whether it was fome plajlk Nature that was here in fault, which the great Bacon fays, knc-jos not how to keep a mea)i^, or, that it was all owing to the perverfe Ufe of human Liberty, certain it is, that, born away with the Pleafure of gratifying this Appetite, Man, in a State of Nature, foon ran into very vio- lent Excefles: and never thought he had fuifi- ciently provided for his own Being, 'till he had deprived his Fellows of the free Enjoyment of theirs. Hence, all thofe Evils of mutual Violence, Rapine, and Slaughter, that, in a State of Nature, • mull needs abound atpongft equals, Becaufe, tho* Man,' in this State, was not without a Law, which exa(5ted Piinifliment on Evil doers, • yet, the Admi- niflration of that Law not b^eing in common Hands (but either in the Perfon offended, or elfe in the £ Modum tenere nefcia eft. Ju^. Scien, Hands lo ^he Divine Legation Book I. Hands of every one, as the Offence was againft Mankind in general) would be irregularly execut- ed. And very often, where both thefe Executors of the Law of Nature were difpofed to be impar- tial and exact, in the Adminiftration of Juftice, they would yet want Power to inforce it. Which together, would fo much inflame the Evils above mentioned -, that they would foon become as gene- ral, and as intolerable, as the Hohheijis reprefent them in that State to be, was it not for the re- flraining Principle of Religion, that kept Men from running, altogether, into the Conflifion ne- ceffarily confequent on the Principle of inordinate Self-love. But yet it could not operate witji fuffi- cient Efficacy, for want, as we obferved before, of a common Arbiter, who had Impartiality enough fairly to apply the Rule of Right, and Power to inforce its Operations. So that thefe tijoo 'Principles were in endlefs Jar -, nnd, as Chance direfted, fometimcs one, and fometimes the other had the better. The reftraining Principle o^ Religion there- fore found it necellliry to call in the Civil Ma- gistrate, as an Ally, to turn the ballance. Thus was Society invented for a Remedy againft Injuftice -, and a Magijlrate^ by mutual confent, ap- pointed, to give a fancflion to *' that common Mea- " furc, to which, Reafon teaches us, that creatures *' ot the fame Rank and Species, promifcuoufly *•• born to the fame Advantages of Nature, and to " the Ufe of the fame Faculties, have all an equal *' right." ^ Where it is to be obferved, that rhoiigh Society provides for all thofe Convcniencies and Accommodations of more elegant Life, which Man mufl have been content to have been without, in a State ot Nature ; yet it is more than probable, that thefe were never thought of v/hen Society was firft •" Lachc. ■ ■ inai- Se(ft. 2. of M OSES demonjlrated. 1 1 inftituted'i but that they were the mutual Vio- lences and Injuftices, at length become intolerable, that fet Men upon contriving this Remedy : Be- caiufe Evil felt hath a much Wronger Influence on the Mind than Good imagined ; and the Means of removing the one is much eafier difcovered, than the Way to procure the other. And this, by the wife Difpofition of Nature : the avoiding Evil be^ ing neceflfary to our Exiftence •, not fo, the pro- curing Pleafure. Befides, the Idea of thofe unex- perienced Conveniences would be, at bell, veryob- fcure : and how unable Men would be, before trial, to judge that Society could beftow them, we may guefs by obferving, how little, even now, the generality of Men, who enjoy thofe Bleflings, know or refle(5l that they are owing to Society, or how it procures them •, becaufe it doth it neither imme- diately, nor directly. But they would have a ve- ry lively Senfe of Evils felt ; and would know that Society was the Remedy, becaufe the very Defini- tion of the Word would teach them hov/ it be- comes fo. Civil Society thus eflablilhed, from this Time, as the Poet fays, ' Though the judicious Hooker thinks thofe Advantages were. principally intended -when Man firft entered into Societv : His Words are thefe : " But, forafmuch as we are not by our- " felves fufficient to furnifh ourfelves with competent Store of " things needful for fuch a Life as our Nature doth defire, a " Life lit for the Dignity of Man ; therefore to fupply thefe De- " fefts and Imperfeclions which are in us, living iingly, and' " folely by ourfelves, we are naturally induced to leek Commu- " nion and Fellowfliip with others. This ^.vas the Cauje of Men'' s " unitbig themfehes at firft into Politique Societies. Eccl. Pol. 1. i. f lo. tlis Maffer Arijlotk, though extreariily cc.ncifc, feems to hint, that this was but the fecondar)i End of Civil Society, and that, that was the firft, whi':h we raafce to be fo- His Words are : 7W/^/"J ? ot "§ t^ e.iK'a, hcr* 'j ? dO <^rv. Pol. lib, i. cap. 2. 12 'The Divine Legation Book I. ahfijlere Bella, Oppida cceperunt muniye, 6? poncre Leges, Ne quis Fur ejfct, neu hatro^ neu qids Adulter. But as before. Religion alone was an ineffeftual Remedy to moral Diforders -, fo now, Society, without other AlTiftimce, would be equally infuf- iicient. 1. I . For, jirfl, its Laws can have no farther Effi- cacy than to reltrain Men from an open Violation of Right, while what is done amifs in private, though equally tending to the publick Prejudice, efc^ipes their Animadverfion : and Man, fince his entering into Society, would have greatly improved his Malice in the fecret Way of working. For now an effeftual Security being provided againft open Violence, and the inordinate Principle of Self- dove ftill the fame, fecret Craft was the Art to be improved : and the Guards of Society inviting Men to a carelefs Security, what Advantages this would aiibrd to thofe private Mifchiefs, which Civil Laws could not take notice of, is not difficult to con- ceive. 2. But, fecondly, the Influence of Civil Laws cannot, in all Cafes, be extended even thus fir, namely, to the rcftraining an open Violation of Right. It cannot thcri^ when the levere Prohibi- tion of one Irregularity threatens the bringing on a greater : And this will always be the Cafe when the Irregularity is owing to the Intemperance of the natural PafTlons. Hence it hath come to paf^, that no great and flourifhing State could ever pu- nifii fonucaticn^ in fuch a manner as its ill InHu- ecce on Society was conielTed to deferve. Becaule it was always found, that a fevereKeilraiie Immortalitate Animev, printed in 1 2° An. 1534. "■ Sec'undo, quia ftante animi humani mortalitate, homo in nullo cafu, quantunficunque urgentiirimo, deberet digere mortem : 8c fic removeretur fortituda/ qu^ praewpit contemner^ mortem, & quod pro patria & bono publico del5emus morterfi eligere : neque pro amico deberemus exponere animam noftram-; imo quodcunque fcelus & nefas perpetrare magifque mortem fubire: quod ell con- tra^Arift. 3 Ethic< & g lejufdem, /. 99. ' ' . and 26 ^he Divine Legation Book I, and that Virtue is never fo ■perfe^ as when it brings 710 Dower with it : Bat then fubjoins, *' Philofo- *' phers, and the Learned, only know what Plea- " fures the Practice of Virtue can procure ; and *' what Mifery attends Ignonince and Vice : — but *' Men not underftanding the Excellence of Virtue, *' and Deformity of Vice, would commit any Wick- '* ednefs rather than fubmit to Death : to bridle *' therefore their unruly Appe'ites, they were *' taught to be influenced by Hope of Reward, and " Fear of Punifliment^" This is enough to fhew what Pompotiatius thought of the Neceflicy of Reli- gion to the State. Pie gives up fo much of the Objeflion as urges the ill confequcnce of the Do- clrine of the Mortality on Mankind in general ; but in fo doing doth not betray the Caufe he un- dertakes : which was, to prove that the Belief of the Mortality of the Soul would have no ill In- fluence on the Practice of a learned Peripatetic : not that it would not have it on the grofs body of Mankind, to the prejudice of Society. This ap- pears from the Nature and Defign of the Treatife ; wrote entirely on Peripatetic Principles, to explain a Point in that Philofophy : by which Explanation, whoever was perfuaded of the Mortality of the Soul, muit give his Aflent on thofe Principles; but thofe were only fitted for learned Men. It was his Bufincfs therefore to examine, what Effefls this Be- lief would have on fuch, and on fach only. And this, it muft be owned, he hath done with Dexte- rity enough. But that this Belief would be molt *" Soli enim philofophi & ftudiofi, ut dicit AriA. 6 Ethic, fciunt qaantam dL-lcdationem genercnt virtutes, & quantani miferiam ignoiantia c^- vitia. — Sed quod homines non cognofcentcs excel- lentiam virtutis & foeditatem vitii, omne Icelus perpetrarent, pri- ufquam mori : quare ad refra;nandum diras hominuni cuplditates, data ell fpes prsmii &, timer punitionis. p, 1 1^. perni-' Se£t. 3* £/* Moses demonjirated. 27 pernicious to the general Body of Mankind, he con- fefTes with the utmoft Ingenuity. And as his own Words are the fulled Proof imaginable that he thought with the reft of the World, concerning the Influence of Religion, and particularly of the Do- ctrine of a future State of Rewards and Punifh- ments, on Society, I fhall beg leave to tranfcribe them at length. — " There are fome Men of fo *' ingenuous and well framed a Nature, that they " are brought to the Praftice of Virtue from the " the fole Confideration of its Dignity -, and are " kept from Vice on the bare Profpect of its Bafe- *' nefs : But fuch excellent Perfons are very rare. *' Others there are of a fomewhat Jefs heroic Turn " of Mind ; and thefe, befides the Dignity of *' Virtue, and Bafenefs of Vice, are worked upon *' by Fame and Honours, by Infamy and Difgrace, " to fhun Evil, and perfevere in Good : Thefe *' are of the fecond Clafs of Men. Others again <« are kept in order by the Hope of fome real Be- *' nefit, or the Dread of corporal Punifnment ; *' wherefore that fuch may follow Virtue, the Po- *' litician hath allured them by Dignities, PofTef- '' fions, and Things of the like Nature ; and hath *' inflicted Mulds, Degradations, Mutilations, and *' capital Punifbments, to deter them from Wick- *' ednefs. There are yet others of fo intraftable *' and perverfe a Spirit, that nothing of this can "" move them, as daily Experience fnews usj for *' thefe, therefore, it was, that the Politician con-' *' trived the Dotlrine of a future State ; where eter- " nat Rewards are referved for the virtuous, and *' eternal Pifhifliments, which havfe the more pow- ** "erful Influence of the tw^i, for the Wicked. For " the greater pare of thofc who live well, do fo, "• rather for Fear of the Punirtiment than out of H Appetite to thw: P^eward : For Mifery is better *' kri'jivn 28 'jthe Divine Legation Book I. " known to Man, than that immeafurable Good " which Religion promifes : and therefore as this <' Temper of Humanity may be directed to pro- *' mote the Welfare of Men of all Conditions and «' Degrees, the Legiflator, who, while he was in- *' tending a common good, faw a general Propen- *' fity to Evil, gave his Sanation to the Doctrine *' of the Immortality of the Soul. In purfuing *' which Intention, he was not anxious in follow- *' ing Truth, fo he could but light upon Utili- *' ty, or the Means of drawing Men to Virtue. " Nor is he to be blamed : For as the Phyfician «•' deludes his Patient in order to reflore his Health, " fo the Lawgiver invents Apologues to form the *' Manners of his People. Indeed were all of " that noble Turn of Mind with thofe enumerated *' under the firft Clafs, then would they all, even *« though the eftabliflicd Doftrine was the Morta- " lity of the Soul, exactly perform to one another " the Duties and Devoirs of Citizens. But as " there are^ upon the matter, none of this Difpofuion, " he muft, of neceffity, work Men as he found *'them,' e?r." After * Aliqui funt homines ingenui, & bene inftitutse naturre, adeo quod ad virtutem inducuntur ex fola virtutis nobilitate, & a vitio rctrahuntur ex Tola ejus foeditate : & hi optimediipofiti funt. Ali- qui vero funt minus bene difpofiti ; & hi praster iiobilitatem virtu- tis, &: foeditatem vitii, ex prsemiis, laudibus, & honoribus ; ex pcenis, vituperiis, & infamia ftudiofa operantur, & vitia fugiunt : & hi in fecundo gradu funt. Aliqui vero propter fpem alicujus boni, £-c timorem poense corporalis lludipfi efFiciuntur ; qaare ut tales vir:utem confequantur, llatuunt politici vel aurum, vel digni- tatem, vel aliquid tale, ut vitia vero fuglant ; ftatuun: vel in pe- cunia, vel in honore, vel in corpore, ieu mutilando membrum, feu occidendo puniri. Qaidam vero ex ferocitate il- perverfitate natura; nullo horum moventur, ut quotidiana docet experientia ; idco ' pofuerunt vlrtuofis in alia vita prsemia.reterna, yitiofis vero reterna damna, qux maximc terrerent : majorque pars hominum , Ji bonum operatur, magis ex metu seternj damni -quam fpe anerni boni Sed:. 3 . of Moses demojift rated. 29 After all this, it is ftrangely furprizing that Mr. Bayle Ihould fo far miftake this Book as to ima- gine the Author argues in it againjl the Ufefulnefs of Religion to Society : efpecially, when we corfider, that Mr. Bayle appears to have examined the Book fo nearly as to be able to confute a common Error concerning it, namely, that it was ivroie to prove tbe Mortality of the Soul : whereas he fhevvs, that it was wrote only to prove, that, on the Principles oi Jrijtotle^ neither that nor the contrary could be demonftrated. - — But let us hear him : " Ce que " Pomponace a repondu a la raifon empruntee de " ce, que te dogme de la mortal ite de Tame por- *' teroit les hommes a toutes fortes de crimes eft " digne de confideration"." And then he produces thole Arguments^ of Po?nponntius^ which we have given above, of the natural Excellence of Virtue, and Deformity of Vice ; that Happinefs conftjls in the Pra^ ^ice of the one^ and Mifery in that of the other ^ &c. Thefe he calls poor Solutions : And, indeed, that would be too foft a Name for them, v/as Pcjnpcna- tiusy as Mr. Bayle fuppofes, defigning to prove that the Dovflrine of the Mortality of the Soul did not invite the generality of Men to all fort of Wicked- nefs : for the Account given by Pomponatius him- felf of the Origin of theDodrine of the Immortality^ boni operator bonum, cum damna fint magis nobis cognita quam ilia bona asterna : & quoniam hoc ultimum ingenium omnibus •liominibus'poteit prodeffe, cujufcunque gradus fint, refpiciens Le- giflator pronitatem viarum ad malum, intendens communi bono,, fanxit animam efle immortalem, non curans de veritate, fed tan- tum de probitate, ut inducat homines ad virtutcm. Neque accu- fandus-ell politicus ; ficut namque medicus multa fingit, ut a;gro fanitatem reftituju; fie politicus Apologos fqrmat, ut cives retti- ficet. — Si omnes homines efl"ent in illo primo gradu enumerate, jlante etiam animorum mortalitate,«.ftudiofi fierent ; fed quafi nulli lunt ill;'" difpofitionis, quare aliis ingeniis incedere neceffe fuit, — : — /'^JT- 123 1 24, '125. " Dift. Hilt, & Crit. Art. (Pomponace) Rem. (H.) fhews. 20 The Divi?ie Legation Book I. Ihews, that, but for it, they would have run head- Jong into Vice. But fuppofing this Peripatetic's Dsfign to be, as indeed it was, to prove that the Belief of the Mfjr/^/f/y would have no ill Influence on the learned Followers of Anjiotle^ then^thefe Arguments, which Mr. Baylc c^Us poor ones, will be found to have their Weight. But he goes on, and fiiys, thai Pomponatiui brings a better Argument from Fa5f, ivhere he takes notice of [ever al ijoho denied the Immortality of the Soul, and yet lived as 'well as their believing Neighbours. This is indeed a good Argument to the purpofe, for which it is employed by Pomponatius -, but whether it be fo to that, for which, Mr. Bayle imagined, he employed it, fhall be confidered hereafter, when we come to meet with it amongft this Writer's Reafonings, who hath transferred it into his Apology for Atheifm. But Mr. Bayle v/as fo full of his own favourite Sluejlion, that he did not give a due Attention to Pompona- tius's ; and having, as I obferved above, refuted a vulgar Error with regard to this famous Tradl, and imagining that the Impiety, fo generally charg- ed on it, was folely founded in that Error, he goes on infulting the Enemies o'i Pomponatius thus : " Si " Ton n'a fonde les impietez, dont on I'accufe, " que fur fon livre de /' immortalite de V ame, il n'y •' eut jamais de accufation plus impertinente que *' cellc-la, ni qui foit une marque plus exprefie de " l*entetement inique des perfecuteurs des Philofo- •' phes." But Pomponatius won't be fo eafily fet clear : For Jet him think as he would concerning the Soul, yet the Account he gives of the Origia of Ri'ligion, as the Contrivance of Statefmen, pro- duced above in his own Words, from this very . Tra(ft: de humor talit at e Ani?ncu, is fo highly impious, that his Enemies will fcarce be perfuaded to .give it a folter Name than dowright Athcirm. Nor is it Se£l. 3. of Moses demonjlrated. 3 1 it Impiety in the general, that we endeavour to ac- quit him of, in thefe Remarks, but only of that Species of it, which teaches Religion to he ufelefs to Society. And this we think we have done ; al- though it be by fhewing him to have run into the oppofite Extream, which pretends i?f%w« to be the Creature of Politicks. Cardan comes next to be confidered : and him no one hath injured. He too is under the fame Delufion with Bayle concerning Pomponatius : For writing on the fame Subjed"^, he borrows the Pe- ripatetic's Arguments to prove that Religion was even prejudicial to Society. This wa& fo bold a Stroke, that Mr. Bayle^ who generally follovv's him pretty clofely, drops him here : Nor do I know that he ever had a fecond, except it was the un- happy Philofopher of Malmjhury ; who fcorning, in his dogmatic way, to argue upon the Matter, imperioufly pronounced, that he who prefumcd to propagate Religion in a Society, was guilty of the Crime of Lefe Majejly, as introducing a Power fu- perior to the Leviathan'*^. But it would be unpar- donable to keep the Reader much longer on this poor lunatic Italian., in whofn^ as Mr. Bayle plea- •fantly obferves, Senfe was^ at ^tal of Moat Virtue, an4 the Search i/ito the Nature of Society, with the Body of the Book, Mora' . Se6:.4« of Moses d-emonjl rated. 41 Morality independent of Religion'' i who, how- different foever their Employments may feem, are indeed but twilling the fame Rope at contrary Ends : the plain Defign of both being to over- throw Religion. But as the Moralift's is the more plaufible Scheme, it is become moft in fafiiion : So that of late Years a Deluge of Moral Syftems, in which either the Moral Scnfe, or the EJJ'ential Difference makes the fole Foundation, have over- run the learned World , that, like the Chorus of Clouds in Arijlophanes, the Aivcioi 'Ni(pUoct^ the Eternal Relations, are introduced into the Scene, with a gaudy outfide, to lupplant Jii filer ; and to teach the Arts of Fraud and Sophiftry ; but foon betray themfelves to be empty, obfcure, noify, impious Nothings. In a word to the feveral Sorts of Separatijls, thofe I mean who are indeed Friends to Religion » and deteft the Infidel's Abufe of their Principles, I would recommend the Interpretation of the follow- ing Oracle of an antient Sage'. OT' TAP 'ESTIN 'ETPEIN THS AIKAIOITNHS 'AAAHN 'apxhn 'ot- AE 'AAAHN TENESIN, 'H THN 'EK TOT AIQl KAI TH2 K0INH2 OTSEHS. ** See the fourth Treatife of the CbaraSIeriJlics, intitled, An Inquiry concerning Virtue and Merit. " This noble Truth, that the only true Foundation and Original of Morality is the Will of God interpreted by the Moral Sen/e and Ejpntial Difference of Things, was a random Thought oi Chryfip- ptts the Stoic. I fay fo, i . Becaufe the ancient Philofbphy in ge- neral teaches nothing certain concerning the true Ground of Mp- ral Obligation. 2. Becaufe Plutarch''^ quoting it amongft the Re- pugnances of the Stoics, fhews it to be inconfillent with their other .Dodlrine. And indeed, the following the antient Philofophers too fervilely, has occafioned tlie Errors of modern Moralilts, in unnaturally fepar^iting the Grounds of Obligation : Plato being the Patron of the Moral Senfe ; Arifiotle of the Effcr,tialDifference\ ; and the Stoics of Arbitrary Will. — How much the Ancients per- ceived themfelves bewildered in this Search, and what Expedient $;hpy ufed to extricate themfelves, will be feen hereafter. And 42 ^he Divi?ie Legation Boojc 1^ And now, to come more diredtly to our Adven- fary's Argument : which this Preparation hath en- abled us to anfwer clearly and diltintftly. We fay then, 1. That the Athc-iO: cannot arrive to the "Know- ledge of the Mcraiify of Ad:ions, properly fo called. 2. That though he be capable of being affefled with the Moral Senfe, and may arrive to the Knowledge of the Real Effential Differences in the Qualities of human Atflions ; yet this Senfe, and this Knowledge, make nothing for the purpofe of Mr. Bayle^s Argument : becaufe thefe, even in conjunction, are totally infuffi- cient to influence Society, in the Pracftice of Virtue : which Influence is the Foundation of the Quefl:ion. Both thefe Concluflons, I prefume, have been pretty clearly made out, by what hath been f^id above, o^ the Origin of Society^ and, jufl: before, of the Foundation of Moral Virtue: But that nothing may be wanting to the clearefl: Eviction, in thefe important Points, I fhall crave leave to examine the Matter with a little more Precifion. I. And firfl:, that an Atheifi^ as fuch^ can never arrive to the Knowledge of the Morality of Actions^ properly fo called^ we fhall farther make good a- o;ainft the Force of Mr. Ba\ie'% Arguments, which he brings to prove, that the Morality of human A^li- ens may be demonftrated on the PnnctjJes of a Strato- nicean^ or Athciftic Fatalift ; whom he perfonates in this manner: "The ^Beauty, Symmetry, Re- '' gularity, and Order, feen in the Univerfe, are ^ Ln beaute, la fymetrie, la regularite, 1' ordre que Ton voit dans r univers, font Touvrage d' un nature qui n'a point de con- -ooiffance, &.- qu' encore, ^^. Contin. desPevf.ai'ver/es, c. 151. " the •Sed:.4'- of Moses dcmonjlratcd. 43 " the Effefls of a blind unintelligent Nature ; and *^' though this Nature, in her Workmanfhip, hath " copied after no Ideas, flic hath ncverthelefs pro- " duced an infinite number ot Species, with each *' its diftindl effential Attribute. It is not in cpn- " fequence of our Opinion, that Fire and Water " diirfer in Species, and that there is a like Dif- " ference between L.ove and Hatred, AfHrmation " and Negation. Thisfpscific Dilference is found- *' ed in the Nature of the Things themfelvcs. But " how do we know this ? Is it not by comparing " the effential Properties of one of thefe Beings " v/ith the eliential Properties of another of them I " But we know, by the fame way, that there is a *' fpecific Difference between Truth and Falflioo-J, " between good Faith and Perfidioufnefs, between *' Gratitude and Ingratitude, i^c. We may then *' be affured, that Vice and Virtue differ fpecifi- *' cally, by their Nature, independent of our Opi- " nion." — This Mr. Eayle calls their being Jiatic- rally feparated from each other : And thus much we grant him. But he goes on : <■' Let ^ us fee *' now by v/hat ways Stratonic Atheills may come '* to the Knowledge of Vice and Virtue's being ^' tnorally as well as naturally feparated. They at- " tribute to the Hime NeceiTity of Nature the Efta- " blifhment of thofe Relations which we find to be *' between Things, and the Eftablifhment of thofc " Rules by which we diilinguifh thofe Relations. ** There are Rules of Realoning independent of " the Will of Man : It is not becaufe Men have " been-pleafed to lix the Rules, of Syllogifm, than *' therefore thofe Rules are jull and true : they are " fo in. themfelves, and' all the Endeavours of the s Voions comment ils pcuvoient fa voir qu' dies etoient cutre , cela feparees moralement. lis attribuoienf;, i^c. Idem ibid. " Wit 44 ^he Divine Legation Book I. *' Wit of Man againft their Eflence and their At- ** tributes would be ridiculous and in vain.'* — , This we likewife grant him. He proceeds: — , *' If then there are certain and immutable Rules for *' the Operation of the Underftanding, there are " alfo fuch for the Determinationsof the Will." This, now, we deny. He would prove it thus: " The '' Rules of thefe Determinations are not ** altogether arbitrary -, fome of them proceed from «' the NecefTity of Nature •■> and thefe impofe an *' indifpenfable Obligation. The mod general of *' thefe Rules is this, that Man ought to will what * ' is mo/l conformable to right Reafon : For there is '' no Truth more evident than this, that it is fit a *' reafonable Creature Ihould conform to right Rea- " fon, and unfit that fuch a Creature fliould re- " cede from it." — This is his Argument, in which he gives us the mod general Rule whereby his Stratonicean is direded to the Difcovery of the Moral Difference in A<5lions. To which we reply, I. That the Rule is quite obfcure with regard to a Stratonicean, and fo can ferve for no Direftion at all. 2. That was it as clear to him as to the Thcift, it could neither ferve hi?n nor any one elfe in this Difcovery. I. The Rule is obfcure and uncertain : For a Stratonicean, as fjch, can never know what is a- greeable or difigreeable to right Reafon in the De- terminations of the Will, though he may in the Operations of the Underftanding -, becaufe in the Operations of the Underftanding there is nothing to be confidercd but that fpecific eflential Difterenre of Things, and their ReLuions amongft one ano- ther, as they are in themfclves. But in the Detcr- ^ Les regies de ces zfic^ — la ne font p.ir touted arbitraires: il y eii a cjui cmaner.r, ^'»- Liem idiii minitions Se.^— That then, th^ere' is the greater nc- ceflity to 'inforce' Religiqn, as an additional Curb to Licentioufnefs : For that a Curb it is, in fome degree, all Parties are agreed in. And here, at parting, it will not be amifs to obferve how much this- Argument enervates one of the foregoing- F 4 ther^ 72 ^he Divine Legafi(m Book I. There we arc made to believe that the Moral Senle and Eflcntial DiiTerenccs, are fufficient to make Men virtuous : Here we are taught, that thefe, with the Sanction of a Providence to boot, cannot do it, in any tolerable degree As to the Hives of his Epicureans, and other Atheifts, which is the only part of this Argument remaining untouched, we fhall firfl dcfire the Reader to take notice of the Fallacy he would obtrude upon us, in the Judg- ment he makes of the Nature of two different Prin- ciples, by fetting together their Effcdls, as they appear -, the one in the Majority of half a fcorc Men, the other in the Majority of infinite Multi- tudes : A kind of Sophifm, which fmall Se<5ls in Religion have perpetually in their Mouths, when they compare their own Morals with thofe in large Communities, from which they diflent : — And then confider it more fully, in the Examination of his lad and palmary Argument taken from Fad. For, IV. In the laft place, he fays, ^' " That the " Lives of the feveral Atheifts of Antiquity fully " fhew, that this Principle does not neceflarily *' produce Depravity of Morals." He inftances, " in Diagoras^ Tbeoaorus^ Evemerus^ Nicanor^ and *' Hippon : whofe Virtue appeared fo admirable to *' a Father of the Church, that he would enrich *' Religion with it, and make Theifts of them, *' though in Contradiction to all Antiquity." — And then dcfcends to *' Epicurus \ and his FoJlow- " crs, whom their very Enemies acknowledged to *' be unblameable in their Adiions, as the Ro- " man /Jiticus^ Cajfrus^ and Elder Flinyy — And clofes this ilKiilrious Catalogue with an Encomium on the Morality of Var.uii and Spimfa. But^this is ^ Pcaf. diver, c. i 74. & Ccntin dcs Pen/. di-vet-.-Q. i {4, '"I not Seft. 5. of Mo s-ES demonjlrated. 73 not all i for he tells us farther, " of whole Nations of Atheifts, " which modern Travellers have dif- *« covered in the Iflands or Continents o^ Afric and " America, who, in point of Morals, are rather " better, than worfe, than the Idolaters who live "around them. It is true, that thefe Atheifts *' are Savages, without Laws, Magiftrate, or Civil " Policy: But this (he fays) ^ makes an Argu- *' ment a fortiori : For if they live peaceably to- *' gether out of Civil Society, much rather would " they do fo in it, where equal Laws reftrain Men *' from Injuftice." He is fo pleafed with this Argu- ment, that he reduces it to this Enthymeme^t •' Whole Nations of Atheifts, divided into inde- " pendent Families, have preferved themfelves " from time immemorial without Law. *' Therefore, much ftronger Reafon have we to ** think they would ftill preferve themfelves, were " they under one common Mafter, and one com- " mon Law, the equal Diftributer of Rewards and " Punifhments.'* In Anfwer to all this, we fiy ( having once a- gain reminded the Reader, that the Queftion be- tween us is, whether Atbeifm ivould not have a perni- cious Effe^i on the Body of a People in Society) i . That as to the Lives of thofe Philofophers, and Heads of Sedts, which Mr. Bayle hath thought fit fo much to applaud, nothing can be collected from thence, in favour of the general Influence of Atheifm on Morality. To Ihew this, we will take a view of the feveral Motives thefe Men had to the Pradlice of Virtue : -for hereby it will be feen, that not one of thofe Motives (pecul^r to their feveral Chara- ^ Contin. desVenf.dl'v. c. 85. & C. 144. y Contin. des Pen/, di-v. c. 1 1 8. , 5= Des Peuples Athees 4ivizes en Families Independantes fc clers. 74 ^^^ Divine Legation Book I. 6lers, Ends, and Circumftances) reaches the grofs Body of a People, feized with the Infection of this Principle. In fome of them it was the Moral Senfe, and the Ejjential 'Difference of Things^ that inclined them to Virtue : But we have fully fhewn aBove, that thefe are too weak to operate on the generality of Mankind ; though a few ftudious, contempla- tive Men, of a more refined Imagination, and fe- licity of Temperament, might be indeed influenced by them. In othen it was a warm FalTion for Fame and Love of Glory. But though all Degrees of Men have this Paflion equally ftrong, yet all have it not equally delicate : So that though Reputation is what all affefl, yet the grofs Body of Mankind is very little folicitous from whence it arifes i and Reputation, or at leaft the Marks of it, which is all the People afpire to, we have fhewn, may be eafily gained in a Road very far from the real Practice of Virtue : in which Road the People is mod ftrongly tempted to purfue it. Very fmall then is the Number of thofe, on whom thefe Mo- tives would operate, as even Pomponatius^ in his ample Confeflion taken above, hath acknowledged : And yet thefe are the moll extenfive Motives that thefe Philofophic Atheifts had to the Practice of Virtue : For in the reft the Motive muft be owned to have been lefs legitimate, and reftrained only to their peculiar End, or Circumftances •, as Concern for the Credit of that Sect they had founded, or efpoufcd : which they endeavoured to enoble by this fpurious Luftre. It is not eafy to be conceiv- ed, but- by thofe verfed in Antiquity, how tender they were^f the Honour of their Principles: The Conference between Pompey and Pofidomus the Stoic, is a well-known Story : and if the Fear of only appearing ridiculous by their Principles was ftrong enough to make xfeem do fuch violence to them- fclves. Scd. 5. c/" Moses demonjlrated. y^ felves, what muft we believe the Fear of becoming generally odious would do, where the Principle has a natural Tendency, as we fee Cardan frankly con- fefles, to make the holder of it the Objed: of pub- lick Deteftation. But if the Senfe of Honour was not ilrong enough, Self-prefervation would force thefe Men upon the Pradice of Virtue : For though of old, the Magiilrate gave great Indulgence to Philofophic Speculations •, yet this Principle of A- theifm being univerfally underftood to be dcltru- ftive to Society, he frequently let loofe his fevereft Refentment againft the Maintainers of it : fo that fuch had no other Way to difarm his Vengeance, than by perfuading him in their Lives, that the Principle had no fuch deftrudtive Influence. In a word then, thefe Motives being peculiar to the Leaders of Seds, we fee that the virtuous Pradice arifing therefrom makes nothing for the Point in queftion. 2. But he comes much clofer to it, in his next Inftance ; which is of whole Nations of modern Savages, who are all Atheifts, and yet live more virtuoufly than their Idolatrous Neighbours. And their being yet unpolicied, and in a State of Na- ture, makes, he thinks, the Inftance conclude more ftrongly againil us. Now, to let pafs unqueftion* ed the Truth of the Fadt, I fhali endeavour to de- tedl the Sophiftry of the Conclufion from it (which I had before obviated m the Sedion concerning the Infufficiency of human Laws alone) in a fuller Ex° planation of that Reafoning. It is moft notorious that Man, in Society, is in-. ceflantjy giving the Affront to the Laws of the Community. To oppofe which , the Community is, as inceiTantJy, bufied in adding new Strength, and force to its Ordinances. If we enquire into the Caufe of this Perverfenefs, we (hall find it no other than y6 ^he Divine Legation Book I. than the Number and Violence of the Appetites. The Appetites take their Birth from our real or imaginary Wants : Our real Wants are unalterably and neceflarily the fame : Exceeding few, and ea- fily relieved ; and arifing only from the .iatu- ral Imbecillity of our , Condition. Our fantaftic Wants are infinitely numerous, to be brought un- der no certain Meafure or Standard : And increaf- ing exadtly in Proportion to our Improvements in the Arts of Life. But the Arts of Life owe their Original to Civil Society,: And the more perfect the Policy is, the higher do 'ih,pfe improvements rife ; and, with them, are our Witnts, as we fay, pro- portionably increafed, and our Appetites inflamed. For the Violence of thofe Appetites, that feek the Gratification of our imaginary Wants, is much itronger than that raifed by our real Wants: Not only becaufe thofe Wants are more numerous, which gives conflant Exercife to the Appetites \ — and more unreafonable, which makes the Gratification difficult ; — and altogether unnatural , to which there is no Meafure ; but, principally, becaufe vi- cious Cuftom hath affixed a Kind of Reputation to the Gratification of the fantaftic Wants, which it hath not done to the Relief of the real Ones. So that when Things are in this State, we have fhewn above, that even the moft: provident human Re- ftraints, without other Affiftance, are Infufficient. But in a State of Nature, unconfcious of the Arts of Life, Men's Wants are only real; which are extreme few, and eafily fupplied. For Food and Covering are all that is neceflliry to fupport our Being. And Providence is abundant in it's Provi- fions, for thofe Wants : And while there is more than enough for all, it can hardly be, that there fhould be Difputes about any ones Share, And Sed.5» ^ Moses demonfirafed, jy And now the Reader fees clearly how it might well be, that this Rabble of Atheifts Ihould live peaceably in a State of Nature, that the utmoft Force of human Laws, in the improved Condition of Society could not hinder from running into Con- fufion. But the Sophiftry of this Enthymeme is' farther feen from hence. Not Mr. Bayle himfelf would maintain, that thefe Atheifts, who live peaceably in their prefent State, without the Re- ftraint of human Laws, would live fo without that Reftraint, after they had underftood and pradifed the Arts of Life in Credit amongft civil policied People. In Civil Society then, which the Arts of Life infeparably accompany, an impofed Curb of Law would , he will own , be needful. I then ar- gue thus. If a People who out of Society could live peaceably without the Curb of Law, cannot live fo without it, in Society ; what Reafon have you to believe that, though out of Society they might live peaceably without the Curb of Religion, they could live fo without it, in Society ? The Anfwer to this muft bring on again the Queftion, how ftrong the Curb on Man in Society fhould be i which we have fully examined in another Place. This Argument, therefore, proves nothing but the Folly of pretend- ing to conclude, concerning Man in Society, from what we fee of his Anions, out of it. And here in Conclufion, once for all, it may not be amifs to obferve, what an uniform Strain of Sophiftry runs through all his Reafoningson this Head. The Queftion is, and I have been fre- quently obliged to repeat it, Mr. Bayle fo induftri- oufly affeftilig to-forget or miftalce it. Whether A- theiftn he dejlrudive to thl Body of a Society ? And yet he, whofe. Bufinefs is to prove the Negative, - brings all his Arguments from Confideratio.ns, which . either afteft not thegrofs Body of Mankind, or of that yS ^he Divine Legation Book I. that Body, In Society : In a Word, from the Lives of Sophijis or Savages ; from the Example of a few fpecuiative Men far above the Views of the common Bod^ of Citizens*, or from that of a bar- barous Crew o{ Savages much farther below them. All his Fafts and Reafonings then being granted, they fall fhort and wide of his Conclufion. But the laft Stroke of his Apology is more fur- prifing than all the reft : For having proved A- theifm very confiftent with a State of Nature, left it fhould happen to be found not to htfo with Civil Society but that one of them muft rife upon the Ruins of the other, he gives a very palpable Hint which of the two he thinks ought to be preferved ; by making it a ferious Queftion, difcufled in a fee Diflertation*, whether Civil Society be ab- solutely NECESSARY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF Mankind''? and very gravely refolving it in the Negative. Sect. VI, THAVE no w given, with the beft Advantage of Reprefentation , all the Arguments Mr. Bayle has employed to prove Religion not necelTary to civil Society : By which it may be feen how little the utmoft Force of Wit and Eloquence, in Con- junftion , is able to produce for the Su-pport of fo outragious a Paradox, The Reader, will imagine, that nothing could now hinder us from proceeding , in the Order of our Difcourfe, to our fecond Propofition *, after having fo ftrongly fupported the firft. But we * Contin. desPenf. div. C- I I 8. '' Siies Societez font ablblument nccefliures pour conferver Ic gendrs humaine. have Sed. 6. c/* Moses demonftrated, 7^ have yet to Combat a ftill more monftrous Para- dox before we can throughly eftablifh it. As the great Foundation of our Propofition, that the Do^rine of a future State of Rewards and Punijh- ments is necejfary to civil Society , is this, namely, that ileligion is necejfary to civil Society ; fo the Foundation of this laft is, that Virtue is fo. Now, to the eter- nal Opprobrium of our Age and Country, we have ittn a Writer publickly maintain, in a Book fo in- tituled, that Private Vices were Public Be- nefits. An unheard of Impiety, wickedly ad- vanced , and impudently perfifted in , againft th« univerfal Voice of Mankind : Where moral Virtue is reprefented as the Invention of Knaves ; and Chrijlian Virtue as the Impofition of Fools : where (that his Infult on common Senfe, might equal that he puts on common Honefly) he afTures his Reader, his Book is a Syftem of molt exalted Morals and Religion: And, that the Juflice of his Country^ which publicly delated him, was pure Calumny. But I will undertake, and that in a very few "Words, to fhew the Admirers of the low impure Buffoonry and childilh Rhetoric of this wordey De- claimer, that his whole Work is nothing but one continued Heap of Falfhoods and Abfurd'ties. I. Firft then, it is to be obferved, that, though his general Pbfition be, that private Vices are public Benefits, yet in his Proof of it, he all along ex- plains it by Vice only in a certain Meafure, and to a certain Degree. And, as all other Writers have' deduced the Obligation on private Men in Society, to be virtuous, and on the Magillrate feverely to punilh Vice,- from the Malignity vf the Nature of Vice \ fo he i'nforces this Obligation, op both, from the Malignity of its Excefs. And indeed he had been fit only for Bedlam, had he not feen the Necefllty of this Reftridion. t Now So The Divine Legation Book I. Now we require no more to evince the Falfhood of that AlTertion which his whole Book is wrote to fupport, namely, that Vice is ahfolutdy necejfary for a rich and po-iverful Society. For whatfoever is alfolutely neceffary to thg well being of another, muft be fo, by it's eflential Pro- perties •, the Ufe of which thing will be, then, in Pro- portion to it's Degree. And this the common Mo- ralifts obferve of Virtue with regard to the Stated But whatfoever is ufeful to another, only when in a certain Degree, is not fo by its eflential Properties ; if not by its eflential Properties, then, of Courfe, by Accident only •, and, if by Accident, notneceflary. From hence it will appear, that a great and pow- erful Community , which is, in itfelf , a natural Good, and as fuch defirable -, may procure and pre- ferve its Grandeur without Vice, though Vice fo frequently contributes to it : Becaufe its Ufe not arifing from its efl^ential Qualities, but from fome accidental Circumftance attending it, may be fup- plied by fomething that is not Vice, attended with the fame Circumfl:ance. As for Infl:ance, the Con- '- The firft Part of this Affertion we thus prove. If A be ab- folutcly necefiary to B, it is, becaufe neither C, nor D, nor any Thing but A, can fupply the Wants of B. But if nothing but A can do this, it is, becaufe theSuppIialofthofe Wants are caufedby the effential Properties of A ; which eficntial Properties are incommu- nicable to all other Beings : The Communication of them to C, D, ^c. making C, and D, A, which is abiurd : For if the Sup- plial of the Wants of B, was caul'ed by what was not efTential to A , but accidental ; then might the Wants of B , as well be fup- plied by C, D, dfrV. as by A ; becaufe that which is accidental only, may belong in common to leveral different Beings. The fecond Part I prove thus : EfTential Qualities can never be excef- fivc : Therefore that efTential Quality of A, which in a lower Degree profits B, mufl: in a higher Degree be llill more ufeful to B. Contrarywife, accidental Qualities may be ExcefTive : So that that accidental Quality in A , which profited B, in a. lower De- gree, may injure B, in a higher. fumption Sed:. 6. o/' Mo s E s demonjirated. 8 r fumption of the Produ6ls of Nature and Art , is the Circumftance that makes States flourifhing. Now if this can be found in A6lions not naturally vicious, then may a State become rich and powerful without the AfTitlance of Vice. That thisCircum- ftance may, in FaiSl, be found in Adlions not vi- cious, will next be fhewn. II. The Author defcending to the Enumeration of his Proofs, appears plainly to have feen, that Vice, in general, was only accidentally produ(5live of good : and therefore avoids entering into an Examination of the feveral Particulars. But felefts out of his favourite Tribe, Luxury, to fupport his execrable Paradox ; and on this alone reils his Caufe. By the Afliftance of this ambiguous Term, he keeps fomething like an Argument on foot, even when he has left all the reft of his. Vices to fhifc for themfelves. And it muft be owned, there is no Word more inconftantly and capricioufly ap- plied to particular Aftions, or of more uncertain Meaning, when denominating thofe Adions, than the Word Luxury. For, in the Abftraft, it is, like all other moral Modes, of the moft exaft de- termined Signification •, and means, the Abufe of tke- Giftsof Providence. The Difficulty is only to know 'what is an Abufe. Men have two Ways of eftimat- ing it : The one, by the Principles of natural Reli^ gion •, " the other, by the pofdive Inftitutions of re-- vealed. . Thofe Principles all Men are reafonably- well agreed in j but, concerning thefe /-^^/'Ji/z/^'w/j, there are Variety ofSefts and Opinions j in which Superftition and Fanaticifm have, much Influence. Confequently, thofe who eftimate Luxury by this latter Rule, muft differ extremely a'bout it-; and run into great Obfcurity and Confufion : And, a- ■ mongft fo great diverfity of Opinions, it would be »l1range, indeed, if fome or other had not Ideas of G Luxury, $2 ^he DiviJfe Legation Book I. Lnsury^ that would ferve the moft monftrous Hy- pothecs ; and much flranger, if fo corrupt a Writer did not take the Advantage of them. And now. Reader, obferve the Malice and Cunning of the Man. Firft, in order to perplex and obfcure our I4ea of Luxury^ he hath laboured in a previous DifTertation on the Origin of moral Virtue, to deftroy thofe very Principles, by whole fole AfTiftance we can clear and afcertain that Idea. "Where he decries and ri- dicules the cfTential Difference of Things, the eternal Notions of Right and Wrong ; and makes moral Virtue, which common Moral ids deduce therefrom, the Offspring; only of Craft and Pride. Nothing now being left to fix the Idea of Luxury, but the pofitive Precepts of Chriftianity, and having ftript thefe of their only true and infallihk Interpreter, the Principles of natural Religion , it was eafy to bribe them to fpeak any Abfurdities he could take hold of; and as eafy to find thefe Abfurdities fupported by the Superftition and Fanaticifm of thofe many Sefbs and Parties, who defpifing the Principles of the Religion of Nature , as the weak and beggarly Ele?nents, foon came to regard the na- tural Appetites as the gracelefs Furniture of the Old Man, izith his Ajfetlions and LkJIs. Having got Chriftianity at this Advantage, he empoifons all its Precepts, by giving us, for true and genuine Gofpel, that commentitious Phantom of it, raifed by the Hypocrify of Monks, and the Mifanthropy of Afcelics : which condemns, for Ah- ufe, all UJe of the Gifts of Providence farther than the bare Neceflaries of Life. Hereby every thing becomes Luxury that is more than that. An Idea of it that exadliy fitted our Author's Hypothefis : For if no State can be rich and powerful while its Members feek only a bare Subfiftence \ and, if what is more than a batfe Subfiftence, be Luxury, and Luxury Sed. 6. ©/'Moses demonjirated, 83 Luxury be Vice ♦, the Confequence you fee comes in pat, private Vices are ■public Benefits, Here, you have the fole Ifllie of all this Tumour of Words. But it is hard to think, that a Writer who difcovers fo much Depravity of Heart, had not farther Ends in this wicked Reprefentation of natural and reveal- ed Religion. He certainly had, for he gains by it thefe two confiderable Advantages, — I'he fixing in his Followers a Prepofleirion for Vicej and a Prejudice againft Ghriftianity. For what is ftronger in Favour of Vice than that there is really no fuch thing as moral Duty ? What more in Difcredit of Chriftianity, that that all the Enjoyments of Life are condemned by it as Vices? III. But true Chriftianity, as delivered by its Author, and his Difciples, is quite another thing than what Bigots and Fanatics are wont to repre- fent it. It enjoins and forbids nothing, in moral Pradice, but what natural Religion had before en- joined and forbid. Neither indeed could it, becaufe one of God's Revelations cannot contradift ano- ther ; and becaufe he gave us the firft, to judge all others by. Accordingly we find, that though it be, indeed, one of the great Ends of Chriftianity (though not the main and peculiar End, as we fhal'l fhew hereafter) to advance the Pradice of moral Virtue amongft Men, holy Scripture does not con- tain any regular or compleat Syftem or Digeft of moral Laws: The occafional Precepts there de- livered, how excellent and divine foever, arifing only from the Conjunctures and Circumftances that were the Subjefts of thofe Preachings or Writings, in which fuch Precepts are foun'd. For the reft — for a general Knowledge of the whole Body of moral Duty, the great Panded: of the Law of Na- . ture is held open by them, to be fearched and ^ ftudied. Finally^ Xiys the Apoftle Pmil^ whatfoevm- G 2 I'hin^i _84 ^he Divine Legation Book I. things nre true, ivhatfoever Things are honeji^ ivhai- foever Things are jiiji, ivhatfoevcr Things are lovely, whatfoever Things are of good Report^ think on (that is) ftudy thefs Things. But where vicious Cuftom, or perverfe Interpreters, had depraved the Religion of Nature, there, p^articular Care was taken to remove the Rubbifh of Time and Malice, and to rcftore the injured Moralities to their primitive Sim- plicity and Splendor. The Religion of Nature then being reftored, and made the Rule to explain and interpret the occafional Precepts of Chriftianityi what is Luxury by natural Religion, that, and that only muft be Luxury by revealed. So that a true and precife Definition of it, which this Writer, triumphing in the Obfcurity which, by thefe Arts, he hath thrown over the Term, thinks impofTible to be given, fo as not to fuit with his Hypothefis, is eafily fettled. Luxury is the ufing (and thereby abufing) the Gifts of Providence, to the Injury of the Ufer, either in his Perfon or Fortune •, or to the Injury of any other, towards vjhom hejla^ids in any Relation, which obliges hi?n to Aid and Affifiafice. But now it is moft evident, even from the very Inftances this Writer brings of the public Advan- tages of Confumption, which he indifcriminately, and theretorelalfely, q^\\% Luxury, that the utmoft Confumption may be made, and fo all the Ends of a rich and powerful Society ferved, without In- jury to the Ufer, or of any one, to whom he Hands related. Confequently without Luxury, and with- out Vice. When the Confumption is attended with fuch Injury, then it becomes Luxury, then it be- comes a Vice. But then, let us take Notice, that this Vice, like all others, is fo far from being advan- tageous to Society, that it is the moft certain Bane and Ruin of it. It was this Luxury that deftroyed ; impe- Sea. 6. of Moses demonflrated Se imperial Rome. And the very Definition of ,r given above, tells us the manner how j namely' by enervating the Body, debauching the iMind beggaring the Fortune, and bringing in the Pra^ of univerfil Rapine and Injuftice. But the wretched Abfurdity of fuppofing Luxury beneficial to Society cannot be better expofed, than by con- Iidering, that as Luxury is the Abufing the Gifts of Providence to the Injury of thofe, to whom we ftand related ; and as the Public is that, to which every Man (lands neareft related; the Confe quence of this is, that Luxury is, at one and the lame 1 ime, beneficial and injurious to the Public Nor can the Abfurdity I here charge upon him,' be evaded by faying it is deduced from a Propo- iition of his, and a Definition of mine fet together liecaufe, however we may difl^er whether the Ufe of things, where no one is injured, be Luxury, yet we both agree in this, that where there is that in- W.'\ iVI'' ''ti'^'^y^ and Luxury, in this benfe, he holds to be- beneficial to Society P Iv^ ^u^^J ^^'^ P"^' ""^ Luxuries injuring the ^ubhc, by depriving the State of that Aid and Affiftance from Particulars, which, the Relation they Itand in to it, requires them to give is no imaginary or unlikely Suppofition. This Effed of Luxury it was that contributed, more immediately than any other, to the Deftrudion of the Roman State, for in the laft Struggles for Liberty by a ' ^ew, againfl the Humour of a debauched luxurious People, when nothing but a fufficient Fund was wanting to enable thofe Godlike Men to reftore the Kepubhc the richefl: Citizefls, who yet wifhed well to their Country, could not be prevailed on to re- .trench from their private Luxury, to fupport the y'MiQ m this critical Exigency: which therefore, G 3 long 86 'The Divine Legation Book I. long fhaken by the Luxury of its Enemies, fell, now a Sacrifice to the Luxury of its Friends. In a Word then, it is not Luxury^ but the Con- fuDiption of the Produfts of Nature and Art, that is of fo high Benefit to Society. That this latter may well be, without 'the former, appears plainly from the Definition given above. AH the Differ- ence is, and that a very elTential one, when the Confumption is made without Luxury, infinitely greater Numbers fhare in it i when it becomes Luxury, it is confined to few. The Reafon of this, and the different Effefts this different Confumption muft have on the Public, is mofl evident. Had the Confumption of the Commodities and Produfts of Greece when conquered, which fure were neceffa- ry to render the Romans polite and wealthy, been more equally made by that People, it would have been extremely beneficial. But being unjuflly claim- ed by one part, exclufive of the reft, it became Luxury and Deftruclion. The Roman Hiftorian fhews us how it was brought about — Ibi primuin infuevit exercitus fopuli Romani amare, -potare, figna^ tahulas p'lSias, vafa ccelata mirari, ea privatim ac pu- hlice rapere, deluhra fpoUare , facra profanaque omnia folluere. Till at length, ScBvior armis LuxuRiA incuhidt, vi5iumque ukifcitur orlem. Thus, if it was worth Thanks, I might pretend, that, in half a Dozen Pages, I have fhewn the real Defign, detected the falfe Arts, and overthrown the bad Reafoning of a very popular, but furely, the molt execrable Book that ever was wrote. BOOK Scd I. 0/ M 0 s E s dejnonjiratad, Sy BOOK II. Sect. I. HAVING now, as we hope, fully proved our firft Propofition, namely. That the inculcating the DoElrine of a future State of Rewards and Punifh- ments is neceffary to the Well-heing of Society, by Con- iiderations drawn from the Nature of Man, and Genius of Civil Society ; and cleared it from the Ob- jedtions of licentious Wits ; We proceed to our Second Propofition ; which is, That all Mankind, espepially the most WISE AND LEARNED NaTIONS OFAnTIQUITY, HAVE CONCURRED IN BELIEVING AND TEACH-f ING THAT THIS DOCTRINE WAS OF SUCH UsE TO Civil Society, And if here we be more prolix than fo clear a Cafe feems to require, and more frequent, and ex- a(fl in our Quotations from the learned Languages, than the prevailing faftidious Delicacy of Tafte feems willing to allow ; we hope the Difcoveries attempted in feveral important Matters of Anti- quity will excufe it : or if not fo, that, at leaft, the Reader will fufpend his Cenfure, 'till he has. feen, by the Sequel of this Difcourfe, how much this Faft contributes to the momentous Conclufioii we have promifed to demonftrate. We fhallendeavour to, prove our Second Pi'Q» pofition, '" ' I. From the Condud: of I.egiflators, and Infli- , tuters of Civil Policy. G 4 II. From 88 Tfjc Divine Legation Book II. II. From the Opinions of all the Wife and Learn- ed amongft the Ancient Literati. I. From the Conduct of Legislators, AND Institutors OF CiviL PoLicY : wh* al- ways ufed to propagite and confirm Religion, wherever they cftablifhed Laws; this being always firft in their View, and laft in their Execution. ReLgion was the Inftrument they applied to collecft together the Body Politic ; and they ufed no other to fix, fafliion, and adorn it : They taught it in civilizing Man ; and ejlahlijhed it to prevent his return to Barbarity, and a Savage Life. That the Magillrate, as fuch, hath taken the greatefl Care and Pains to inculcate and preferve Religion, we fhall prove at large: That fuc^ otoAw? «T«p^iVa?, ccy^i*,i*,»rH v'}iot eip-i oi (iirdvlfi; uc xvB^uiru ^^tl;^^j cc^uvXTii tri. IJ. ib. 9. 1 23. De Dca Syria, initio. . - and Secft. I. of Moses demonftrated. 93 and now are many Savage Nations, that long loft all Traces of Religion : A Fad which implies feme extraordinary Care and Art in the Magiftrate for its Support and Prefervation. For if Religion hath been fupported in ail Places, at all Times, and un- der all Circumftances, where there was a Magiftrate and Civil Policy ; and fcarce in any Place, or un- der any Circumftance, where thefe were wanting i what other Caufe than the Magiftrate's Manage- ment can be afligned for it ? This, to confidering Men, will be of weight. ^ If it fhould be faid, which, I think, is the only plaufible Thing can be faid, that the Reafon why the Citizen had Religion, and the Savage none, might be. That, amongft the Advantages of Civil Life, the Improvement and Cultivation of the Mind is one ; which neceflarily brings in the Knowledge of God and Religious Obfervance : To this, we think it fufficient to reply. That all the national Religions of the ancient and modern Gentile World are fo grofs and irrational, that they could not be the refult of the Difcoveries of improved Reafon ; but were plainly fitted to the Capacity of Minds yet rude and uncultivated •, with a Mixture of Im- pofitions of the Magiftrate's tempering, regarding the Genius of -the People, and the Nature of their particular Conftitution. To give a modern Inftance of what we have been faying : — The Mexicans and Peruvians in the South, and the People o^ Canada in 'North America^ were on a level with regard to fpeculative Improve- ment; or, if there was any Advantage, xht Cana- dians Y^id if. The firft,^when difcovered, had a Religion formed and fettled ; the other not fo much as the Rudiments of any : but fuch a Religion, as difcovered fomething worfe than mere Ignorance, but which never could be the Refult of fpeculativa Thinking : 94- ^he Dhin€ hegathn Book II, Thinking ; However a Religion it was that taught the great Articles of the Worlhip of a God, a Pro- vidence, and a future State. Now how happened it that thefe two great Empires had a Religion, and the Canadians none, but that their Founders fiw it neceflliry to eftablifh and perpetuate one for the Benefit of the State ? a Circumftance, the Ca- 1/iadians were never under. If this will not be al- lowed the Reafon, it will be difficult to afiign one. Let us fuppofe, according to the Objedion, that Gentile Religion owes its Birth to the improved and cultivated Mind. Now, if we make Colle<5li- ons according to the Courfe of Things, it will be found more likely that thefe Northern Savages Ihould earlier gain, and longer preferve the No- tions of God, and the Pradlices of Religion, than the Southern Citizens, uninfluenced by their Ma- gi (Irates. The Way of Reafon, adapted to the common Capacities of Mankind, of coming to the Know- ledge of a fuperior Being, is that very eafy one of contemplating the Works of Nature : For this Em- ployment the Savage would have fitter Opportuni^ ties by flir, afforded by his vacant fedentary Life; and by his conllant View of Nature, in every Part naked and unfophifticated i which all his Travail and Amufements perpetually prefented to him. The Comte de Boulainvilliers^ a Writer by no means pre- judiced in favour of Religion, gives this very Rea- fon why the /irahians preferved fo long, and with fu much Purity, their Notions of the Divinity'. On the other hand, every Thing of Nature, by which we come to the Knowledge of a firft Caufe, ' La fie de Mahomed, p. 147. Ed. Amf. 1731. Je reviens vo- lontiers a la louange de la folitude des Arabes — elle a confcrve chez eux plus longtems, 5c avec moins de melange le ■fentiment Xiitorel de la veriuijie Divioite, C?V. would Sed. I." 0/ M o s E s demonftrated. ig^ would be quite hid from the Southern Citizen, bu- lled in the Works of barbarous Arts, and inhuman Inventions ; and taken up with the flavifh Attend- ance on a cruel Tyrant. Nor, if we may credit the Relations of Travel- lers, do the Northern People any more neglect to exercife their rational Faculties than the Southern : It is conftant, they are obferved to have better In- tellediS than thofe nearer the Sun : which, being owing to the Influence of Climes, is experienced to hold all the World over. Notwithftanding this, the Iffue proved juft the contrary -, and, as we faid, the Peruvians and Mexicans had a Religion, the Canadians none at all. Who then can any longer doubt that this was owing to the Care and Contrivance of the Magi- ftrate ? But indeed (which was the Reafon why I preferred this Inftance) Matter of Faft confirms our Reafoning. The Founders of thefe two Mo- narchies pretended to be the Mefiengers and Of- fpring of the Gods -, and, in the manner of the Grecian, and other Legiflators, of whom more pre- fently, pretended to Infpiration, taught a Religion, and conftituted a Form of Worfliip. II. But not only the Exijlence, but the Genius of Pagan Religion, both as to the Nature of their Gods, theyf/ifn^«/ yet this v/as not the Cafe of moft of thofe, with whom thefe Legiflators had to do. And therefore if we would aflign a Caufe of their Pretence to Revelation as extenfive as the Fa(ft, it muft be that which we contend Tor. Befides, feveral of thefe Legiflators gave Laws to a willing People, on the Strength of their Perfonal Charafler of Virtue and Wifdom \ and called upon to that Office, in which nothing was wanting to beget all neceflliry Veneration. Again, we find in Fad that where Religion was throughly fettled, there no In- fpiration was pretended to. So both Draco and Solony Law-givers o^ Athens, pretermitted it: For thc-y found Religion well fecured by the Inftitutioi-is of ^riptolemus and Ion. And we know, that had pre- tended Infpiration been only, or principally, for t!ie more eafy Introdudlion and Acceptation of Civil Laws, the fanguinary Laws of Draco had flood in Sirabo Geogr.l. 1 6. ' 'Ol< By,Q^uS'i:-t^ ov&i'; tJ? «\6.;J7rs?, >e; ^'7e fO-/), «"]f voy.m % — 7 Heraclitide Incred. c. 23. more io8 The Divwe Legation Book II. more need of the San(ftion of a Revelation, than any other of ancient Policy. Indeed, Maximus Tyrius goes fo far as to fay, that thefe Legiflators prefcribed nothing, in their Laws, concerning the Gods, and their Worihip'; which, if true, would make as much againft our general Pofition on the other Hand. But in this, the Sophiil is egregioudy miftaken. Porphyry quotes an exprefs Law of Draco*s concerning the Mode of divine W or fhip. Let the Gods and our own country Heroes he publicly worjhiped^ according to the eftabiijhed Rites j when privately^ according to each one"* s Abilities^ with 'Terms of the grented Regard find Reverence ; with the firjl Fruits of their Labour Sy and with annual Libatrons^. Andocides^ quotes ano- ther o( Solon, which provides for the due and regu- lar Celebration of the Eluftnian Myfleries. Atha- ncEUS tells us the fame Thing. And how confidera- ble a Part thefe were of divine Worfhip, and of what Importance to the very EfTence of Religion, we fhall fee hereafter. Laftly, Had the Legiflators had it only in View to fecure the Reception of their Laws, the bare temporary Perfuafion of their Intercourfe with the Gods would have been fufficient to have brought the People to embrace the Policy offered to them ; but we find they perpetuated the Memory of the Divine Afliftance \ which, fure, could be for no yiY^^iv, h^i e't /^g^'ccv'^i C^l^''°' ►''P°»' Dijpr 39. ©£i>5 fifiMv 1^ H'uxi tV%<«ei«« c* Koiv&i, eTrcfA.e»u<; k'jxok ■cr£>.«r-K t^rtWci-:. De ahjl. 1. 4. § 22. According to the Emenda- tions oUPetit and Valetitinus. — The Law is thus introduced ©fs-^ito; uieJmdi toTj A/S.o* vsi/.OfA.iiioii, Yivg/io; T enTccy^x }CP9^^*- " 6 Orat. ^ssfe* MvfiiQ^atv apud Decern Orat, Other Sed.2. o/' Moses demonjlrated, 109 other End than to eftablifli the Opinion of their Superintendency. This they did two manner of Ways : The firft and general one was, to perpetuate the Memory of it in the Preface of their Inllitutions, of which we ihall fpeak in the next Sedlion. The other, was to pretend, when the People, to be fubdued to Society, were more than ufually Savage in their Natures, or barbarous in their Manners ; that the extra- ordinary Intercourfe with the Gods was continued and perpetuated. Thus Strabo ^ tells us, that, even to his Days, every King of the Getes had a God for his Privy Counfellor. And in the Hiflories of Mexico, we are told, that the Founders of that Monarchy perpetuated their Relation to the Sun by the Eftablifhment of this extraordinary Cuftom : That at the Beginning of each Reign the Kings of Mexico fliould make a public and folemn Promife to their People, and compaft with them, that the Sun fhould always rife and fet in due Seafon ; that there fhould be a conftant Series of Rain and fair Weather, necefiary for the Sowing, Springing, Ripening, and Gathering in their Fruit ; and all other Benefits from that Luminary, that Children might be fuppofed able to obtain from an indulgent Father. 2. As to the perpetuating their hjlituticns, and ren- dering them immutable : This entered not into the Intention of the old Grecian Legiflation ; nor, if it had, could it have been obtained by giving them a divine Original. A Syftem of immutable and irrevocable Laws might indeed be, the barbarous Projedt ot EaiFern Policy •, b^it the Grecian Legifla- torswere too well experiei^ced in th'e Nature of rtji^i un^(i^i% -^iii. 1. 7. Geogr. Mankind, no The Divine Legation Book II. Mankind, the Genius of Society, and the ceafelefs V^icifTitude of human Things, ever to dream of fo ridiculous a Defign. Befides , the E^^yptian Le- giflation, from which they borrowed all their Wif- dom of this kind, went upon quite contrary Prin- ciples. It directed public Laws to be occafionally accommodated to the Change of Times, Places, and Manners. But had Perpetuity been their aim, the Belief of a divine Impofition v/ould not have f?rved their Purpofe. For it never entered the Keadsoftlie People of Antiquity, that Civil Infti- tutions became irrevocable by iflliing from the Mouth of a God : or that the Divinity of the Sanction altered the Mutability of their Nature. The Honour of this Difcovery is due to certain Moderns, who have found out that divine Autho- rity reduces all its Commands to one and the fame Sperifs. A notable Example we have of this in the Conduct of Lycurgus. He was the only Ex- ception to this Method of Grecian Legiflation, and fingle in the ridiculous Attempt of making his Laws perpetual. For his whole Syftem of Politics being forced and unnatural', the Senfe of fuch Im- perfeftion probably, put him upon this Expedient, to tie them on an unwilling People. But did he em- ploy divine Authority to this Purpofe.'' Not in the Jeaft: For though he pretended to it, like the reft, and had his Revelations from Apolld, yet he well knew that would not be thought fufficient to change the Nature of pofitive human Laws. And there- fore he bound the People by an Oath to obfcrvc ' II me paroit que Lycurgue fe ecarte toujours un peu trop C oAyj. 7« xx>-ci yl rifjiix ifcuIcc ridta^M. Stob. de Rep. Serm. 41. '\An[iot. pel. 2. 2. " Difert. en the Epijiles of Phalaris, ivith an Anf'v:er to ihe Ohjcmo7u of Mr. Boyle. The Se(ft.3. o/' Moses demonjirated. 113 The univerfal Current of Antiquity holds for the Genumenefs of thefe Remains, and for the re il 2^;^^\^y^^^^^^^^^^»^^^ors: Anftotlc, Thecphrafius, TuUy, Dwdorus Siculus, and Plutarch -, the moft learned and inquifitive Writers of their feveral -Ages, go quite along with the general Opinion At length_ rm^//j thought fie to deny that Zaleu^ cus had given Laws to the Locrians ; nay, ihar there ever was fuch a one in being. We ihall b- the lefs furprized at this Paradox when we come to know the Charaderand Studies of the Mm • He was by Profeffion an Hiflorian, but fpent his Time m improving, inventing, and publifiaing the Fauks and Errors of all preceding Writers of Name and Reputation. Polybius, Strabo, and Dwdorus ^culiis, tnree ot the Wifeft and moft candid Hi- Itorians of Greece, have concurred to draw him in themoft odious Colours. The firft fpeaks of him in this Manner ^ : Hoz:; he came lo he -placed amom(i the principal Writers of Hiilory, I know not. _^ He deferves neither Credit nor Pardon of any one ; havinz fomamfeftly tranfgrejfcd all the Rules of Decency and Decorum m his excefjive Calumnies, through an innate Malignity of Heart. This envious, rabid Temper and perverfe turn of Mind, joined to his perpetual Delight in Contradiftion, gained him the great Title of EPITIM7EUS, the Calumniltor, - And, which IS a certain Mark of a bafe and abjed Mind, he v/as as exceiTive in his Flattery as in hisCa-' lumny ; as where he fays, Timoleon was greater than the grmefi Gods\ He took fo muchPleafure in .xaH>,KQ,lo<;, iid T /^^t7o, ^^KQ^uK Excerp, ex 1. iz. Hill I contra- 1 1 4- 'The Divine Legation Book IL contradicting the mod vulgar Truths, that he wrote a long Treatife, with great Fury and ill Language, to prove that the Bull of Phalaris was a mere Fable. And yet Diodorus and Polybius^ who tell us this, tell us likewife, that the very Bull itfelf was exit- ing in their Time : Tp all which, he was fo little felicitous about Truth, that Suidas tells us, he was nicknamed rPAO XT AAEKTPIA, a Compofer of old Wives Fables. Polyhiiis fliews u-s with what Ju- flice it was given him. — In ccnfuring the Faults of others^ he puts en fuch an Air of Seventy and Confi- dence^ as if he himfelf 'was exempt from Failings^ and Jiood in no ?ieed of Indulgence. Tet are his own Hijlo- ries faffed with Drea?ns and Prodigies, and the mojl wild and improbable Romances. In fhort, full of old Wives Wonders., and the loweft aiid bafeft Superftition\ Agreeably to this, Clemens Alexandrinus gives him as the very Pattern of a fabulous and Satyric Writ- er. And he appeared in every Rcfped of fo ill a Charafler to Mr. Bayle, that that great Critic did not fcruple to fay, " Et aparemment il ne fut pas " mieux fonde quand il nia que Z^/c'wa/j eut donne " desLoix a ce Feuple : [les Locrians.]'* To fliy all in a Word, he was the Critical FIistorian of the Greeks -, and yet this is the Man Dr. Bentley has thought fit to oppofe to all Antiquity with Regard to Zaleucus'^ Legiflation and Exiftence. It appears to be the more Extraordinary in thisleArned Critic, becaufe he himfclf has furnifhed his Reader with a violent Prefumpcion againft TimcEus's Authority, where he fuys^ that Polybius charges hivi withfalfi Reprefentations relating to the Locrians. He adds indeed, that nothing is now extant thatfbews Polybius ae-iiio'lrflcc »t5 r6?^iA.av' cv Jj rcui; Id'iM; Jvanf ctyfcrjv cii7.»ia;» fC 7tpolf]uv yvyuiKd^m; («-/ z^xicr,<;. Exceift. de Virt, i^ Vit.fX' 1. 12. <" Dijfert. ujxift Phalaris, p. 337, thought Se6t 3. ^ M o s E s demojijlrated. 115 thought Timseus mijlaken concerning Zaleucus. But as Polyhius quotes a Law as of Zaleucus^ itfeems to be a ProoF, in fo exadl a Writer, that he was well fatisfied, that amongft 'Timcrits's Falihoods concern- ing t\\& Locrians^ one was his denying Zaleucus to be their Law-giver. Tima:us^s, Reafons Antiquity has not brought down to us: But the Fragments of Pclyhuis\ pre- ferving an account of his outrageous Treatment of Ahjictie concerning the Origin of the Locrians^ make mention of one Echecrates a Locrian^ from whom Timceus boafted he had received Information on certain Points in Quetlion. Flence the Dodor, as it would feem, concludes, that amongft the ho- crian's Intelligence, he told Tinwus that he did not believe there was any Zaleucus". As if, becaufe Timaus relied on Echecrates^s Information in the Mat- ters in difpute between him and Arijlotlc^ therefore Echecrates mufl:, of Necefiiry, fupport all his Para-^ doxes concerning that People. But admit it with' out Proof, that Echecrates was of the fame Opinion with 'TimcBus in this Matter, is he, who, for ought we know, might be as fingular and as whimfical in Fa(5t of Contradiction as l^imcEus himfelr, an Evi- dence to be oppofed to what 'Tully brings; who tells us, that his Clients the Locrians had, in his Time, a Tradition of Z^s/t^^/^z/j's Legiflation''? And we may well prefume that Tidly^ fo inquifitive in Matters of Antiquity, as he appears to have been' from the curious Story he tells of his Difcovery of the Tomb qf Archifnedes^ would examine this Mat- ter to the -Bottom, and have 'their Archives fearched for that Purpofe. ,* And had, they contra- dicted the Tradition, he had fu rely never brought it in Evidence:" But, fays Dr. Bentley^ i/ Echecrates, ^ f Excerpt a ex Polybio de Virt. ^ Fitiis, ex\, i 2. « F. 336, Dijert, upon Phalaris. ^ Dg Legiiuf, I 2. c 6. I 2 in Ii6 The Divine Legatiofi Book II. in that Agc^ did not believe there ivas any Zaleucus > he is certainly as credible as Cicero's Locrians, who came fo many Generations afterzvards, after fo many Revolutions and Changes in their Government ". This has no force, becaufc^ jurt the Contrary may be concluded from it, that if the Tradition kept us Ground through all thofe Changes and Revolution'? of State, it would fccm to have had a very Itrong Foundation. The Authority then of Timmis againft the Ex- igence and Lcgifiation of Zjaleucus in g'^neral is of no weight. Let us next examine what the Dodlor has to urge againft the Genuinenefs of thofe Laws that go under Zakiicus\ Name. His Arguments are of two Kinds: the one drawn from the Dialeft and Ufe of feveral Words, which are indeed, later than his Time •, the other from Zaleucus''^ being no 'Pythagorean. I. The Words objected to are thefe, Airrlag yi Tirxy/isi? " hrouiKy,cicv Korusv ' T,^- yco^lcuq. This, and the Fragments being written in the common Dialed, infteadofthe Doric, are, in the Dodbr's Opinion, fuflicicnt Proofs of tha Forgery. It mud be confefied he has employed a deal of good^ Reading, to prove the Words to be all later than the Time oi' Zaleucus. Let us fee then the moft that can be made of it. And becaufe it is the beft approved, and readieft Method in Criticifm, for the Detedion of Forgery , and imagined not a little to affecfl the lacred Writ- ings themfelves, we will enquire into tlie Force of this kind of Argument in general. It muft be owned, that any Thing delivered as the identical Writing of a certain Pcrlbn, or Age, ^ P. 336. D/^r/. /.-/OT Phalaris. * From p. 346, to 356 of tbe Differ t. and Sed. 3. ^ M o s E s dsmonjlrated, \ 17 and having in it Words or Phrafes pofterior to its Date, carries along v/ich it the infallible Marks of Forgery. A public Inllrument, or Diploma, fo difcrcdited, is eternall)^ funk : And to luch witii great Succefs was this Canon of Criticifm firft ap- plied. This encouraged following Critics to try it on Writings of another Kind ; and then, for want of a reafonable Diftindlion, they bco-an to make very wild Work indeed. For thoiigh in W^ritings of abflracl Speculation, or of mcre.'lrnufe- ment and Entertainment, this Touch might be ap- plied with tolerable Security and Succefsfrhere be- ing, for the general, no Occafion, or Temptation to alter the Diclion of fuch, efpecially in the an- cient Languages, that fullered fmall and flow Change, becaufe one Sort of thefe Writings was only for the Ufe of a few learned Men, alid, of the other, a great Part of their Curicfir/ cc'nfiitcd m the original Phrafe ; yet in praclicai and public Writings of Taw and Religion, the Affair wjs on another footing: it was the Matter only that v/a? regarded here. And, as this Matter rcfpefted the whole Body of the People, it was of the hicrhefl Importance that the Words and Phrafes fhould not be obfcure, ambiguous, or equivocal: Which would neceffifate Alterations in them. On this account, it appears to me, that the Solution the Commentators give to feveraJ Difhculiies of this Nature occurring in the Pentateuch, is founded in good Senfe, and flilly juilified by the Obfervntion here^made. The Religion, Law, and Hiftory of the Jews weje incorporated ; and it was, in Con- fequence^ the concern of .every one to underiiand the Scriptures. Nor does that fuperflitious Regard, well known to have been long paid to the Word*^' aiid even Letters of Scripture, at all weaken the * i-orce of this A^rgument: for that Cuflom arofe i 3 only ii8 'The Divine Legation Book IT. only from the Time that the Mnforet Doflors fixed the Reading, and added the Vowel Points. Hear a con fum mate Mafler in thefe Matters ■ Graviter falluntur qui cenferit 'vetercsllehrcuos femper eandcm d'lligent'iam in facro Codice confervaJtdo adhibu- iffe^ aut Jhnper lingucB fu(E Jliidio follkite incithuifi. Hoc tetnere n'unis a mull'is retro feculis crediturn^. I ''have taken the Advantage the Subjeft afforded me to touch upon this Matter, becaule it is the only Argument, of any Kind of Moment, againft the Antiquity of the Pentateuch^ which I am much concerned in this Treatife to eftablifh. The Application of all this is very eafy to the Cafe in hand : This Fragment was part of a Body of Laws necelTIiry to be clearly underftood by the People; vv^'hich it could not be, without the Change of Words and Phraies: And to make thefe an Ar- gument againft the Genuinenefs of the Fragments, would be juft as wife as to contend that the firft Laws in our vulgar Statute Books, are the Forgeries of later Times, becaufe lull of Words unknown to tlie Ages in which thole Laws are pretended to have been enacted. As to the Change of Dialecl, the Doclor thus expreffcs himfelf: — T'bc lajl Argument 1 Jhall offer againfi the haws of Zaleucus, is this^ that the Pre- face of them which Stobsus has produced^ is written in the common DiaUut^ whereas^ it ought to he in the Doric, for that was the Language of thh Locri. ■ 'The Laws of Zaleucus therefore are commentitious^be- caufe they are not in Doric ^. What has been faid above (hews this Argument to have little Force ; But it is urged with a particular ill Grace by the learned Docftor, who in the firft Edi- ' See the Lord Bijhop of ChkhtixQx'} Preface to the Reader befon his F^dition of the Pfalms. 3 P. 3 55 and 358. don Sed. 3 . of Mosses demonjirated. 1 1 9 tion of the Dijfertation upon Phalaris pretends to have difcovered, that Ocellus Lucanus wrote the TreatiTc of the Nature of the Univerfe in Doric ^ He fully proves that he did fo : and from thence right- ly concludes, it ought to he acknozvledged for a genu- ine JVork^ which hitherto learned Men have doubted of from this very Bufinefs of its being writ in the co??u mon Dialed. For we now fee that every Word of the true Book is faithfully preferved -, the Doric being cnly changed into the ordinary Language^ at the Fancy of fame Copyer ^ Now fhould he not have feen, by the rafh Sufpicions of thofe learned Men in the Cafe of Ocellus LucanuSy that this is a very falla- cious Ground of Criticifm ? Should he not have con- cluded if this was done in Books of mere Specula- tion, it was more likely to have been done in Works fo neceffary to be well underflood as Books of Laws ; efpecially when we have his own Word for it, that the Doric is always clouded with Ob/cu- vity ^ ? And on this Account doubtlefs it was, that tranf- diale6ling was no rare Pradice. For, befides this Inftance of Ocellus Lucanus^ we have one in Jain- hlicus ; who tells us that the old Poems which went undef the Name of Orpheus^ were v/ritten in the Doric Dialed:. But now the Fragments, which thofe Ancients, who did not write in Doric, have pre- ferved to us, are in the common Dialc<5l. It is very evident then they have been tranfdialefled. 2. We come now to the Doftor's other Argu* ment for the Impofture, which runs thus : — Tbg Report of Zaieucus being a Pythagorean was ga- thered from Jbme Paffages in the Syjlem of Laws a- fcribed to hrm, for where el{e could they meet with it ? So that if, it can be proved he was t?iore ancient than ^P.47. _^ P. 49- ^? V7' I ' I 4 Pytha- 120 The Divine Legation Book II. Pythagora?., tbh falfe Story of his being a Pytha- gorean being taken from that Syjlem , muft con- vi5l it cf a Cheat". He then proceeds to prove him more ancient than Pythagoras ; which he does with great Force of Learning and Reafoning-^ though his Arguments are not all equally well chofe. For inltance, where he brings this as a Proof that Zalencus was no Scholar of Pythagoras, " Becaufc he afcribed all his Laws to Minervay " from whom he pretended to receive them in " Dreams : which (in the Dodor's Opinion) has *' nothing of a Pythagorean in it. For Pythagoras's *' Scholars afcribed every thing to their Mailer: "it was always dv^g tifict with them, he faidit. " Therefore if Zaleucus.hxd been of that Society, he " would certainly have honoured his Mafter, by " imputing his Lav/s to his In^truclions^" But this Argument is of no manner of Weight: For, I. From what has been faid above of the Genius of ancient Legiflation, it appears , that univerfal Pradice required, and the Nature of the Thing necefTitated the Law-giver to afcribe his Laws to thelnfpirationof fome God. 2. As to the famous dvng i^!y-%j cAioc^ur-.iuv hvm. Now he having made the F.flence of the Soul Harmony, it was no Wonder he fhould chufe a Dialed, which he fuppofed ap- proached nearert to its Nature; that the Mind and Tongue might go together. 3 . Pythagoras fcems here to have affbfted imitating his Mailer Orpheus, from whom, as. we (hall fee hereafter, he borrowed much ef his Philofophy. For Jamhlicus tells us, that the old Writings that went under the Name of Or- pheus, were compofed in Doric. 4. But, I.aftly, a Paflage in Porphyry's Life of Pythagoras feems alone fufficient to determine this Matter : Jamblicus giving the Caiifcs of the Decay of the Pythagoric Philofophy, afligns this for one, that their Commenta- ries nvere ivritten in Doric. 'E7r«k«e ^los 7» »^ t« V5VC*/*Mi>» /^ueA^i yiy^Y^M, p. 49, Kujf. Ed. than which nothing can' be a clearer Comment on the Words in Queflion, to determine them ta the Senfe \vc contend for. was Stdi, 2» of Mo SB s demonjlrafed. 123 was formed agreeably to the Precepts of Pytha- goras in this Matter i who direds, that, next after the Worfhip of the Gods ; Dmnon^ and Parent- worfliip lliould be enjoined '. And later Writers, feeing thefe two vifible Marks of a Pythagorean^ might, without farther Confideration, reafonably be difpofed to think Zaleucus of that Sedl. But as the learned Doftor has made out from fure Chronological Evidence, that this was a Miftake, we muft feek fome other Caufe of the Uniformity. Which I take to be this: Zaleucus was in the higheft Repute in Greece for Legillation in the Time of Pythagoras ; which might incline that Philofopher to imitate him, both in his infpiring Goddefs, and in the Proem of his Laws. So that Pofterity was only miftaken in which was the Copy, and which the Original. This they might very well be-, for Pythagoras^ and his Sed:, had engroffed all the Fame in the Fa<5t of Legiflation : Which leads me to another probable Caufe of the common Opinion of Zaleucus\ being a Pythagorean. The Charafter of thisSe6lwe fay, and fliall prove hereafter, was fo great for Law-giving, that after Ages thought nothing could be done to Purpofe, in that Way, which had not a Pythagorean for its Author. So, befides Zaleucus^ the Ancients fup- pofed Charondas, Nu?na^^ Za?noIxis\ PhytiuSy Theocles, Eiicaon, Arijiocrates^ nay the very Dru- ids""^ Legiflators of Gaul^ and in a Word all the eminent LegiQators that lived any thing near the ' Meloe 5 IT) S-Moy re 1^ TV o^^ivtov, 'SjXei'jOv 'aoteia-Qx4 Xc'/gv yonav. Jamb. Vit. Pyth. C. 30. ^ Quinetiam arbitror propter Pythagoreorum admirationem, Numam quoque Regem Pythagoreum a p'olkrioribus exiftimatum, ■ful Tujc. difp. 1.4. c. I. : ' Herod. 1 4. ^ Ammia7i,MarcilU 1. 15. c. 9. Time 124 ^e Divine Lfgatlon Book II. Time of Pythagoras^ to be inftrurled by him. And this Notion not only fprung from his great Cha- ra(5ter and Reputation, but was likewife nurfed up and improved by the Pythagoreans themfelves, to beget honour to their Mafter -, as we may fee in Ja7nblicus''s Life of that Philofopher. So that was ■ there no more in it than this, as Zaleiicus*s Infti- tutions were in great Repute, we might very natU' rally account for the Miilake. But Laftly, it is indeed very true, that, as the Do6tor fufpefted, the principal Ground of the Re- fort o/Zaleucus ^^///^ rt Pythagorean, %vas gathered from fome Paffagcs hi the Syflem of Laws afcrihed to him. He is only too hafty in his Conclufion that therefore this muji convi^ the Syjlem of a Cheat. What led him to it is his fuppofing that no fuch Report could be gathered from Paffages in the Syflem^ but fuch as muft be an Intimation that the Author was ^7 Pythagorean: And that there is no Difference be- tween giving and taking an Intimation. If then this Report might be gathered from Paffages that con- tained no Intimation, and if the Reader may under- Hand that to be an Intimation which the Writer never intended for one ; then will the Credit of thefe Remains continue unfhaken, though we grant the Doftor his whole Premiff"es, and all the Facls he contends for. It is certain then, a principal Ground of the Re- port was gathered from a Pafl'age in his Syftem of Laws. And I believe I have found what that was. Zaleucus in his Preface fpeaks of an evil Genius or Demon, AAIMIIN KAKOS, as influencing Men to wickcdnefs. This though a Notion of the high- cil "Antiquity, whole Origin and Author are much fivcd [Mtcya;^ t AiyvT^u:, y^ ^J» kut' dviVi titan ti^}C'*^> uyadiii Se(ft. 3- of "^o^-E^ demmjlrated. 125 much difputed of, yet was the diftinguifliing Do <5lrine of the Pythagoreans. Plutarch fpeaking of Pythagoras' s Opinion of the firft Principle,^ fays, that that Philofopher called, T>j\ jwov««Jo6 ©gov* t^V ■'^SvaSo^, SouiAQvx. Which Avxg the Pythagoreans ufed extremely to vilifie and revile as the Caufe of all Evil. The Application of this Dodrine I fup- pofe Pythagoras might borrow from Zaleucus, and here again Pofterity be miftaken as to the original Author. But we may colled from the fame Plu- tarch, that this Opinion was cultivated by all the ancient Legiflators. For he who favoured the No- tion of two Principles, the one Good, and the other Evil, affeds, I obferve, to draw every anci- ent Writer, that but mentions an evil Etemon, into his Seft. In his Treatife of I/is and 0/iris, he fpcaks to this Purpofe, — " That it was a mod ancient *' Opinion delivered as well by Legislators as ^« Divines, that the World was neither made by " Chance, neither did one Caufe govern all things, *' without Oppofition°/* This Notion therefore, delivered in the Proem of Zaleucus's Laws, might very well be underftood as an Intimation of the Author's being a Pythagorean, and yet, not being fo defigned by the Author, it tends not, in the leaft, to refute the Book itfelf. The other Arguments, againft thefe Laws, and thofe of Charondas, are fuch flender Things, that,, after the Confutation ofwhat is urged above, they will not be able to bear their own Weight. ^ctiiMvoi, id, kcckIv S'aiiA,6>x. Diog. Laer. Vit. Phil. Proem. Seg- 8. 'OvK. ol^a. y.7i T nANr HAAAinNr xroz:urx'\o'j xw/jcui^du- f 9ov»pi« Toii «y«6o7s »yS^criv • Plutarch. ' inta Dionis. <> Aio )^_ wosjX'TraAa^b; ewm KiixHan cyA io'Koyuv x^ N O M O- ©£T£2N u<; »T* a^av f^ HXaym xj ■ (i,y.v%i^Aw a4bi^e-i]a4 " ' On 126 'The Divine Legation Book II. On the whole then, I prefume, it appears that the Credit of thefe Remains ftands unlhaken for any thing the learned Doftor has advanced to the contrary, and that we may fafely urge them as of the Antiquity they pretend to. Thus Zaleucus begins his Preface : — " Every Inhabitant, whether of Town or Country, fhould firft of all be firmly perfuaded of the Being and Exiftence of the Gods : which Belief he will be readily induced to entertain, when he contem- plates the Heavens, regards the World, and ob- serves the Difpofition, Order, and Harmony of the Univerfe ; which can neither be the Work of blind Chance, or of iVTan. Thefe Gods are to be worfniped as the Caufe of all the real Good we enjoy. Every one therefore fhould fo prepare, and poffefs his Mind, as to be free from every Kind of Pollution ; being perfuaded that God is not honoured by a wicked Perfon, nor acceptably ferved with fumptuous Ceremo- nies, or taken with coftly Sacrifices, like a mi- ferable Man ; but with Virtue only, and a con- flant Difpofition to good and juft A6lions, Oa which account, . Every one ought to labour all he can to become good, both in Praftice and Principle, whereby he will render himfelf dear and acceptable to God : ., Ought to fear more what leads to Ignominy and Difhonour, than to Lofs of Wealth and Fortune; and to efleem him the worthiefl Citizen, who gives up his world- ly Goods, rather than renounce his Honefly and Love of Juftice : . But thofe whofe Ap- petites are fo headflrong as, not to fulfer them to be perfuaded to thefe Things, and whofe Minds are turned with a natural Bias towards Evil, whether they be Men or Women, Citizens or Sojourners, fhould remember the Gods i and *' think Sed. 3« of yio%Y.% demonjirated. 127 " think upon their Nature, and of the Judgments *« they always have in ftore, to inflidl upon wicked << Men : They fhouldyi'/ lefore themfelves the dread- **• ful Hour of Deaths a Period they mull all arrive " at i when the Memory of evil y}£iions paft will *-^ feize every dinner with Remorfe^ accompanied with ** the fruitlefs IVifh of having fuhmitted his A&fions to *< the Rules of Juftice. Every one therefore fliould " fo watch over his Behaviour, as if that Hour was ^^ fill prefent with him ^ and attended all his Mo- *' tions : which is the way to keep up in himfeif *« an exad: regard to Right and Juftice. But if " THE WICKED DeMON ATTEMPTS TO INFLU- *' ENC£ HIM TO EviL, let him fly to the Altars " and Temples of the Gods, as the fureft Afyluni *' from Injuftice •, Injuftice, whom he fhould re- ** gard as the crueleft and wickedeft of Tyrants ; " and implore their Afliftance to drive her far from *' him. To this end, let him likewife have re- " courfe to thofe, whofe Reputations are high for *' Probity and Virtue ; whom he may hear dif- " courfe of the Happinefs of Good, and the Ven- " geance attending Evil Men p." It P Ts; xecioix^ilxi; r 'mo>iiv «^ ^ tuo^cu^ia-H TT nccXm c^yuv ^ ii-<.a\eiii. ^»* 'iKu.<)Oy Sit eii Siujct^iv ecya(io* u) «J ^ and imaginative. They were both well practifed in the public, and deeply converfant in human Nature -, and they formed their Inilitutes altogether on the Plan, and in the Spirit and Views of ancient LegiQation : The Foundation of ?lalo\ Laws being tiie Mile Inftitutes \ and of Cicero's^ the fji^che Tables : who himfelf takes care to warn us of this difference : — " In Imitation (fays he) o^?lalo, the mod learned, *' and, at the hme time, the wifeft of the Philo- *^ fophers, who wrote befl'^ of a Republic, and *' likewife, feparately, of the Laws thereof, I think *' it will be proper, before I give the Law itfelt', to 1 I read here, with Turmhiis, *^ 130 'The Divine hegation Book IL *' to fay fom^what in recommendation of it: which *' I obferve, was the Method of Zaleucus and Cha- *« rondas. For their Syftems of Laws was not an *' Exercife of Wit, or defigned for the Amufe- *' ment of idle, fpeculative Men, but compofed " for the Ufe of their Fellow Citizens, in the Ad- *' miniftration of the Republic. T'hefe Plato imi- " taled -y as thinking this likewife to be the Bufi- *' nefs of Law . i to gain fomewhat of its End *' by the gentler Methods of Perfuafion, and not ^' to carry every thing by Force and Fear of Pu- " nifhment^" Here, we fee, he intimates, that Plato and him- felf had the fame Viev/s in writing Lav/s with Z^- leucus ^.nd Cbaroidas \ namely, the Benefit of their Fellow Citizens. The" Difference between them was, that the two Originals were employed by their Country •, and the two Copiefts generoufly tindertook an Office they were not called to. On all accounts, thefc two latter arfe the greatefl: Authorities Antiquity can- fupply us with, and the mod deferving to be heard in this Matter. But, to fhorten, all we can, the Drudgery of quoting ; as Cicero profefles to borrow from Plato^ fpeaks his Sentiments, and often in his Words, we fliall content ourfelves in citing the Roman only, as of the Syllem, which begins, Ad Dl'vos adeunto cajic, &c. then by Rcco7nmer.datio7: is meant fliewing, as he does, likewife in the following Chapter, the Ufe and Service cf Religion to Civil Society. *" Sed, ut vir dodiflimus fecit Plato, atque idem gravifumus phi- lofophorum omnium, qui princeps de republica confcrlpfit, idem- que feparatim de legibus ejus, id mihi credo efle faciendum ; ut priufquam ipfam Legem recitcm, dc ejus legis laude dicam. Quod idem c*v; Zaleucum <^" Charondam feciffe video; cum qui- deni illi non Itudii &; deleclationis, fed rcipublicx caufa leges civ'i- tatibus fuis fcripferunt. Quos imitatus Plato, videlicet hoc quo- que Legis putavit cffe, perfuaderc aliquid, non- omnia vi.ac minis cogere. pi Leg. l.z, <-. 6. 1 abun- Se!g/C« Tf $ TfAfrat* -Ergo*- li^v -aa.^ AirtllTlOlS >^ ©§«|'» r) oiu|}, «c| BaswyAitivioi?, xaxw? ivvjivori^a., ^('[lyiy^vnu, rt eii;' EXSr.vse^ i^ -^ T A 1 F T n- T 1 n N yji^^ vsri^lHtiS'f^^ »^ o/jtS 5 'hstx.ii- Epiphan. adv. H^r. lib. 1. V , MY2THriliiAH. 0;7;g-. fowr. Cf/yj<»!, 1. 5 . p. 1 60. Sp. Ed. K 4 Minijiers 336 7he Divine Legation Book II. Minijicrs of the facred Rites, and thofe who mtiate into, and prefide in the Myfteries^. They continued long in Religious Obfcrvance : fome were more celebrated and extenfive, and others lefs fo ; to which" many accidental Caufes contributed : Eu- ripides makes Bacchus fay in his Tragedy of that .Namc% That the Orgies were celebrated by all Nations, and that he came to introduce them a- mongft xho. Greeks, And it is not improbable that fc'veral barbarous Nations had learnt them of the Egyptians long before they came into Greece. The Druids o{ Britain, who had, as well as the Brach- mans of India, their Religion from thence, cele- brated the Orgies of Bacchus, as we learn from Dio- nyjius the African. But, of all the Myfteries, thofe which bore that Name' by way of Eminence, the Eleusinian, celebrated at y^//v/;j in Hqnour of Ceres, were by far the moft famed ; and in procefs of time abforbed, and as it were fwallowed up all the reft. Their Neighbours all around them very early pradifed thefe Myfteries to a Ncgleft of rheir own : In a little time all Greece and JJia Minor were initiated into them : And at length they fpread over the whole Ro?fian Empire, and even beyond the Limits of it. So Tully : Omitro Eleufinamfan^am illam &' ai/gujiafn ; ubi initiantur gentes orarum ultir,i(B^. And we are told in Zofi- mus, that thefe mcji holy Rites were then Jo extenfive ^ * Mx^ira U-, (J /3/>il/rf, awrte av «oAaj-eOj^i^«;* ttTti/ K^ 01 T Jffaiv oxfi'vAii/ i^rf-nrcu T.X •iCA ~i t^ nvTocyuftl. 1. 8. p. 408. And that nothing abfurd was taught in the Myfteries concerning a future State, I coiled from the Anfwer Origett makes to Ctlfus, who had preferred what was taught in the Myfteries of Bacchusy on that Point, to what the Chriftian Religion revealed concerning It.— ''vO< «* ^Z T Bav^ocjy 7«A:tT;v«^ zsrocvlct ug /frc, after the Murder of his Mother, took a Journey into Greece^ ° 2K(y?r«? X ri\i'\oiii 17111, b\- Tf Ao? uvxlu'/^v Tot'; il'V^et<; <^fi»o f "OvXm f'(pf>i»f*a y'ivf^i rd f/.v^yi^oc' tire; «'; faxlayl^^v '-^X"' •csH) T -wxAmZv. Apud Jrrian. J)ijpft. 1. 3. c. 21. The Reafon of my tranflating «'? ^4t/«(7»¥, chv Ttti x^q^it T ■4--JX^-> h)' hib&ni^s DeiL ig. ^ Plutarch in jfyophf, & LacQnia's, ' - and $40 '^he Divine Legation Book II. and had a Mind to be prefent at the Celebration of the Eleufinian Myfteries, the Confcience of his Parricide deterred him from it'. So the good Emperor M.Antoninus^ when he would purge him- felf to the World of the Death of Avidius CaJJiuSy chofc to be initiated into the Eleufinian Myfteries": It being notorious to all, that none were admitted to their Participation, who laboured under the juft Sufpicion of any heinous Immorality. The Ini> tiated were enjoined, during the Celebration of the Myfteries, the greateft Purity, and higheft Eleva- tion of Mind. JVhen you facrifia or pray^ fays EpiEletus in Arr'ian^ go with a prepared Purity of Mind, and with Difpofuions fo previoufy difpofed, as are required of y:u when you approach the ancient Rites and Myfteries"^. It was not lawful, fays Tully, fo much as to indulge the Imprudence of the Eye in thefe Myjleries ". And Proclus tells us that the My- fteries and Initiations drew the Souls of Men from a material, fenfual, and merely human Life, and join- ed them in Communion with theGods^. Nor was a lefs Degree ofexadnefs required in the future Con- dud of the Initiated ^ They were obliged by folemn Engagements to commence a new Life of the ftrifleft Purity and Virtue : on which Account, * Peregrinatione quidem, Graci/e, Eleujiniis facris, quorum rnitiatione impii & fcelerati voce prasconis fubmoverentur, in- tereffe non aufus eft. Vita Neron. c. 34. u Jul. Capit. nJtta Ant. Phil, and Dion. Cajf. '^'' Krt« pLiT(C Bvcr'.u<; ^, >^ (jt.tr oi ^'x!*'', *^ 'm^ovt'y^^uMra., »^ Arrian. DiJJert. 1. 3. c. 21. * Qiio ne imprudentiam quidem cculorum adjici fas eft. De Leg. 1. 2. c. 24. ^ ^ . , . Plat. 1. I^ ^ ^ . . . . , Z' 1C*< T yi.vfr,^ui)i «|»w0«^; iitcfilu/ >^ 1? WOf' V^i »eAfr,f mcuS'tva-eus* Quidain apud Sopatruro in 4iv. qusft. Ini- Se(ft, 4. 0/' M o s E s demonjirated. 14 1 Initiation was called TEAETH as fuppofing it the Means of Perfection \ The Confideration of all this made Terlullian fay , that in the Myfteries, cmnia adverfus verUatem^ de ipfa veritate conjtrvMa ejfe^. And Aujlin^ Dlahohun ammas deceptas illu- fafqtte prcBcipitaJJe^ qumn polliceretur purgationem anr- m(Z per eas^ quas TEAETAS appellant". The Initiated under this Dilcipline, and with thefe Promifes, wereefteemed the only happy Men-. jiriftophanes who fpeaks the Senfe of the People, makes them exult after this Manner: On us only does the 0)b of Day Jh'ine benignant^ we only receive P leaf ure from its Beams: we who are imitated, and perfonn towards Citizens and Strangers all Aols of Piety and Jufiice^. And the longer any one was initiated, the more Honourable he was held\ It was even efteemed fcandalous not to be initiated : and how virtuous foever the Perfon otherwife ap- peared, he became Sufpicious to the People : As Socrates, and in after Times Demonax, as we fee in Lucian*s Life of his Friend. No wonder then, if the fuperior Advantages of the Initiated, both here and hereafter, fhould make the Myfteries uni- verfally afpired to. And this was indeed the Facfl : For they foon grew as extenfive in the Numbers of all Ranks and Conditions they embraced, as in the Regions and Countries to which they pene- * Ka« rfXtTcti c/xceAwy, wf •tcXntt(TXi, >C h^ rv TfAHSii ciyifc^at^ tsi TtXufdfiii^. Maximus Monach. in Epijl. ad Demoph. 8, ^ Apol. c. 47. = DeTrinitate, 1. 3. c. 10. ° Me»ojj ^ ^f/Cii "HAio; o"eb»i fc cniyoy.^f Kai Tw;J^iWT«?. Xlhorus Rar.is, Acf. r. Aides in Orat. -Rfe* >^5cf 9«V/*a^f. trated. 142 The Divine Legation • Book II. trated. Men, Women, and Children were initiated therein. Thus Apukius^ dclcribes the State ot the Myfteries in his Time. " Influunt turb^, facris " divinis initiate, virifoeminaeque, omnis JEtatis et " omnis dignitatis.'* Tht Pagans would feem, in- deed, as if they thought Initiation as neceflary as the Chrijlians did Ba[:icirm^. And the Cuilom of initiating Children appears to have been general from this PaiTage of Terence^, " Ferietur alio munere ubi Hera pepererit •, *' Porroautem alio, ubierit piiel-onatalisdicsi " Ubi Initiabunt. Nay they had even the fame Kind of Superftitipn with Regard tliercto, that fomQ Chrijlians h.ad con- cerning Baptifm, namely to defer it to the Approach of Death -, as appears from the honeft Farmer Try- g(cus in the Pax of Arijlophanes, Art ^ ^\jy,^r,vcd^ Vj^\\i Tiovy.Kivcu. The Reafon of all this is given us by the Scholiaft on the Ra?ice of the fime Poet. — . It zvas bdieved hy the Athenians, that he who was initiated^ and in- Jtru5ied in the My (I erics, JJjould obtain divim Honour i after death : And therefore all ran to be initiated'. And their Fondnefs for it was fo great, that at fuch Times as the public Trcafury was low, Admit- tance into thefe Myfteries could be made a Fund of. Arijfcgiton, fays the Com.mentator on Hermo- genes, in a great Scarcity cf public Money, brought <■ Met. 1. II. E This appears from the following Lines of Sophocles. Ztiy (ft. To7? d «»6(7» 'srxtT e«« xockx. ^ Thorm. Aa. l. § i. ' A0-/0:, yi c^^rei -a-cip' 'Ad'OcMoi; ui 0 tx uv^KQAot. flV