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Zealots, that one does not know how to fet them out in their proper Colours. They are a Sort of Gameters who are eternally upon the Fret, though they play for Nothing. They are perpetually teizing their Friends to come over to them, though at the fame Time they allow that neither of them fhall get any Thing by the Bargain. In fhort, the Zeal of fpreading Atheism is, if poffible, more abfurd than Atheism it felf.

SINCE I have mentioned this unaccountable Zeal which appears in Atheifts and Infidels, I must further obferve that they are likewife in a moft particular manner poffeffed with the Spirit of Bigotry. They are wedded to Opinions full of Contradiction and Impoffibility, and at the fame time look upon the fmalleft Difficulty in an Article of Faith as a fufficient Reason for rejecting it. Notions that fall in with the common Reafon of Mankind, that are conformable to the Senfe of all Ages and all Nations, not to mention their Tendency for promoting the Happiness of Societies, or of particular Perfons, are exploded as Errors and Prejudices; and Schemes erected in their Stead that are altogether monstrous and irrational, and require the most extravagant Credulity to embrace them. I would fain ask one of thefe bigotted Infidels, fuppofing all the great Points of Atheism, as the cafual or eternal Formation of the World, the Materiality of a thinking Subftance, the Mortality of the Soul, the fortuitous Organization of the Body, the Motions and Gravitation of Matter, with the like Particulars, were laid together and formed into a kind of Creed, according to the Opinions of the most celebrated Athiefts; I fay, fuppofing fuch a Creed as this were formed, and impofed upon any one People in the World, whether it would not require an infinitely greater Measure of Faith, than any Set of Articles which they fo violently oppofe. Let me therefore advife this Generation of Wranglers, for their own and for the publick Good, to act at least fo confiftently with themfelves, as not to burn with Zeal for rseligion, and with Biggotry for Nonfenfe. C

Wednesdays

N° 186.

Wednesday, October 3.

Calum ipfum petimus ftultitia

Hor.

UPON my Return to my Lodgings laft Night, I found a Letter from my worthy Friend the Cler gy-man, whom I have given fome Account of in my former Papers. He tells me in it that he was particu larly pleased with the latter Part of my Yefterday's Specu lation; and at the fame Time enclofed the following Ef fay, which he defires me to publish as the Sequel of that Difcourfe. It confifts partly of uncommon Reflections, and partly of fuch as have been already used, but now set in a ftronger Light.

A Believer may be excufed by the most hardened Atheift for endeavouring to make him a Convert, because he does it with an Eye to both their Interests. The Atheist is inexcufable who tries to gain over a Believer, because he does not propofe the doing himself or Believer any Good by fuch a Converfion.

The Profpect of a future State is the fecret Comfort and Refreshment of my Soul, it is that which makes Nature look gay about me; it doubles all my Pleasures, and fupports me under all my Afflictions. I can look at Difappointments and Misfortunes, Pain and Sickness, Death it felf, and, what is worse than Death, the Lofs of those who are dearest to me, with Indifference, fo long as I keep in view the Pleasures "of Eternity, and the State of Being in which there will be no Fears nor Apprehenfions, Pains nor Sorrows, Sickness nor Separation. Why will any Man ⚫ be fo_impertinently Officious, as to tell me all this is ⚫ only Fancy and Delufion? Is there any Merit in being the Meffenger of ill News? If it is a Dream, let me : enjoy

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enjoy it, fince it makes me both the happier and better

Man.

• I must confefs I do not know how to trust a Man who believes neither Heaven nor Hell, or in other Words, a future State of Rewards and Punishments. Not only natural Self-love, but Reafon, directs us to promote our own Intereft above all Things. It can

never be for the Intereft of a Believer to do me a • Mischief, because he is fure upon the Ballance of Accompts to find himself a Lofer by it. On the contrary, if he confiders his own Welfare in his Behaviour • towards me, it will lead him to do me all the Good he can, and at the fame Time restrain him from doing me an Injury. An Unbeliever does not act like a reafonable Creature, if he favours me contrary to his prefent Intereft, or does not diftrefs me when it turns to his prefent Advantage. Honour and Good-nature may indeed tie up his Hands; but as these would be very much ftrengthened by Reafon and Principle, fo without them they are only Instincts, or wavering unfettled Notions, which reft on no Foundati Sons.

INFIDELITY has been attack'd with fo good Suc cefs of late Years, that it is driven out of all its Outworks. The Atheist has not found his Poft tenable,' and is therefore retired into Deifm, and a Disbelief of ́ revealed Religion only. But the Truth of it is, the greatest Number of this Set of Men, are thofe who, for want of a virtuous Education, or examining the Gounds of Religion, know fo very little of the Matter in Queftion, that their Infidelity is but another Term for their :Ignorance.

AS Folly and Inconfideratenefs are the Foundation • of Infidelity, the great Pillars and Supports of it are either a Vanity of appearing wifer than the reft of Mankind, or an Oftentation of Courage in defpifing the Terrors of another World, which have fo great an Influence on what they call weaker Minds; or an Averfion to a Belief that muft cut them off from many of thofe Pleasures they propofe to themselves, and fill

them

them with Remorfe for many of those they have al6 ready tafted.

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THE great received Articles of the Chriftian Reli'gion, have been fo clearly proved from the Authority of that Divine Revelation in which they are delivered, that it is impoffible for those who have Ears to • hear and Eyes to fee, not to be convinced of them. But were it poffible for any thing in the Christian Faith to be erroneous, I can find no ill Confequences in adhering to it. The great Points of the Incarnation and Sufferings of our Saviour, produce naturally fuch Habits of Virtue in the Mind of Man, that I fay, fuppofing it were poffible for us to be mistaken in them, the Infidel himself must at least allow that no other Syftem of Religion could fo effectually contribute to the heightning of Morality. They give us great Ideas of the Dignity of humane Nature, and of the Love which the fupream Being bears to his Creatures, and confequently engage us in the highest Acts of Duty towards our Creator, our Neighbour and our felves. How ma ny noble Arguments has Saint Paul raifed from the chief Articles of our Religion, for the advancing of Morality in its three great Branches? To give a fingle Example in each Kind: What can be a ftronger Motive to a firm Truft and Reliance on the Mercies of our Maker, than the giving us his Son to fuffer for us? What can make us love and efteem even the most in• confiderable of Mankind, more than the Thought that • Chrift died for him? Or what difpofe us to a stricter Guard upon the Purity of our own Hearts, than our being Members of Chrift, and a Part of the Society of which that immaculate Perfon is the Head? But these are only a Specimen of thofe admirable Enforcements of Morality which the Apostle has drawn from the Hiftory of our blessed Saviour.

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IF our modern Infidels confidered these Matters with that Candour and Serioufnefs which they deserve, we 'fhould not fee them act with fuch a Spirit of Bitternefs, Arrogance, and Malice: They would not be raifing fuch infignificant Cavils, Doubts, and Scruples, as may be started against every thing that is not capa

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ble of mathematical Demonstration; in order to unfettle the Minds of the Ignorant, difturb the publick Peace, fubvert Morality, and throw all Things into Confufion and Disorder. If none of these Reflections can have any Influence on them, there is one that perhaps may, because it is adapted to their Vanity, by which they feem to be guided much more than their Reason. I would therefore have them confider, that 'the wifest and best of Men in all Ages of the World, ⚫ have been thosfe who lived up to the Religion of their Country, when they faw nothing in it oppofite to Mo'rality, and to the beft Lights they had of the Divine Nature. Pythagoras's firft Rule directs us to worship the Gods as it is ordained by Law, for that is the moft 'natural Interpretation of the Precept. Socrates, who 'was the most renowned among the Heathens both for Wisdom and Virtue, in his laft Moments defires his < Friends to offer a Cock to fculapius; doubtless out ' of a fubmiffive Deference to the establifhed Worship of his Country. Xenophon tells us, that his Prince (whom 'he fets forth as a Pattern of Perfection) when he found his Death approaching, offered Sacrifices on the Mountains to the Perfian Jupiter, and the Sun, according to the Cuftom of the Perfians; for thofe are the Words of the Hiftorian. Nay, the Epicureans and Atomical Philofophers fhewed a very remarkable Modefty in this Parti cular; for, though the Being of a God was entirely repugnant to their Schemes of natural Philofophy, they 'contented themselves with the Denial of a Providence, afferting at the fame Time the Exiftence of Gods in general; because they would not fhock the common Belief of Mankind, and the Religion of their Country.

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Thurfday,

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