N. 88. Monday, June 22.

T

Mens agitat molem

Virg.

Oone who regards things with a Philofophical Eye, and hath a Soul capable of being delighted with the Senfe that Truth and Knowledge prevail among Men, it must be a grateful Reflection to think that the fublimeft Truths, which among the Heathens only here and there one of brighter Parts and more Leifure than ordinary could attain to, are now grown familiar to the meaneft Inhabitants of these Nations.

WHENCE came this furprizing Change, that Regions formerly inhabited by ignorant and favage People fhould now outfhine Ancient Greece, and the other Eastern Countries, fo renowned of old, in the most elevated Notions of Theology and Morality? Is it the Effect of our own Parts and Industry? Have our common Mechanicks more refined Understandings than the Ancient Philofophers? It is owing to the God of Truth, who came down from Heaven, and condescended to be himself our Teacher. It is as we are Chriftians, that we profefs more excellent and Divine Truths than the reft of Mankind.

IF there be any of the Free-Thinkers who are not direct Atheists, Charity would incline one to believe them ignorant of what is here advanced. And it is for their Information that I write this Paper, the design of which is to compare the Ideas that Chriftians entertain of the Being and Attributes of a God, with the grofs Notions of the Heathen World. Is it poffible for the Mind of Man to conceive a more auguft Idea of the Deity than is fet forth in the Holy Scriptures? Ifhall throw together fome Paffages relating to this Subject, which I propofe only as Philofophical Sentiments, to be confidered by a Free thinker.

THO' there be that are called Gods, yet to us there is but one God. He made the Heaven, and Heaven of Heavens, with all their Hoft; the Earth and all things

that

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'that are therein; the Seas and all that is therein; He 'faid, Let them be, and it was fo. He hath ftretched 'forth the Heavens. He hath founded the Earth, and hung it upon nothing. He hath fhut up the Sea with Doors, and faid, Hitherto shalt thou come and no further, and here fhall thy proud Waves be ftaid. The Lord is an invifible Spirit, in whom we live, and move, and have our Being. He is the Fountain of Life. He preferveth Man and Beaft. He giveth Food to all Flefh. In his Hand is the Soul of every living thing, and the Breath of all Mankind. The Lord maketh poor ⚫ and maketh rich. He bringeth low and lifteth up. He •killeth and maketh alive. He woundeth and he healeth. By him Kings Reign, and Princes Decree Justice, and 'not a Sparrow falleth to the Ground without him. All Angels, Authorities and Powers are fubject to him. • He appointeth the Moon for Seasons, and the Sun knoweth his- going down. He thundreth with his Voice, and ⚫ directeth it under the whole Heaven, and his Lightning ◄ unto the ends of the Earth. Fire and Hail, Snow and Vapour, Wind and Storm, fulfil his Word. The Lord is King for ever and ever, and his Dominion is an everlafting Dominion. The Earth and the Heavens fhall 'perish, but thou O Lord remaineft. They all fhall wax ‹ old, as doth a Garment, and as a Vesture fhalt thou fold them up, and they fhall be changed; but thou art the fame, and thy Years fhall have no end. God is perfect in Knowledge; his Understanding is infinite. He is the Father of Lights. He looketh to the ends of the Earth, and feeth under the whole Heaven. The Lord beholdeth all the Children of Men from the place of his Habi⚫tation, and confidereth all their Works. He knoweth ' our down-fitting and uprifing. He compaffeth our Path, ⚫ and counteth our Steps. He is acquainted with all our ways; and when we enter our Clofet, and shut our Door, he feeth us. He knoweth the things that come into our Mind, every one of them: And no Thought 'can be with-holden from him. The Lord is good to all, and his tender Mercies are over all his Works. He is a Father of the Fatherless and a Judge of the Widow. He is the God of Peace, the Father of Mercies, and the

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God

• God of all Comfort and Confolation. The Lord is great and we know him not: His Greatnefs is unfearchable. Who but he hath measured the Waters in the hollow ⚫ of his Hand, and meted out the Heavens with a Span? 6 Thine, O Lord, is the Greatnefs, and the Power, and the Glory, and the Victory, and the Majefty. Thou art very Great, thou art clothed with Honour. Heaven is thy Throne and Earth is thy Footstool.

CAN the Mind of a Philofopher rife to a more juf and magnificent, and at the fame time a more amiable Idea of the Deity, than is here fet forth in the the strongest Images and most emphatical Language? And yet this is the Language of Shepherds and Fishermen. The illiterate Jews and poor perfecuted Chriftians retain'd these noble Sentiments, while the polite and powerful Nations of the Earth were given up to that fottifh Sort of Worship of which the following elegant Description is extracted from one of the infpired Writers.

'WHO hath formed a God, or molten an Image that is profitable for nothing? The Smith with the Tongs both worketh it in the Coals and fashioneth it with Hammers, and worketh it with the Strength of his Arms: Yea he is hungry and his Strength faileth. He drinketh no Water and is faint. A Man planteth an Afh, and the Rain doth nourish it. He burneth part thereof in the Fire. He roafteth Roaft. He warm< eth himself. And the Refidue thereof he maketh a God. He falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it and faith, Deliver me for thou art my God. None confidereth in his Heart, I have burnt part of it in the Fire, yea alfo, I have baked Bread upon the • Coals thereof: I have roafted Flesh and eaten it; and fhall 'I make the refidue thereof an Abomination? Shall I fall down to the Stock of a Tree?

IN fuch Circumftances as thefe, for a Man to declare for Free-Thinking, and difengage himself from the Yoke of Idolatry, were doing Honour to Human Nature, and a Work well becoming the great Afferters of Reafon. But in a Church, where our Adoration is directed to the Tupreme Being, and (to fay the leaft) where is nothing either in the Object or Manner of Worfhip that contradicts

the

the Light of Nature, there, under the Pretence of FreeThinking, to rail at the Religious Inftitutions of their Country, fheweth an undistinguishing Genius that mistakes Oppofition for Freedom of Thought. And, indeed, notwithstanding the Pretences of fome few among our FreeThinkers, I can hardly think there are Men fo ftupid and inconfiftent with themselves, as to have a ferious Regard for natural Religion, and at the fame time ufe their utmoft Endeavours to deftroy the Credit of those facred Writings, which as they have been the Means of bringing thefe Parts of the World to the Knowledge of natural Religion, fo in cafe they lofe their Authority over the Minds of Men, we fhould of Course fink into the fame Idolatry which we fee practifed by other unenlightened

Nations.

IF a Person who exerts himself in the Modern way of Free-Thinking be not a ftupid Idolater, it is undeniable that he contributes all he can to the making other Men fo, either by Ignorance or Defign; which lays him under the dilemma, I will not fay of being a Fool or Knave, but of incurring the Contempt or Deteftation of Man

kind.

N° 89. Tuesday, June 23.

Igneus eft ollis vigor, cœleftis origo

T

Seminibus.

Virg.

HE fame Faculty of Reafon and Understanding, which placeth us above the Brute part of the Creation, doth alfo fubject our Minds to greater and more manifold Difquiets than Creatures of an inferior Rank are fenfible of. It is by this that we anticipate future Difafters, and oft create to our felves real Pain from imaginary Evils, as well as multiply the Pangs arifing from thofe which cannot be avoided.

IT behoves us therefore to make the beft Use of that fublime Talent, which, fo long as it continues the InftruVOL. 11.

long

ftrument

ment of Paffion, will serve only to make us more miferable, in Proportion as we are more excellent than other Beings.

IT is the Privilege of a Thinking Being to withdraw from the Objects that follicit his Senfes, and turn his Thoughts inward on himself. For my own Part, I often mitigate the Pain arifing from the little Misfortunes and Disappointments that chequer Human Life by this Intreverfion of my Faculties, wherein I regard my own Soul as the Image of her Creator, and receive great Confolation from beholding thofe Perfections which teftifie her Divine Original, and lead me into fome Knowledge of her everlafting Archetype.

BUT there is not any Property or Circumftance of my Being that I contemplate with more Joy than my Immortality. I can eafily overlook any prefent momentary Sorrow, when I reflect that it is in my Power to be happy a thousand Years hence. If it were not for this. Thought, I had rather be an Oyster than a Man, the moft ftupid and fenfelefs of Animals than a reasonable Mind tortured with an extream innate Defire of that Perfection which it defpairs to obtain,

IT is with great Pleasure that I behold Inftin&t, Reaon and Faith concurring to atteft this comfortable Truth. It is revealed from Heaven, it is difcovered by Philofophers, and the ignorant, unenlighten'd Part of Mankind have a natural Propenfity to believe it. It is an agreeable Entertainment to reflect on the various Shapes under which this Doctrine has appeared in the World. The Pythagorean Tranfmigration, the fenfual Habitations of the Mahometan, and the fhady Realms of Pluto, do all agree in the main Points, the Continuation of our Exiftence, and the Diftribution of Rewards and Punishments, proportioned to the Merits or Demerits of Men in this Life.

BUT in all thefe Schemes there is fomething grofs and improbable, that shocks a reasonable and fpeculative Mind. Whereas nothing can be more rational and fublime than the Chriftian Idea of a future State. Eye bath not feen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man 30 conceive the things which God hath prepared for those that love him. The above-mentioned Schemes are narrow

Tran