of libe tinism hath a free course through the press, and assumes a boldness in conversation and coffee-house harangues, which is scarcely indulged to Christianity. From this view of the times, I believe, sir, you will agree, that the road down to Deism is made sufficiently broad and smooth.

Temp. Yes; but I think your two last classes, instead of preparing the way to it, have conducted their disciples thither already, and have left nothing for a professor of Deism to do.

Shep. O, sir, a great deal: such betrayers of religion only serve as step-stones, upon which the weaker and more squeamish sort of libertines go over to Deism; there being few, who have in themselves a sufficient stretch of genius to cross the wide gulf between religion and infidelity at one stride, or strength enough to reach the farther bank at one leap. Those who help them over, do but land them in the shallow water and mud of infidelity, where the thoroughpaced Deist is ready to lend them his shoulders. It is the business of a master-workman to finish these infidels, who are, as yet, but blocked out to their hands. The new proficients in self-sufficiency still look on themselves only as a sort of libertine Christians.

Temp. Among the several performances that inculcate deistical, under the mask of Christian principles, don't you comprehend the late famous introductory discourse, &c. relating to miracles? The Deists triumph in that, and some other writings of the same author. I should be surprised to hear the clergy were as well satisfied with them.

Shep. We have already considered the clergy as not all equally remote from Deism; besides, the book you inquire about, notwithstanding the use it is of to the Deists, may have proceeded from a real love of truth in the author, spiced, however, with a self-sufficient ostentation of uncommon sagacity and learning. It is, undoubtedly, of some service to any truth, to prune away from it all the excrescences that usually shoot out of it, while it is lodged in minds irregularly prolific; because such never fail to give it a grotesque appearance in the eye of better reason. False arguments, also, hurt a good cause, when, by long and frequent use, they seem to grow to it, and incorporate with it. Had the author ever signalized his abilities, which I never

heard that he did, in the defence of our common Christianity, against the continual assaults of its adversaries ; such performances, as his last, might very well admit of a favourable interpretation. But, having, instead of this, endeavoured to beat down some arguments, usually brought for its support, which, nevertheless, keep their ground in the estimation of the judicious, having condemned, without distinction, the miracles said to have been wrought in the early ages succeeding that of the apostles; and having, in many places, condemned them, for reasons almost equally affecting those of our Saviour and his immediate disciples; his book is deservedly suspected of a deistical tendency. His charging so many of the fathers, without sparing even the martyrs, with wilful lies and forgeries, would have come better from the pen of a Tindal, or any other malicious libertine, than from that of a clergyman. To one who considers him as a Christian, his book can do little harm; and ought to do still less, wherever he is believed to be a Deist t; because, in that case, the solemn subscriptions and declarations, with which he hath imposed on the church, and the ecclesiastical emoluments he enjoys by his prevarication, being considered at the same time with his principles, must, to every thinking mind, be a sufficient preservative against the infection of his books. With what face can a deistical doctor of divinity object a want of truth or sincerity to the fathers, or to any man? What honest man will care to hear or read him, after his principles and designs are discovered? Or what man, of less art and learning, if he is not an idiot, will take any thing off his hands, without a clear irresistible demonstration?

Temp. Every one is ready to catch at the least appearance of an argument in favour of such principles as his heart hath espoused, before his head is thoroughly convinced of their truth: such books as this, wrote by the seeming friends of Christianity, contribute more to mend the pace of a willing reader in his progress towards Deism, than the works of a professed Deist.

Shep. Few will read them for any other purpose, be the intentions of those who write them ever so good: however, performances of that kind are but helps to infidelity. Their admirers, if they have not something else to depend on, or

were not Deists before they read them, are still but imperfect libertines. They have, indeed, fairly broken the chain of religion; but, however, still drag some links of it at their feet, which make them halt ungracefully, as it were, 'between two opinions,' and which none but the true Deist can knock off. The libertine beast hath burst his fetters, but is still within the fences, which must be broken down, before he can range at large. A clergyman, or one who professes himself a Christian, cannot handsomely do this for him; and therefore another, who can undertake it, and yet not act out of character, must be called to his assistance. If it so happens, that one who is prepared to enter on the last stage of self-sufficiency, hath never a Deist among his acquaintances to lend him a helping hand; he can, however, be at no loss, since there is a variety of books, so well penned for his purpose, and so judiciously adapted to the humour and capacity of every candidate for Deism, that, if he makes a proper choice, a few hours reading will be sufficient to finish what is wanting to one, already so far advanced, and so very tractable. In one he will see Christianity attacked through its ordinances; in another, through its mysteries; in another, through its miracles; and in another, through its ministers. This will draw him along with a regular chain of reasoning; that will lead him through a choice collection of miscellaneous quotations; and a third will entertain him with wit and humour, sufficient to put a thousand demonstrations out of countenance. But as a system, of some sort or other, may be necessary to settle his thoughts, and to insure his principles, the infallibility of reason, the moral sense, the mortality of the soul, and God's indifference to all our actions, with many others, will offer themselves to his option.

Temp. Although the Deists reject no hypothesis that can be turned to their own advantage, or to the discredit of Christianity; yet every one singles out a favourite system, to which he is directed more by humour than judgment, and in which he rests satisfied, till the growth of his desires and passions calls for a scheme of laxer principles. It is just so, some naturalists tell us, that the cray-fishes, at a certain season, fit themselves with shells, which had been formerly cast off. Their choice is perfectly libertine; for

they single out such as they think of a proper size for their purpose, and crawl into them backward, repeating the experiment, till they find themselves easy in some one or other of the heap.

Shep. Was it in that manner you entered into libertinism?

Temp. It was even so, wrong end foremost; and my head was the last part of me that went in. There is nothing in the world I am more thoroughly convinced of, than that there is not one libertine among a thousand who is not turned away from religion by his vices; and therefore I think that infinite conceit, which distinguishes them from the rest of mankind, altogether unaccountable. I assure you, sir, my own, notwithstanding the great degree of pride to which I am by nature addicted, astonished me, as often as I recollected the shameful passions that gave birth to my libertine turn of mind.

Shep. Your surprise, that the libertine should be the most conceited of all men, proceeds from your beginning to think at the wrong end of the business, and considering that as the effect, which is really the cause. A Deist is not conceited, because he is a Deist; but a Deist, because he is conceited. It is somewhat originally within the man, that predisposes him to peculiar opinions. Surely it must have been some previous disposition, rather than reason, that made St. Evremont a libertine, and Pascal a bigot," in the same country, and with an eye to the same religion. You know, sir, that vanity, as well as lust or avarice, is a vice, which the self-sufficiency of libertinism is extremely well fitted to gratify.

Temp. You account exceedingly well for that which puzzled me so much.

Shep. Christianity is farther from tolerating pride, than any other passion; whereas pride and libertinism mutually encourage and feed each other. The proud man will not be restrained, and the unrestrained grows yet prouder than he was before, when he compares his liberty with the bonds of others. This will appear to any man of sense, who peruses the deistical performances, without a bias, either for, or

a Pascal declares, somewhere in his Provincial Letters, that, in his opinion, no man can be saved, who does not die in communion with the church of Rome.

against, their principles. Although (Cornelius Agrippa only excepted) there never was a libertine who was also a conjurer, or set up for more wisdom than his own; yet they all pretend to such a full sufficiency of that, as no other sort of men can equal, nor any other being add to.

THE self-sufficiency or Deism of lord Herbert, led the attack made on Christianity in England; and therefore the credit of singularity, and the glory of treading the yet unbeaten path, is entirely due to him. Our later Deists, who affect the same, have no sort of right to it. They do but follow and imitate. If no one had ventured before them, they would perhaps have been bigots, and some of them Papists, as long as they lived. This writer endeavoured to prove that every man hath an innate idea of God, and his duty so moulded up in the very original make and the constitution of his mind, as never to be defaced or obliterated; or, in other words, that every man is born an able divine and moralist. We have already had occasion to examine the merits of this opinion, which Mr. Locke hath refuted to the satisfaction of every one who reads him. His lordship having laid down innate practical propositions, as the basis of his theology, found himself obliged to write an elaborate apology for Paganism; an undertaking of so much difficulty, that it could never have been even thought of, but by one who adored his own, and despised his reader's understanding. Some of the Pagan extravagancies he endeavours to palliate by explaining them into allegories and symbols. The rest, which were a little too gross to be refined in his figurative alembic, he charges to the account of priestcraft, and, in my opinion, very justly. But most assuredly no craft nor cunning could ever have established almost throughout the whole world, such enormities both in principle and practice, had the mind of every man been enlightened with a right indelible idea of God, and his will, impressed on the original frame of human nature, and essential to the soul of man.

Temp. This I am now fully convinced of.

Shep. You may observe, sir, that, as the Christian religion was introduced into the world by men in the lowest rank of life, its great adversary, Deism, owes its origin, at least among us, to a man of quality. The contempt which poverty