corrupted with ignorance, bigotry, or interested craft. Let us turn our thoughts inward, and afk ourfelves feriously, Whether it be probable that God has given to mankind any written revelation immediately from himself, and under his fpecial and particular direction; in doing which, he effectually restrained the publifhers of it from blending any of their own opinions and fenti ments with the pure and perfect word thus delivered to them? Will not our confciences anfwer, that it is highly probable no fuch written revelation has been made? And for this reafon among many others, namely, that fuch a revelation must be neceffary to the happinefs of mankind, or God would not have. made it if neceffary for any, then for all; and it is inconfiftent. with all our ideas of the juftice and goodness of the Parent of mankind to fuppofe that he would not make it univerfal. It would be a reflection on the moral character of the Deity, to fuppofe on individual of the human race to be fo unhappily circumftanced, as to have no opportunity of knowing and em-, tracing the only religion by which he could attain eternal happinefs.

6 Again, if fuch a revelation had been made to mankind, it would have been moft certainly diftinguifhed from all pretended revelations, by fome obvious external marks and tokens of a divine original; not by a pillar of fire or of smoke, to direct one nation only; but fuch as would attract the notice, and fix the opinions of mankind univerfally, and be to thein all an infallible guide through the wilderness of this world, to a state of perfect and confummate happiness.

But farther, fuch a revelation would also, most certainly, have fome internal marks of divinity. We may reasonably fuppofe, fift, that it would be plain, clear, and intelligible; fuited to all fituations of time and place, and to the meanest as well as the most enlarged capacity: it would want no comments, no paraphrafes, no explanations; for can we fuppofe that when God fpeaks to his creatures, he would do it in a language which they could not underftand? Or that He who formed the power of conception in the human mind, fhould ever ftand in need of an interpreter ? Surely no. Secondly, we may. reafonably fuppofe that the doctrines of fuch a revelation would be pure, unmixed with perplexing myfteries, or ufelefs ceremonies, and that its precepts would contain the moft fublime morality, the practice of which would have a direct tendency to promote, univerfal happiness,

Finally, fuch a religion would moft certainly approve itself to the confciences of every individual of the human race, by being a perfect copy from that perfect original, The Religion of

Reafon

Reafan and Nature; to which nothing can be added by man, that would improve it, nothing blended with it, but what would prove an alloy, and leffen it s intrinfic value.

The religion of nature then is the standard, by which we fhould measure the merits of all other religions; and that which approaches nearest to the purity and perfection of this, we should efteem the best: and if we look on established religion as ufeful, political, and productive of order in fociety; we should, if for the fake of example only, join ourselves to that which our confcience thus recommends.

It appears to me, that the religion of Chrift, unadulterated, has the fairest claim to our regard, upon the principles before eftablished: but, by the religion of Chrift, I would always be understood to mean, his moral doctrines and precepts; and therefore I earnestly recommend, that we make ufe of our reason to diftinguish thofe parts of Christianity which are agreeable to nature, and to what God has written in our hearts, from those parts which, for many reafons given in these sheets, must be the inventions of men; whatever we may be required to believe concerning them.

The moral doctrines and precepts of Christ are exactly such as nature teaches, fuch as my confcience approves; and therefore I prefer his religion to any other established religion that I am acquainted with.

I reverence the character of CHRIST, and endeavour to practice his precepts, because my confcience tells me that they are reasonable, natural, and productive of human felicity; and for this reafon I denominate myself a Rational Chriftian.'

In the appendix to this work, the Author endeavours to prove. that the doctrine of a future ftate of retribution is taught in the religion of nature; he likewife makes a few remarks on what Dr. Leland has lately publifhed concerning the advantages and neceffity of the Chriftian revelation; telling us, that he is proud of being engaged in the fame caufe with the Doctor, (who, we imagine, will not think himself highly obliged to him for the compliment) namely, that of vindicating rational Chriflianity, and ftill more fo to find that, in general, he agrees with him.

In the two laft pages of his appendix he produces fome paffages from the Doctor's book, wherein he fays-that a divine revela-tion was highly expedient, if not abfolutely neceflary at the advent of Chrift-that mere human wisdom and philofophy were

The Author fhould have faid, second best; fince, according to his own argument, the religion of Nature is THE BEST. N 4

certly

certainly infufficient to cure the moral diforders of the world, and that a revelation from God was the only effectual remedy ;that the Chriftian revelation is suited to the neceffities of mankind; that it was published in the fitteft feason, and was attended with the most convincing evidence of a divine original.

In all this (fays our Author) I moft cordially agree with this judicious divine: and whoever reads the foregoing work, will perceive that I have all along spoken to the fame purpose; though I am confcious of having done it with much less learning, accuracy, and elegance.'

How to reconcile this declaration with what our Author has more than once declared, in the courfe of his work, we really know not; but inconfiftencies are no uncommon things with writers, on every subject.

We might have fwelled this article with obfervations on the performance before us, but the proper remarks to be made upon it muft occur to every judicious Reader; we shall therefore conclude with this fhort reflection, that if fuch a view as is here given of the religion of Chrift fhould make any profelytes to our Author's fcheme, it must certainly be among fuch as are but fuperficially acquainted with the facred writings-with the weight of thofe evidences fo well establish'd in fupport of the leading articles of the Chriftian Faith, which this Writer hath totally rejected as inadmiffible, because mysterious.

Having now difmiffed this RATIONAL CHRISTIAN, we shall conclude the article with the following remark of a learned writer, who has very recently distinguifhed himfelf in the controverly concerning an intermediate ftate; and which highly merits the attention of thofe REAL CHRISTIANS, who maintain, that Chriftianity is only a republication of the Religion of Nature.To what Purpose (fays he) such a profufion of miracles, so eminently powerful a minifter, fo tranfcendent a character as JESUS at the head of this difpenfation, if his errand was no more than to give an additional teftimony to the fuppofed difcoveries of natural religion? which, confidering the univerfal confent of wife men in all ages, fo much boafted of on all fides, and by both parties, feems to be an end much below the neceffity for the interpofition of the Son of GOD, as it might have been accomplished by the miniftry of any one of those inferior prophets of the Old Teftament, who furely were fufficiently gifted and inftructed to authenticate doctrines and precepts which were already to be found in the works of fo many poets and philofophers, in every body's hands?' See An Hiftorical View of the Gontroverfy, &c. juft publifhed; of which an account will be given in a fubfequent Review,

Fortunea

Fortune, an Apologue. By J. Cunningham, Comedian. 4to, 6d. Dodfley.

F Mr. Cunningham is not a first-rate poet, he is ftill a more indifferent philofopher: for the moral he deduces from his Apologue, that

Wifdom's of happiness the certain fource,

And folly the original of ill

does not even appear to be generally true. With regard to moral evil, indeed, the different agency of wisdom and folly may have confiderable influence; but natural and accidental evils, which we undergo independently of our own powers, are, perhaps, the heaviest objects of complaint. Were thefe altogether out of the world, wildom might, with greater truth, be deemed the fource of happiness, but not, even then, the certain fource. That enlargement of the intellectual faculties, which is always con→ nected with the idea of wisdom, lays open many avenues to mortification, difguft, and discontent; and the more clearly we behold the imbecillity of our nature, the more painfully we feel its effects. The conduct of the fable is not lefs exceptionable than the conclufion. An Afs complains to Jupiter of the comparative hardships of his condition;

I am an Afs, of innocence allow'd

The type, yet Fortune perfecutes me ftill;

Whilft foxes, wolves, and all the murdering crowd,
Beneath her patronage can rob and kill.

The pamper'd horfe (he never toil'd fo hard)
Favour and friendship from his owner finds;
For endless diligence, a rough reward!
I'm cudgell'd by a race of paultry hinds.
On wretched provender compell'd to feed!
The rugged pavement's every night my bed?
For me, dame Fortune never yet decreed

The gracious comforts of a well-thatch'd shed.
Rough, and unfeemly my irreverent hide!

Where can I vifit, thus uncouthly dreft?
That outfide elegance the dame deny'd,
For which her fav'rites are too oft carefs'd.

To fuffering virtue, facred Jove, be kind!
From Fortune's tyranny, pronounce me free;
She's a deceiver, if the fays fhe's blind,

She fees, propitioufly sees all but me.

Moved by this pathetic complaint, Jupiter fummons Fortune to answer the charge brought against her. After a long fearch the is found, and urges, in her defence, that the plaintiff's hard

fhips were no greater than, for his ftupidity, he deferved, and that he had no merit to entitle him to. a better fate. This reply of Fortune is pronounced to be fage, and upon this the doctrine of the fable is founded.-But with the good leave of Jupiter, Fame, Fortune, and the Author of this Poem, we must take the liberty to observe, that it was very unjuft, in the first place, to brand a creature with the ftigma of folly, which acted agree-. ably to the powers of its nature, and exerted them as far as they would go. It is true, indeed, that an afs and a fool are fynonymous terms with us, though, with the fame propriety, might beings proportionably fuperior in capacity to ourselves, make us the objects of ridicule, and, when they would reproach a fellow creature with folly, call him a Man. The fupreme court of judicature which the Poet has convened on this occafion, ought, certainly, to have been better informed. But, in the next place, their fentence was equally cruel and unjuft; for it was determined that the fufferings of the plaintiff Afs were the reasonable confequence of his defects, though thofe defects were involuntary and unfurmountable. What Jupiter adds, by way of exhortation after the sentence, is infinitely abfurd:

Go (to the Plaintiff, faid the Sire) and try
By merit to furmount your low-born race.
Learn from the lion to be just and brave,
Take from the elephant inftruction wife,
With gracious breeding, like the horse behave,
Nor the fagacity of hounds defpife.

Thefe ufeful qualities with care imbibe,

For which fome quadrupeds are justly priz'd;
Attain thofe talents that adorn each tribe,

And you'll no longer be a wretch defpis'd.

What a leffon from the father of the gods! to exhort a creature to those attainments for which he had given it no adequate faculties! Might not the Afs have replied with the greatest jultice Cruel and abfurd Jupiter! injuriously to fport with the weakness of the creatures thou haft made, and command them to afpire at thofe degrees of excellence thou haft placed beyond their reach!-To enjoin an impoffible tafk, and to reproach for non-performance-cruel and abfurd! Thou commandeft me to be brave as the lion, wife as the elephant, graceful as the horse, and fagacious as the hound-give me then the lion's paw, the elephant's head, the horfe's neck, and the noftrils of the hound; yet fhouldst thou give me them, what an animal wouldft thou make me! O mighty Jupiter, retract what thou haft uttered, and learn from an Afs to be wife and juft!' Had the god been thus addreffed, he might have found it difficult to have made any fignificant reply.