In Faith and Hope the world will disagree, NOTES. However, not to leave him under the least suspicion in a matter of fo much importance, I fhall juftify the sense here given to this paffage more at large: First, by confidering the words themselves; and then, by comparing this mistaken fense with the context. The poet, we may obferve, is here fpeaking, not of civil Society at large, but of a just legitimate Policy : Th' according mufic of a well-mix'd State. Now mix'd States are of various kinds; in fome of which the Democratic, in others the Ariftocratic, and in others the Monarchic form prevails. Now as each of these mix'd Forms is equally legitimate, as being founded on the principles of natural Liberty, that man is guilty of the highest folly, who chuseth rather to employ himself in a speculative contest for the superior excellence of one of thefe Forms to the reft, than in promoting the good administration of that fettled Form to which he is fubject. And yet all our warm disputes about Government, have been of this kind. Again, if by Forms of Government, muft needs be meant legitimate Government, because that is the fubject under debate; then by Modes of Faith, which is the correfpondent idea, must needs be meant the modes or explanations of the True Faith, because the author is here too on the fubject of true Religion: Relum'd her ancient light, not kindled new. Befides, the very expreffion (than which nothing can be more precife) confineth us to understand, by Modes of Faith, thofe human explanations of Christian Mysteries, in contefting which, Zeal and Ignorance have so perpetually violated Charity. Secondly, If we confider the context; to fuppofe him to mean, that all Forms of Government are indifferent, is making him directly contradict the preceding paragraph; where he extols the Patriot for difcriminating the true from the false modes of Government, He, fays the poet, All must be false that thwart this One great End; And all of God, that blefs Mankind or mend. NOTES. Taught Pow'r's due use to People and to Kings, That touching one muft ftrike the other too; Th' according mufic of a well-mix'd State. 310 Here he recommendeth the true Form of Government, which is the mix'd. In another place he as ftrongly condemneth the falfe, or the abfolute jure divino Form: For Nature knew no right divine in Men. But the Reader will not be difpleafed to fee the Poet's own apology, as I find it written in the year 1740, in his own hand, in the margin of a book, where he found these two celebrated lines misapplied. "The author of thefe lines was far "from meaning that no one form of Government is, in itself, "better than another (as, that mixed or limited Monarchy, “for example, is not preferable to abfolute) but that no form "of Government, however excellent or preferable, in itself, "can be fufficient to make a People happy, unless it be admi“nistered with integrity. On the contrary, the best sort of "Government, when the form of it is preserved, and the administration corrupt, is most dangerous." Again, to fuppofe the Poet to mean, that all Religions are indifferent, is an equally wrong as well as uncharitable fufpicion. Mr. Pope, though his fubject in this Essay on Man confineth him to Natural religion (his purpose being to vindicate God's natural difpenfations to Mankind against the Atheist) yet giveth frequent intimations of a more fublime difpenfation, and even of the neceffity of it; particularly in his fecond epistle (149, &c.] where he confeffeth the weakness and insufficiency of human Reason. And in his fourth epiftle, where, fpeaking of the good Man, the favourite of Heaven, he fayeth, Man, like the gen'rous vine, fupported lives; The strength he gains is from th' embrace he gives. COMMENTARY. VER. 311. Man, like the gen'rous vine, &c.] Having thus largely confidered Man in his focial capacity, the poet, in order to fix a momentous truth in the mind of his reader, concludes the Epiftle in recapitulating the two Principles which concur to the support of this part of his character, namely, Self-love and NOTES. For him alone Hope leads from goal to goal, But Natural Religion never lengthened Hope on to Faith; nor did any Religion, but the Chriftian, ever conceive that Faith could fill the Mind with Happiness. Laftly, In this very epistle, and in this very place, speaking of the great Reftorers of the religion of Nature, he intimates that they could only draw God's fhadow, not his image: Re-lum'd her ancient light, not kindled new, If not God's image, yet his fhadow drew : as reverencing that truth, which telleth us, this discovery was referved for the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Cor. iv. 4. VER. 305. For Modes of Faith let graceless zealots fight;] These latter Ages have seen so many fcandalous contentions for modes of Faith, to the violation of Christian Charity, and dishonour of facred Scripture, that it is not at all strange they should become the object of so benevolent and wife an Author's refentment. But that which he here seemed to have more particularly in his eye was the long and mischievous fquabble between W-d and JACKSON, on a point confeffedly above Reason, and amongst thofe adorable myfteries, which it is the honour of our Religion to find unfathomable. In this, by the weight of answers and replies, redoubled upon one another without On their own Axis as the Planets run, Yet make at once their circle round the Sun; COMMENTAR Y. Social; and fhewing that they are only two different motions of the appetite to Good; by which the Author of Nature hath enabled Man to find his own happiness in the happiness of the Whole. This he illuftrates with a thought as fublime as that general harmony he describes : On their own Axis as the Planets run, Yet make at once their circle round the Sun; So two confiftent motions act the Soul; Thus God and Nature link'd the gen'ral frame, And bade Self-love and Social be the fame. For he hath the art of converting poetical ornament into philofophic reasoning; and of improving a fimile into an analogi'cal argument; of which more in our next. NOTES. mercy, they made fo profound a progrefs that the One proved, nothing hindered, in Nature, but that the Son might have been the Father; and the Other, that nothing hindered, in Grace, but that the Son may be a mere Creature. But if, instead of throwing fo many Greek Fathers at one another's heads, they had but chanced to reflect on the fenfe of one Greek word, AIEIPIA, that it fignifies both INFINITY and IGNORANCE, this fingle equivocation might have faved them ten thousand, which they expended in carrying on the controverfy. However thofe Mifts that magnified the Scene, enlarged the Character of the Combatants and no body expecting common fenfe on a subject where we have no ideas, the defects of dulness disappeared, and its advantages (for, advantages it has) were all provided for. The worft is, fuch kind of Writers feldom know when to have done. For writing themselves up into the fame delusion with their Readers, they are apt to venture out into the more So two confiftent motions act the Soul; And one regards Itfelf, and one the Whole. 315 Thus God and Nature link'd the gen'ral frame, And bade Self-love and Social be the fame. NOTES. open paths of Literature, where their reputation, made out of that stuff, which Lucian calls Exóros ónoxgoos, prefently falls from them, and their nakedness appears. And thus it fared with our two Worthies. The World, which must have always fomething to amuse it, was now in good time grown weary of its play-things, and catched at a new object that promised them more agreeable entertainment. Tindal, a kind of Bastard-Socrates, had brought our speculations from Heaven to Earth: and, under the pretence of advancing the Antiquity of Chriftianity, laboured to undermine its original. This was a controverfy that required another management. Clear fenfe, fevere reafoning, a thorough knowledge of prophane and facred Antiquity, and an intimate acquaintance with human Nature, were the qualities proper for fuch as engaged in this Subject. A very unpromifing adventure for these metaphyfical nurflings, bred up under the fhade of chimeras. Yet they would needs venture out. What they got by it was only to be once well laughed at, and then forgotten. But one odd circumftance deferves to be remembered; tho' they wrote not, we may be fure, in concert, yet each attacked his Adversary at the fame time, faftened upon him in the fame place, and mumbled him with just the fame toothlefs rage. But the ill fuccefs of this efcape foon brought them to themselves. The One made a fruitless effort to revive the old game, in a difcourfe on The importance of the doctrine of the Trinity; and the Other has been ever fince, till very lately, rambling in SPACE. This short history, as infignificant as the subjects of it are, may not be altogether unufeful to pofterity. Divines may learn by these examples to avoid the mischiefs done to Religion and Literature thro' the affectation of being wife above what is written, and knowing beyond what can be understood, |