fore a great Eafe to a malicious Man, by making him believe he does God Service, whilst he is gratifying the Bent of a perverfe revengeful Temper. For this Reafon we find, that most of the Maffacres and Devaftations, which have been in the World, have taken their Rife from a furious pretended Zeal.

I love to fee a Man zealous in a good Matter, and efpecially when his Zeal fhews it felf for advancing Morality, and promoting the Happiness of Mankind: But when I find the Inftruments he works with are Racks and Gibbets, Gallies, and Dungeons; when he imprisons Mens Perfons, confifcates their Eftates, ruins their Families, and burns the Body to fave the Soul, I cannot ftick to may think pronounce of fuch a one, that (whatever he of his Faith and Religion) his Faith is vain, and his Religion unprofitable.

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AFTER having treated of these falfe Zealots in Religion, I cannot forbear mentioning a monstrous Species of Men, who one would not think had Exiftence in Nature, were they not to be met with in ordinary Converfation, I mean the Zealots in Atheism. One would fanfy that thefe Men, tho' they fall fhort, every other refpect, of those who make a Profeffion of Religion, would at least out-fhine them in this Particular, and be exempt from that fingle Fault which feems to grow out of the imprudent Fervours of Religion: But fo it is, that Infidelity is propagated with as much Fierceness and Contention, Wrath and Indignation, as if the Safety of Mankind depended upon it. There is fomething fo ridiculous and perverse in this kind of Zealots, that one does not know how to fet them out in their proper Colours. They are a Sort of Gamesters 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 Atheists and Infidels, I must farther obferve that they are likewife in a most particular manner poffeffed with the Spirit of Bigotry. They are wedded

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No 186. to Opinions full of Contradiction and Impoffibility, and at the fame time look upon the smallest Difficulty in an Article of Faith as a fufficient Reafon 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 Happinefs of Societies, or of particular Perfons, are exploded as Errors and Prejudices; and Schemes erected in their ftead that are altogether monftrous and irrational, and require the most extravagant Credulity to embrace them. I would fain ask one of these 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 Atheists; 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 advise this Generation of Wranglers, for their own and for the publick Good, to act at least fo confiftently with themselves, as not to burn with Zeal for Irreligion, and with Bigotry for Nonsense,

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No 186. Wednesday, October 3.

Calum ipfum petimus ftultitia.

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Hor.

PON my Return to my Lodgings laft Night I found a Letter from my worthy Friend the Clergyman, whom I have given fome Account of in my former Papers. He tells me in it that he was particularly pleased with the latter Part of my Yesterday's Speculation; and at the fame time inclofed the following Effay, which he defires me to publish as the Sequel of that

Difcourfe.

Difcourfe. It confifts partly of uncommon Reflexions, and partly of fuch as have been already used, but now fet in a ftronger Light.

A Believer may be excufed by the most hardened A"theift 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 propose the doing himself or Believer any Good by fuch a Converfion.

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THE Profpect of a future State is the fecret Com'fort and Refreshment of my Soul, it is that which 'makes Nature look gay about me; it doubles all my, Pleafures, and fupports me under all my Afflictions. I can look at Difappointments and Misfortunes, Pain ' and Sickness, Death it felf, and what is worfe 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 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 Balance 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 reftrain him from doing any Injury. An Unbeliever does not act like a rea fonable Creature, if he favours me contrary to his prefent Intereft, or does not distress me when it turns. to his prefent Advantage. Honour and Good-nature. may indeed tie up his Hands but as these would be

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very much ftrengthened by Reafon and Principle, fo without them they are only Inftincts, or wavering unfettled Notions, which reft on no Foundation.

INFIDELITY has been attack'd with fo good Suc• cefs of late Years, that it is driven out of all its Out' works. 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 6 greatest Number of this Set of Men, are those who, for want of a virtuous Education, or examining the Grounds of Religion, know fo very little of the Matter in Queftion, that their Infidelity is but another Term for their Ignorance.

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AS Folly and Inconfideratenefs are the Foundations ⚫ 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 themfelves, and fill ⚫ them with Remorfe for many of those they have already tafted.

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THE great received Articles of the Chriftian Religion 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 Chriftian Faith to ⚫ be erroneous, I can find no ill Confequences in adher⚫ing 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 muft at leaft 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 human Nature, and of the Love which "the fupreme Being bears to his Creatures, and confequently engage us in the highest Acts of Duty towards our Creator, our Neighbour and our felves. How mą

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ny noble Arguments has Saint Paul raised 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 inconfiderable of Mankind, more than the Thought that 'Chrift died for him? Or what difpofe us to fet a stricter " Guard upon the Purity of our own Hearts, than our being Members of Chrift, and a Part of the Society of 6 which that immaculate Perfon is the Head? But these are only a Specimen of those admirable Enforcements of Morality, which the Apostle has drawn from the Hiftory of our bleffed Saviour.

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IF our modern Infidels confidered thefe Matters ' with that Candour and Serioufnefs which they deserve, we fhould not fee them act with such 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'ble of mathematical Demonftration; in order to un'fettle the Minds of the Ignorant, disturb the publick Peace, fubvert Morality, and throw all things into 'Confufion and Disorder. If none of these Reflexions 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 Reafon. I would therefore have them confider, that 'the wifeft and beft of Men in all Ages of the World, have been thofe who lived up to the Religion of their Country, when they faw nothing in it oppofite to Morality, 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 most '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 Æfculapius; doubtless out ' of a fubmiffive Deference to the established Worship of his Country. Xenophon tells us, that his Prince (whom 'he fets forth as a Pattern of Perfection) when he found VOL. III. Ꭰ

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