king, during the time of the maffacre of Paris, when fo many thousand innocent and virtuous persons were inhumanly butchered in cold blood; and was perhaps a witness of the monarch's firing with a carabine, upon the wretched Calvinifts, who fled from their murderers by the windows of the palace. The courtiers, as they came into the royal prefence, vied with each other, in boafting of the barbarities which they had committed; and Charles faid to Parè, whose religious opinions he well knew, "The time is now "come, when I fhall have none but catholics in my "dominions." "Sire," anfwered he, without embarrassment or perturbation, "can you forget

your promise to me, that I fhould never be obliged "to go to mafs!" The duke of Sully feems to be of opinion, that the edict, which Charles iffued the fucceeding day, to prohibit the continuance of the maffacre, was partly owing to the intrepidity and influence of Parè.

The conduct of Parè, faid Philocles, on fo trying an occafion, affords a ftriking proof of firmnefs and fincerity, in the profeffion of religious faith. But examples, of much higher degrees of fimilar fidelity, are to be found in the earlier annals of the Chriftian church. Nor are inftances wanting, even in the heathen world, of a zealous and fearless attachment to those rites, which ignorance deemed facred, and which individuals or bodies of men bound themfelves, by folemn engagements, to perform.

When

When the Gauls were become mafters of Rome, they befieged the capitol, and closely guarded every avenue, to prevent the escape of a fingle Roman citizen. Under thefe circumftances of danger, Caius Fabius Dorfo, a young man of an illuftrious family, defcended from the capitol, bearing certain holy utenfils in his hands; and paffed through the midst of the enemy, regardlefs of their menaces, to offer a facrifice to the gods on the hill Quirinalis. This facrifice, it was the cuftom of his ancestors to perform yearly, on a stated day; and when he had finished the folemnity, the Gauls, though a fierce and barbarous people, fuffered him to return unmo lefted, admiring his piety, and aftonished at his intrepidity. Facts, like thefe, fhould make us blush at indifference, and abhor diffimulation in religion. But whilft we allow fuch impreffions- to produce their full influence on our hearts, let us beware of paffing judgment upon others, with rafhnefs or unchriftian feverity. Intemperate zeal is apt to beget a malignancy of spirit, no lefs incompatible with the love of GOD, than with benevolence to man. The conviction of the mind, in matters of faith, often depends more upon education and authority, than on the exertions of reafon: And if we fee men profeffing to believe, what is unintelligible or abfurd, we fhould be well affured that they have not deceived

*

themselves, before we accuse them of mocking their Creator, and impofing on the world.

We may pity ignorance, and lament credulity; but hypocrify, urged Sophron, merits from us no indulgence: And this fpecies of falfhood is so characteristically marked, that it cannot be mistaken. Who, that obferves a man sanctified in his behaviour, and affiduous in his public devotions, whilst he is at the fame time felfish, malevolent, bigoted, and oppreffive, will hesitate to charge him with the groffeft and moft infamous diffimulation?

If there be fufficient proof, that this is really his temper of mind, I acknowledge, faid Philocles, that you may and ought to brand him with the name of hypocrite. But no man fhould be charged with a crime univerfally odious, on flight or equivocal evidence. There is a fpecies of devotion, which, having its feat chiefly in the imagination and the paffions, bears no exact proportion to the virtue of the character in which it is found: And charity, together with a humble sense of our own infirmities, will always lead us to put the most favourable conftruction on the conduct of our fellow creatures. We should remember also, that enthusiasm and superstition have often appeared, with the external marks of diffimulation. The famous lord Herbert, of Cherbury, had written an elaborate work against Christianity, which he intitled, De Veritate, prout diftinguitur

diftinguitur à Revelatione. But knowing that it would meet with much oppofition, he remained some time in anxious fufpence about the publication of it. Providence, however, as he informs us, kindly interpofed, and determined his wavering refolutions. Hear the marvellous tale, which he relates!

Being thus doubtful in my chamber, one fair "day in the fummer, my cafement being opened "towards the fouth, the fun fhining clear, and no "wind ftirring, I took my book De Veritate in my “hand, and kneeling on my knees, devoutly faid, "O thou eternal God, I am not fatisfied enough, whether “I shall publish this book; if it be for thy glory, I be

feech thee give me fome fign from heaven; if not, I "fhall fupprefs it. I had no fooner spoken these "words, but a loud, though yet gentle noife, came " from the heavens, which did so comfort and chear me, that I took my petition as granted, and that I had the fign I demanded; whereupon also I re"folved to print my book." *

It must appear strange, that a man, who had spent a confiderable part of his life in courts and camps, fhould poffefs fuch a deluded imagination. And this delufion will be still more suspicious, when you are told, that Lord Herbert's chief argument against

* See the Life of Lord Herbert, written by himself,

Christianity is, the improbability that Heaven fhould reveal its laws only to a portion of the earth. For how could he, who doubted of a partial, believe an individual revelation? Or is it poffible, that he could have the vanity to think his book of fuch importance, as to extort a declaration of the Divine will, when the intereft and happiness of a fourth part of mankind, were deemed, by him, objects inadequate to the like difplay of goodness? * Do these arguments convince you of Lord Herbert's hypocrify? Your conclufion is hafty, and unjuft. Read his Life, and you will be fatisfied, that the warmth of his temper might expose him to felf-deception; but that he was incapable of obtruding on the world, what he knew to be a falfhood, †

Sophron

* See Walpole's Cat. of Royal and Noble Authors.

The hiftory of this romantic nobleman, exemplifies the folly and danger of adopting false maxims of morality. From the variety of inftances which offer themselves, I fhall felect one, which might have been introduced, perhaps with more propriety, in a preceding page.

During lord Herbert's abode at the duke of Montmorency's, about twenty-four miles from Paris, it happened, one evening, that a daughter of the dutchefs de Ventadour, of about ten or eleven years of age, went to walk in the meadows with his lordship, and several other gentlemen and ladies. The young lady wore a knot of ribband on her head, which a French chevalier fnatched away, and faftened to his hatband. He was defired to return it, but refused.

The