AS every inquiry, which regards religion, is of the

utmost importance, there are two questions in particular, which challenge our attention, to wit, that concerning its foundation in reason, and that concerning its origin in human nature. Happily, the first question, which is the most important, admits of the most obvious, at least, the clearest solution. The whole frame of nature bespeaks an Intelligent Author; and no rational inquirer can, after serious reflection, suspend his belief a moment with regard to the primary principles of genuine Theism and Religion. But the other queftion, concerning the origin of religion in human nature, is exposed to some more difficulty. The belief of invifible, intelligent power has been very generally diffufed over the human race, in all places and in all ages; but it has neither perhaps been so univerfal as to admit of no exception, VOL. II. Dd

nor

nor has it been, in any degree, uniform in the ideas, which it has fuggefted. Some nations have been difcovered, who entertained no fentiments of Religion, if travellers and hiftorians may be credited; and no two nations, and scarce any two men, have ever agreed precifely in the fame fentiments. It would appear, therefore, that this preconception springs not from an original instinct or primary impreffion of nature, fuch as gives rise to felf-love, affection between the fexes, love of progeny, gratitude, refentment; fince every inftin&t of this kind has been found abfolutely univerfal in all nations and ages, and has always a precise determinate object, which it inflexibly pursues. The first religious principles must be secondary; such as may easily be perverted by various accidents and caufes, and whofe operation too, in fome cafes, may, by an extraordinary concurrence of circumstances, be altogether prevented. What those principles are, which give rise to the original belief, and what those accidents and caufes are, which direct its opération, is the fubject of our prefent inquiry.

SECT. I. That Polytheism was the primary Religion

'of Men.

It appears to me, that, if we confider the improvement of human fociety, from rude beginnings to a state of greater perfection, polytheifm or idolatry was, and neceffarily must have been, the first and most ancient religion of mankind. This opinion I shall endeavour to confirm by the following arguments.

It is a matter of fact inconteftible, that about 1700 years ago all mankind were polytheifts. The doubtful and sceptical principles of a few philofophers, or the theism, and that too not entirely pure, of one or two nations, form no objection worth regarding. Behold

then

then the clear teftimony of history. The farther we mount up into antiquity, the more do we find mankind plunged into polytheifm. No marks, no fymptoms of any more perfect religion. The most ancient records of human race ftill prefent us with that fyftem as the popular and established creed. The north, the south, the east, the west, give their unanimous teftimony to the fame fact. What can be opposed to so full an evidence?

As far as writing, or history reaches, mankind, in ancient times, appear universally to have been polytheists. Shall we affert, that, in more ancient times, before the knowledge of letters, or the difcovery of any art or fcience, men entertained the principles of pure theism? That is, while they were ignorant and barbarous, they difcovered truth: But fell into error, as foon as they acquired learning and politeness.

But in this affertion you not only contradict all appearance of probability, but also our prefent experience concerning the principles and opinions of barbarous nations. The favage tribes of AMERICA, AFRICA, and ASIA are all idolaters. Not a fingle exception to this rule. Infomuch, that, were a traveller to transport himself into any unknown region; if he found inhabitants cultivated with arts and fcience, though even upon that fuppofition there are odds against their being theifts, yet could he not fafely, till farther inquiry, pronounce any thing on that head: But if he found them ignorant and barbarous, he might beforehand declare them idolaters; and there scarcely is a poffibility of his being mistaken.

It seems certain, that, according to the natural progrefs of human thought, the ignorant multitude muft first entertain some groveling and familiar notion of superior powers, before they stretch their conception to that perfect Being, who bestowed order on the whole Dd 2 frame

frame of nature.

We may as reafonably imagine, that men inhabited palaces before huts and cottages, or studied geometry before agriculture; as affert that the Deity appeared to them a pure fpirit, omnifcient, omnipotent, and omniprefent, before he was apprehended to be a powerful, though limited being, with human paffions and appetites, limbs and organs. The mind rifes gradually, from inferior to fuperior: By abftracting from what is imperfect, it forms an idea of perfection: And flowly diftinguishing the nobler parts of its own frame from the groffer, it learns to transfer only the former, much elevated and refined, to its divinity. Nothing could disturb this natural progress of thought, but some obvious and invincible argument, which might immediately lead the mind into the pure principles of theifm, and make it overleap, at one bound, the vast interval which is interpofed between the human and the divine naBut though I allow, that the order and frame of the univerfe, when accurately examined, affords fuch an argument; yet I can never think, that this confideration could have an influence on mankind, when they formed their first rude notions of religion.

ture.

The causes of fuch objects, as are quite familiar to us, never strike our attention or curiofity; and however extraordinary or furprifing thefe objects in themfelves, they are paffed over, by the raw and ignorant multitude, without much examination or inquiry. ADAM, rifing at once, in paradife, and in the full perfection of his faculties, would naturally, as represented by MILTON, be aftonished at the glorious appearances of nature, the heavens, the air, the earth, his own organs and members; and would be led to afk, whence this wonderful scene arofe? But a barbarous, neceffitous animal (fuch as a man is on the firft origin of fociety), preffed by fuch

numerous

humerous wants and paffions, has no leisure to admire the regular face of nature, or make inquiries concerning the cause of thofe objects, to which from his infancy he has been gradually accustomed. On the contrary, the more regular and uniform, that is, the more perfect nature appears, the more is he familiarized to it, and the lefs inclined to fcrutinize and examine it. A monftrous birth excites his curiofity, and is deemed a prodigy. It alarms him from its novelty; and immediately fets him a trembling, and facrificing, and praying. But an animal, compleat in all its limbs and organs, is to him an ordinary spectacle, and produces no religious opinion or affection. Afk him, whence that animal arofe? he will tell you, from the copulation of its parents. And these, whence? From the copulation of theirs. A few removes fatisfy his curiofity, and set the objects at such a distance, that he entirely lofes fight of them. Imagine not, that he will fo much as start the question, whence the first animal; much lefs, whence the whole system or united fabric of the univerfe arofe. Or, if you start fuch a question to him, expect not, that he will employ his mind with any anxiety about a subject, so remote, so uninteresting, and which fo much exceeds the bounds of his capacity.

But farther, if men were at first led into the belief of one Supreme Being, by reasoning from the frame of nature, they could never poffibly leave that belief, in order to embrace polytheism; but the fame principles of reafon, which at first produced and diffused over mankind, fo magnificent an opinion, must be able, with greater facility, to preserve it. The first invention and proof of any doctrine is much more difficult than the fupporting and retaining of it.