happiness of the animal creation, 43; objections from

the nature of ravenous beafts obviated, 46; goodness

towards man as an animal, notwithstanding diseases and

death, 48-50; as a reasonable being, 52; all nature

properly invoked by the hebrew poets to celebrate the

praise of the creator, 58; difficulties from the con-

fideration of the real state of mankind, in a moral point

of view, 60.

CONVERSATION THE THIRD

$61

Temptation of

Hiftory of the origin of mankind, 61, 62. Man not left

to himself from the beginning, 63.

Eve, 63; confequences of it, 65, 66. Influence of

Enoch, 67. State of the antediluvians, 68; effect of

it on Noah, 69. Call of Abraham, 71; greatness of

his character, 72; difinterestednefs, 73. Deftruction

of Sodom and Gomorrha, 74. Blemishes in the cha-

racter of facred perfons, 75. Character of Moses, 76;

credibility of his history, 78, 79; the rejectors of it

objects of pity, 80. Extermination of the Canaanites,

and reason for it, 81-85. Great characters among

the heathen nations, 86. Socrates, 87-89; guilty of

attacking the popular belief, 89; and of prevarication,

91; vindication of him, 92; Cicero, 93. New æra

announced by Paul at Athens, 95; character of this

new æra, 96, 97; departure from it by the great body

of Chriftians, 98, 99; refemblance between them and

Mohammed, 100---102; effect of their mutual principles,

103, 104; proteftants guilty of the fame crimes, 104,

105; arifing from pride, 106. Real privileges of the

gospel, 107. Combination of civil and ecclefiaftical

powers against religion, 109; attempt made to destroy

it, 109, 110, 111; knowledge and virtue progressive,

112. Methods adapted by God the beft, 113; prac-

tice of mankind no objection to them, 116; teftimony

of archbishop King, 117; conclufion in favour of the

wisdom and goodness of God, 121.

CONVERSATION IV.

122

Is fin the appointment of God, 123, 124. God's general

goodness, 126; a proof that evil is not permitted on

its own account, 128; the fame inferred from the ex

perience of mankind, 128; the whole originates in

goodness, 132; errour of the king of Pruffia on this

fubject, 134; and of d'Alembert, 139; better condu&

of Turgot, 140. Men are not justified in doing evil,

143. God not the immediate author of fin, 144.

Scriptural expreffion confidered, 145. Men refpon-

fible for their actions, 148.

CONVERSATION V.

151

Confeffion of Synefius, 151. We are not the work of

an envious being, 153. The history given in the bible

written in the beft manner, 154. God's plan towards

his creatures the beft, 155. The command to destroy

the Canaanitish nations divine, 156. Only one perfon

is God, 157. Error of Mr. de Luc, 158. Con-

futed by the prefent Bishop of Lincoln, 158. Far-

ther errors of Mr. de Luc on the word Elohim,

and antiquity of the notion of a trinity, 159, 160.

Plain argument that only one perfon is God, 161.

Jews not to be defpifed, 162. Chriftianity has, from

the vices of its profeffors, not produced the effects for

which it is intended, 162. Advantages derived from

Mr. Hume's objections, 163. Objection stated, 165;

answered, 167-171. Abraham's conduct vindicated,

171. Archbishop Tillotfon's obfervations on the faith

of Abraham, 174-178. Farther reflections on the

fame fubject, 178-180. Eternity of punishment con-

fidered, 180-183. Meaning of words eternal, ever-

lafting, for ever, 184-186. Dr. Hartley's opinion on

this fubject, 187.

CONVERSATION THE LAST

190

Inquiry into the existence and interference of a fuperior

evil being, 191; no fuch being mentioned by Mofes,

192. Devils, terms introduced into our tranflation of

the Pentateuch, without authority, 193, 194; terms,

familiar spirits, equally unjustifiable, 195, 196. Meaning

of the word Satan in several passages of the old tefta-

ment, 196-199; the exiftence of a fuperior evil

being not to be derived from the old teftament, 199;

whence the jews derived their opinion of him, 200, 201;

and how the term Satan came to be used by the evan-

gelifts, 202. Meaning of the term Satan in feveral paf-

fages of the new teftament, 203; our Saviour expreffed

only the popular opinion on this subject, 205; as is

seen by various paffages, 206-211. The apoftles held

not the opinion that there was an evil being, 211-214.

Archbishop Newcome and Mr. Wakefield, 215. What

the devil really is, 216. Important conclufions, 217.

CONVER-

1

CONVERSATIONS

ON THE

DIVINE GOVERNMENT, &c.

I

VICTORIN TO VOLUSIAN.

HAVE a fingular fatisfaction oftentimes in recollecting a converfation which took place fome years fince at fince at ******, the countryfeat of our refpectable friend, in which you bore no inconfiderable part, and in my opinion came off with more honour than those that were crowned in the Olympic games; an honour that, however, not to be attained without much labour and, felf-denial. But you gained a victory over yourself, and many narrow and inveterate religious prejudices which you had the courage to renounce, and notwithstanding obloquy and various worldly difadvantages, have ever fince remained firm in the profeffion and worship of the one true

God and father of the universe, as prescribed and practifed by Jefus Chrift,

In the account of the converfation to which I allude, it is stated, that the way of worship, which you, after much inquiry and deliberation embraced, was that held forth to the english nation and to the church of England in particular, in the

Amendments humbly proposed to the confideration of thofe in authority, of the Book of Common Prayer

according to the ufe of the Church of England. By Samuel Clarke, D. D. Rector of St. James's, Westminster,

Such is the modest style, in which this excellent person speaks of what had been the fruits of many years labour and thought to promote the honour and credit of the established church, and a purer worship of God in it,

What farther information may be defired concerning this valuable manufcript work of Dr. Clarke, which, after his deceafe was prefented by his fon Mr. Clarke to the British Museum,