Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

One great incitement to the pious Alexander in his warlike expeditions was his rivalfhip of Hercules and Bacchus, whom he justly pretended to have excelled *. Brafidas, that generous and noble Spartan, after falling in battle, had heroic honour paid him by the inhabitants of Amphipolis, whofe defence he had embraced t. And in general, all founders of states and colonies among the Greeks were raised to this inferior rank of divinity, by those who reaped the benefit of their labours.

This gave rife to the obfervation of Machiavel, that the doctrines of the Chriftian religion (meaning the catholic; for he knew no other) which recommend only paffive courage and fuffering, had fubdued the spirit of mankind, and had fitted them for flavery and subjection. An obfervation, which would certainly be just, were there not many other circumftances in human fociety which controul the genuis and character of a religion.

[ocr errors]

Brafidas feized a moufe, and being bit by it, let it go. There is nothing fo contemptible, faid he, but what may be fafe, if it has but courage to defend itfelf. Bellarmine patiently and humbly allowed the fleas and other odious vermin to prey upon him. We shall have heaven, faid he, to reward us for our fufferings: But thefe poor creatures have nothing but the enjoyment of the prefent life §. Such difference is there between the maxims of a Greek hero and a Catholic faint.

[ocr errors]

SECT. XI. With regard to reafon or abfurdity.

Here is another obfervation to the fame purpose, and a new proof that the corruption of the best things

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

things begets the worst. If we examine, without prejudice, the ancient heathen mythology, as contained in the poets, we shall not discover in it any fuch monstrous abfurdity, as we may at first be apt to apprehend. Where is the difficulty in conceiving, that the fame powers or principles, whatever they were, which formed this visible world, men and animals, produced also a species of intelligent creatures, of more refined fubftance and greater authority than the reft? That these creatures may be capricious, revengeful, paffionate, voluptuous, is easily conceived; nor is any circumstance more apt, among ourselves, to engender fuch vices, than the licence of abfolute authority. And in fhort, the whole mythological fyftem is fo natural, that, in the variety of planets and worlds, contained in this universe, it feems more than probable, that, fomewhere or other, it is really carried into execution.

The chief objection to it with regard to this planet, is, that it is not ascertained by any juft reafon or authority. The ancient tradition, infifted on by heathen priests and theologers, is but a weak foundation; and tranfmitted alfo fuch a number of contradictory reports, supported, all of them, by equal authority, that it became abfolutely impoffible to fix a preference amongst them, A few volumes, therefore, must contain all the polemical writings of pagan priests: And their whole theology must confift more of traditional stories and fuperftitious practices than of philofophical argument and controversy.

But where theifm forms the fundamental principle of any popular religion, that tenet is fo conformable to found reafon, that philofophy is apt to incorporate itself with fuch a fyftem of theology. And if the other dogmas of that fyftem be, contained in a facred book, fuch as the Alcoran, or

be

be determined by any vifible authority, like that of the Roman pontiff, fpeculative reasoners naturally carry on their affent, and embrace a theory, which has been inftilled into them by their earliest education, and which alfo poffeffes fome degree of confiftence and uniformity. But as these appearances are fure, all of them, to prove deceitful, philofophy will foon find herfelf very unequally yoked with her new affociate; and instead of regulating each principle, as they advance together, fhe is at every turn perverted to ferve the purposes of fuperftition. For befides the unavoidable incoherences, which must be reconciled and adjusted; one may fafely affirm, that all popular theology, efpecially the fcholaftic, has a kind of appetite for abfurdity and contradiction. If that theology went not beyond reason and common sense, her doctrines would appear too eafy and familiar. Amazement muft of neceffity be raised: Mystery affected: Darkness and obfcurity fought after And a foundation of merit afforded to the devout votaries, who defire an opportunity of fubduing their rebellious reason, by the belief of the most unintelligible fophifms.

Ecclefiaftical hiftory fufficiently confirms thefe reflections. When a controverfy is started, fome people always pretend with certainty to foretell the iffue. Whichever opinion, say they, is most contrary to plain fenfe is fure to prevail; even where the general intereft of the fyftem requires not that decifion. Though the reproach of herefy may, for fome time, be bandied about among the difputants, it always refts at last on the fide of reafon. Any one, it is pretended, that has but learning enough of this kind to know the definition of Arian, Pelagian, Eraftian, Socinian, Sabellian, Eutychian, Neftorian, Monothelite, &c. not to mention Proteftant, whofe fate is yet un

certain,

certain, will be convinced of this obfervation. It is thus a fyftem becomes more abfurd in the end, merely from its being reasonable and philofophical in the beginning.

To oppofe the torrent of fcholaftic religion by fuch feeble maxims as thefe, that it is impoffible for the fame thing, to be and not to be, that the whole is greater than a part, that two and three make five; is pretending to ftop the ocean with a bull-rush. Will you fet up profane reafon against sacred myftery? No punishment is great enough for your impiety. And the fame fires, which were kindled for heretics, will ferve alfo for the deftruction of philofophers.

SECT. XII. With regard to Doubt or Conviction.

We meet every day with people fo fceptical with regard to hiftory, that they affert it impoffible for any nation ever to believe fuch abfurd principles as thofe of Greek and Egyptian paganifm; and at the fame time fo dogmatical with regard to religion, that they think the fame abfurdities are to be found in no other communion. Cambyfes entertained like prejudices; and very impiously ridiculed, and even wounded, Apis, the great god of the Egyptians, who appeared to his profane fenfes nothing but a large fpotted bull. But Herodotus judiciously afcribes this fally of paffion to a real madnefs or diforder of the brain: Otherwife, fays the hiftorian, he never would have openly affronted any established worship. For on that head, continues he, every nation are beft satisfied with their own, and think they have the advantage over every other nation.

It must be allowed, that the Roman Catholics are a very learned fect; and that no one munion, but that of the church of England, can difpute

difpute their being the most learned of all the Christian churches: Yet Averroes, the famous Arabian, who, no doubt, had heard of the Egyptian fuperftition, declares, that, of all religions, the most abfurd and nonfenfical is that, whofe votaries eat, after having created, their deity.

[ocr errors]

I believe, indeed, that there is no tenet in, all paganism, which would give fo fair a scope to ridicule as this of the real prefence: For it is fo abfurd, that it eludes the force of all argument. There are even fome pleasant stories of that kind, which, though fomewhat profane, are commonly told by the Catholics themselves. One day, a prieft, it is faid, gave inadvertently, instead of the facrament, a counter, which had by accident fallen among the holy wafers. The communicant waited patiently for fome time, expecting it would diffolve on his tongue: But finding that it ftill remained entire, he took it off. I wish, cried he to the priest, you have not committed fome miftake: I wish you have not given me God the Father: He is fo hard and tough there is no fwallowing bim.

A famous general, at that time in the Mufcovite fervice, having come to Paris for the recovery of his wound, brought along with him a young Turk, whom he had taken prifoner. Some of the doctors of the Sorbonne (who are altogether as positive as the dervises of Conftantinople) thinking it a pity, that the poor Turk fhould be damned for want of inftruction, folicited Mustapha very hard to turn Chriftian, and promifed him, for his encouragement, plenty of good wine in this world; and paradife in the next.. Thefe allurements were too powerful to be refifted; and therefore, having been well inftructed and catechized, he at laft agreed to receive the facraments of baptifm and the Lord's fupper. The

prieft,

« ZurückWeiter »