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can indulge princes in a fyftem of ethics, fomewhat different from that which should regulate private perfons; how much more thofe fuperior beings, whofe attributes, views, and nature are fo totally unknown to us? Sunt fuperis fua jura*. The gods have maxims of juftice peculiar to themfelves.

SECT. XIV. Bad influence of popular religions on morality.

Here I cannot forbear obferving a fact, which may be worth the attention of fuch as make human nature the object of their enquiry. It is certain, that, in every religion, however fublime the verbal definition which it gives of its divinity, many of the votaries, perhaps the greatest number, will ftill feek the divine' favour, not by virtue and good: morals, which alone can be acceptable to a perfect. being, but either by frivolous obfervances, by intemperate zeal, by rapturous extafies, or by the belief of mysterious and abfurd opinions. The least part of the Sadder, as well as of the Pentateuch, confifts in precepts of morality; and we may also be affured, that that part was always the leaft obferved and regarded. When the old Romans were attacked with a peftilence, they never afcribed their fufferings to their vices, or dreamed of repentance and amendment. They never thought, that they were the general robbers of the world, whofe ambition and avarice, made defolate the earth, and reduced opulent nations to want and beggary. They only created a dictator ‡, in order to drive. a nail into a door; and by that means, they thought that they had fufficiently appeafed their incenfed deity.

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* Ovid. Metam. lib. ix. 501.

In

Called Dictator calvis figendæ caufa. T. Livii, 1. vii. c. 3.

In Ægina, one faction forming a confpiracy, barbarously and treacheroufly affaffinated feven hundred of their fellow-citizens; and carried their fury fo far, that, one miferable fugitive having fled to the temple, they cut off his hands, by which he clung to the gates, and carrying him out of holy ground, immediately murdered him. By this impiety, fays Herodotus*, (not by the other many cruel affaffinations) they offended the gods, and contracted an inexpiable guilt.

Nay, if we should fuppofe, what never happens, that a popular religion were found, in which it was exprefsly declared, that nothing but morality could gain the divine favour; if an order of priests were inftituted to inculcate this opinion, in daily fermons, and with all the arts of perfuafion; yet fo inveterate are the people's prejudices, that, for want of fome other fuperftition, they would make the very attendance on thefe fermons the effentials of religion, rather than place them in virtue and good morals. The fublime prologue of Zaleucus's laws infpired not the Locrians, fo far as we can learn, with any founder notions of the measures of acceptance with the deity, than were familiar to the other Greeks.

This obfervation, then, holds univerfally: But ftill one may be at fome lofs to account for it. It is not fufficient to obferve, that the people, every where, degrade their deities into a fimilitude with themselves, and confider them merely as a fpecies of human creatures, fomewhat more potent and intelligent. This will not remove the difficulty. For there is no man fo ftupid, as that, judging by his natural reafon, he would not efteem virtue and honefty the most valuable qualities, which any perfon could poffefs. Why not afçribe the fame fentiment to his deity? Why not make

* Lib. vi.

To be found in Diod. Sic. lib. xii.

make all religion, or the chief part of it, to confift in these attainments?

Nor is it fatisfactory to fay, that the practice of morality is more difficult than that of fuperstition; and is therefore rejected. For, not to mention the exceffive penances of the Brachmans and Talapoins; it is certain, that the Rhamadan of the Turks, during which the poor wretches, for many days, often in the hottest months of the year, and in fome of the hottest climates of world, remain without eating or drinking from the rifing to the fetting fun; this Rhamadan, I fay, must be more fevere than the practice of any moral duty, even to the moft vicious and depraved of mankind. The four lents of the Mufcovites, and the aufterities of fome Roman Catholics, appear more disagreeable than meeknefs and benevolence. In fhort, all virtue, when men are reconciled to it by ever fo little practice, is agreeable: All fuperftition is for ever odious and burthenfome...

Perhaps, the following account may be received as a true folution of the difficulty. The duties, which a man performs as a friend or parent, feem merely owing to his benefactor or children; nor can he be wanting to these duties, without breaking through all the ties of nature and morality. A ftrong inclination may prompt him to the performance: A fentiment of order and moral obligation joins its force to thefe natural ties: And the whole man, if truly virtuous, is drawn to his duty, without any effort or endeavour. Even with regard to the virtues, which are more auftere, and more founded on reflection, fuch as public fpirit, filial duty, temperance, or integrity; the moral obligation, in our apprehenfion, removes all pretenfion to religious merit; and the virtuous conduct is deemed no more than what we owe to fociety and to ourfelves. In all this, a fuperftitious man finds nothing, which

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he

he has properly performed for the fake of his deity, or which can peculiarly recommend him to the divine favour and protection. He confiders not, that the most genuine method of ferving the divinity is by promoting the happiness of his creatures. He ftill looks out for fome more immediate fervice of the fupreme Being, in order to allay those terrors, with which he is haunted. And any practice, recommended to him, which either ferves to no purpose in life, or offers the strongest violence to his natural inclinations; that practice he will the more readily embrace, on account of those very circumstances, which fhould make him abfolutely reject it. It feems the more purely religious, because it proceeds from no mixture of any other motive or confideration. And if, for its fake, he facrifices much of his eafe and quiet, his claim of merit appears ftill to rife upon him, in proportion to the zeal and devotion which he difcovers. In restoring a loan, or paying a debt, his divinity is nowife beholden to him; because these acts of justice are what he was bound to perform, and what many would have performed, were there no god in the univerfe. But if he fast a day, or give himself a found whipping; this has a direct reference, in his opinion, to the fervice of God. No other motive could engage him to fuch aufterities. By thefe diftinguished marks of devotion, he has now acquired the divine favour; and may expect, in recompence, protection and fafety in this world, and eternal happiness in the

next.

Hence the greatest crimes have been found, in many inftances, compatible with a fuperstitious piety and devotion; Hence, it is juftly regarded as unfafe to draw any certain inference in favour of a man's morals from the fervour or ftrictness of his religious exercifes, even though he himself believe them fincere. Nay, it has

been

been obferved, that enormities of the blackest dey have been rather apt to produce fuperftitious terrors, and encrease the religious paffion. Bomilcar,

having formed a confpiracy for affaffinating at once the whole fenate of Carthage, and invading the liberties of his country, loft the opportunity, from a continual regard to omens and prophecies. Those who undertake the most criminal and most dangerous enterprizes are commonly the most fuperftitious; as an ancient hiftorian * remarks on this occafion. Their devotion and fpiritual faith rife with their fears. Catiline was not contented with the established deities, and received rites of the national religion: His anxious terrors made him feek new inventions of this kind t; which he never probably had dreamed of, had he remained a good citizen, and obedient to the laws of his country.

To which we may add, that, after the commiffion of crimes, there arife remorfes and fecret horrors, which give no reft to the mind, but make it have recourse to religious rites and ceremonies, as expiations of its offences. Whatever weakens or diforders the internal frame promotes the interefts of fuperftition : And nothing is more destructive to them than a manly, fteady virtue, which either preserves us from difaftrous, melancholy accidents, or teaches us to bear them. During fuch calm funshine of the mind, these spectres of falfe divinity never make their appearance. On the other hand, while we abandon ourselves to the natural undifciplined fuggeftions of our timid and anxious hearts, every kind of barbarity is afcribed to the fupreme Being, from the terrors with which we are agitated; and every kind. of caprice, from the methods which we embrace in order to appeafe him. Barbarity, caprice; these qualities,

VOL. II.

* Diod. Sic. lib. xv.

Hh

+ Cic. Catil. i. Salluft. de bello Catil.

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