on to speculate, whether all things did not also begin of themselves without him; and thus fall into the gulph of Atheism, which sees nothing superior to itself in the universe.

To guard against so fatal a delusion, I beg, my friends, you will excuse my urging it upon you, to hold fast the plain old argument for Deity, obvious to every understanding, and equally decisive to the highest as the lowest; viz. that next to the consciousness and conviction which we have of our own existence, there is nothing of which we can be so absolutely certain, or which is so clearly demonstrable to us, as that there is a God, an intelligent first cause, and benevolent author of all things; because, otherwise the world we live in, with all its furniture and inhabitants, constructed with the most consummate art, and abounding, at every view, the more it is sought into, with innumerable marks of wisdom and kind design; connected also and mutually dependent throughout all its parts, as far as we can descry, must have come into being of itself, without any original designing mind: which is a supposition not to be entertained by any one whose intellectual powers are sound and unimpaired.

I remember D'Alembert, who was careful latterly not to concede too much upon this question, in his correspondence with the King of Prussia, is compelled to say, "I think particularly, that with regard to the

* Je pense en particulier, par rapport à l'existence d'une intelligence suprême, que ceux qui la nient avancent bien plus qu'ils

ne

the existence of a supreme intelligence, those who deny it go much farther than they can warrant, and that in all this business there is an unreasonable scepticism. Certainly no one can deny, that there is in the universe, and particularly in the structure of plants and animals, such a combination of parts as manifests intelligence, and proves the existence of this intelligence as a watch proves the existence of a watchmaker. This appears to be undeniable."

The same thought is taken up by Voltaire, p. 4, of his Reply to the System of Nature*. "Your savage, (says he, ch. v. p. 11, p. 159.) who guesses a watch to be the work of a watchmaker, because he has some idea of the effects of the industry of man, is precisely the proof I offer of the existence of God. I am that savage. The watch is the universe. I have some idea of industry in general. I behold the world, in

ne peuvent prouver, et qu'il n'y a dans cette matière que la scepticisme déraisonable. On ne peut nier sans doute, qu'il n'y ax dans l'univers, et en particulier dans la structure des animaux et des plantes, de combinaisons de parties qui semblent déceler une intelligence; elles prouvent l'existence de cette intelligence, comme une montre prouve l'existence d'un. horloger; cela parait incontestable.

* Votre sauvage qui devine qu'une montre est faite par un horloger, parce qu'il a quelque idée de l'industrie.humaine, est précisément la preuve de l'existence de Dieu. Je suis le sauvage: la montre est l'univers : l'horloger est le formateur de l'univers.. J'ai quelque idée de l'industrie en général : je vois le monde, dans lequel une industrie merveilleuse éclate de toutes parts; et j'adore. l'auteur.-REPONSE au Systême de la Nature, p. 12.

which a wonderful industry displays itself on all sides, and I adore the author."

- Mirabaud, or whoever was the author of that work, must have been affected, when, at the close of a similar argument, Voltaire turns to him, "Why, my friend,. why will you not let me adore that great intelligent Being, who has bestowed life and thought upon me? Let me add, Take care of being found ungrateful, you, to whom he has given such talents and powers! It is certain, you have not given them to yourself."

It is not, however, entirely, men's doubts concerning the possibility or reality of miracles, or concerning the truth of the sacred history connected with them; nor any presumed discoveries of the hidden powers and energies of nature, that have put them on rejecting divine revelation, and led not a few of them to deny the being of a God, and take refuge in the gloomy idea of a fatherless world. It is a difficulty of a more serious kind, from which it sometimes originates; the perplexity that worthy thinking persons are often thrown into, how to reconcile appearances in the world of nature, and the imperfect and forlorn state of mankind, with the supposition of la perfectly wise and good moral administration. If, say they, there be a being perfectly wise and good at the head:

Pourquoi ne voulez-vous pas que j'adore ce grand Etre intelligent et puissant, qui m'a donné la vie et la pensée ? Fajouterai, Craignez d'être ingrat, vous à qui il a donné tant d'êsprit; ce n'est pas certainement vous qui vous l'êtes donné.

REPONSE au Systême de la Nature, p. 11.

of

of the universe, why such a iniserable world, so much natural evil, pain and suffering, and so much vice and wretchedness? Why are not all men virtuous and happy and, Why so little apparent amendment for the better among Christians, and so great a majority. of them doomed to endless suffering hereafter, or to annihilation, with so great an expence of miracles and of a divine extraordinary power made to so little purpose?

Could we find a clue to lead us safe out of this labyrinth, and to teach us how to justify the dealings of God with mankind, consistently with that perfect goodness which we must ever ascribe to him, if we believe him to be at all; we shall provide the best remedy against, and in time put an end to, the prevailing scepticism.

Here the company rising up, Marcellinus, in the name of them all, declared their obligations to Photinus, for giving them cause not to despair of the fortunes and success of the Gospel, notwithstanding its present low condition; and for so seasonably reminding them of the solid foundation on which the belief of God, the infinitely wise, creator and supreme governor of all things, was immoveably placed; as this must lead the way to all satisfactory.inquiry.concerning his dispositions towards us and our expectations from him.

He was also persuaded; that he should speak the sentiments of all present, as well as his own, by suggesting, that if they could but engage the friend, to whom

whom they already owed so much, to favour them with those farther thoughts which they knew he had well digested upon this very weighty, subject, there would be nothing more for them to desire, and therefore he would take the liberty to be their spokesman and entreat his compliance.

To this Photinus frankly replied, that to take such a task upon him on so formal an invitation was quite formidable to a plain man, and implied too much expectation; but, if they could be contented with knowing in what manner he had endeavoured to satisfy his own mind in a matter of so much importance, he should not be unwilling to gratify them. But, as they all might well be wearied with such a long grave discourse, he should propose their taking up the subject again at their next meeting. To this the company assented, and the result of our future conversation I shall take the first opportunity of communicating.

CONVERSATION II.

SECTION 1.

On the day fixed, the company being assembled, Volusian, who during the former conversation had been very attentive, expressed much satisfaction that all the party had been punctual to the appointment;

and,