comparison of the future, was the chief foundation of his conduct.

In fuch a remarkable contrast do these two men ftand: Yet both of them have met with general admiration in their different ages, and have been propofed as models of imitation. Where then is the univerfal ftandard of mo rals, which you talk of? And what rule fhall we eftablifh for the many different, nay contrary fentiments of mankind?

An experiment, faid I, which fucceeds in the air, will not always fucceed in a vacuum. When men depart from the maxims of common reason, and affect these artificial lives, as you call them, no one can answer for what will please or difplease them. They are in a different element from the rest of mankind; and the natural principles of their mind play not with the fame regularity, as if left to themselves, free from the illufions of religious fuperftition or philofophical enthusiasm.

S

INTRODUCTION.

A every enquiry, 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 moft obvious, at least, the cleareft folution, the whole frame of nature bespeaks an intelligent author; and no rational enquirer can, after serious reflection, fufpend his belief a moment with regard to the primary principles of genuine Theism and Religion. But the other question, 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 fo univerfal as to admit of no exception,

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 fearce any two men, have ever agreed precifely in the fame fentiments. It would appear, therefore, that this preconception fprings not from an original inflinct or primary impreffion of nature, fuch as gives rife to felt love, affection between the fexes, love of progeny, gratitude, refentment; fince every instinct of this kind has been found abfolutely univerfal in all nations and ages, and has always a precife determinate object, which it inflexibly puriues. The firft religious principles must be fecondary; fuch as may eafily be perverted by various accidents and caufes, and whofe operation too, in fome cafes, may, by an extraordinary concurrence of circumftances, be altogether prevented. What thofe principles are, which give rife to the original belief, and what those accidents and caufes are, which direct its operation, is the fubject of our prefent enquiry.

SECT. I. That Polytheifin was the primary Religion of Men.

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

It is a matter of fact incontestable, that about 1700 years ago all mankind were polytheifls. The doubtful and feeptical principles of a few philofophers, or the theifm, 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 fouth, the east, the weft, give their unanimous teftimony to the fame fact. What can be oppofed to fo full an evidence?

As far as writing or hiftory reaches, mankind, in ancient times, appear univerfally to have been polytheifts. Shall we affert, that, in more ancient times, before the knowledge of letters, or the difcovery of any art or science, men entertained the principles of pure theifm? 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 tranfport himself into any unknown region; if he found inhabitants cultivated with arts and science, 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 fcarcely is a poffibility of his being mistaken.

It seems certain, that, according to the natural progrefs of human thought, the ignorant multitude must first entertain fome groveling and familiar notion of fuperior powers, before they ftretch their conception to that perfect Being, who bestowed order on the whole frame of nature.

nature. We may as reasonably imagine, that men inhabited palaces before huts and cottages, or ftudied geometry before agriculture; as affert that the Deity appeared to them a pure fpirit, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, before he was apprehended to be a powerful, though limited being, with human paffions and appetites, limbs and organs. The mind rises 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 progrefs of thought, but fome obvious and invincible argument, which might immediately lead the mind into the pure principles of theifm, and make it overleap, at one bound, the vaft interval which is interpofed between the human and the divine nature. But though I allow, that the order and frame of the universe, 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.

The caufes of fuch objects, as are quite familiar to us, never strike our attention or curiofity; and however extraordinary or furprizing these objects in themselves, they are paffed over, by the raw and ignorant multitude, without much examination or enquiry. ADAM, rifing at once, in paradife, and in the full perfection of his faculties, would naturally, as reprefented 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 fcene arofe. But a barbarous, neceffitous animal (fuch as man is on the firft origin of fociety) preffed by fuch

numerous