CHA P. poftors, and Jugglers in Virtue, and the Love XVI. of God. For EVERY fober-minded wife Chriftian will be fure to fhew their Wisdom in regarding their higheft Interest above all Things; and conduct their whole Behaviour by that View. Because indeed. a due Regard to the Rewards and Punishments of another Life, as brought to Light and adminiftred by Christ, have a fober, true, practical Tendency for promoting the doing Good, incomparably beyond any Deiftical Scheme. And therefore that Diftinction which the faid Author would fet up between Virtue and Religion*, as if the former was moft commonly diminish'd and crampt by the latter, couches under it a fcandalous, false Reflection upon the Christian Religion. 66 As to that Narrowness of Spirit which he pretends is peculiarly obfervable in the devout Perfons, and Zealots of almost every religious Perfuafion +. And again, If by the Height of devout Ex"tafy and Contemplation, we are rather dif "abled in this Refpect, and render'd more unapt to the real Duties and Offices of Civil Life, it may be faid that Religion indeed is "then too strong in us." Christianity has nothing to answer for, with refpect to fuch Perfons, who neither practife nor understand it; inftead of its being too strong in fuch Perfons, it is really too weak; it only faunters, acts the Child, not the Man; for it does not act and operate in fuch weak, miftaken Minds according to the + Ibid. pag *Charact. Vol. II. pag. 5,6, 58, 88. many C many Principles, Precepts, and Examples of do-CHAP. ing good inculcated by that Religions no Defect XVI. of which can be laid to its Charge by its greateft Enemies. The true Enthufiaft actuates and manages Religion according to his roving Fancy, but is not himfelf actuated or managed by it, in its true Design. Is any Servant asham'd of his Wages? Or does he commonly do his Work the worfe for having Affurance of receiving them? Are not all Men, from the greatest to the leaft, Servants unto God? The Service is unprofitable to the Master; but the Wages is the making of the Servant: To ferve God is to ferve ourselves, and the Happiness he made us for. Sir Ifaac Newton, Princip. pag. 527, says the Word God is a relative Term and has reference to Servants. AND if this is the Conclufion and Sum of his best Apology for his chymerical Syftem of Vir tue, he had better faid nothing: "That by "building a future State on the Ruins of Vir"tue, Religion in general, and the Cause of a Deity is betray'd; and by making Rewards "and Punishments the principal Motives to "Duty, the Chriftian Religion in particular is "overthrown, and its greatest Principle, that "of Love, rejected and expofed *." For he quite mistakes the Cafe; the Practice of Virtue. upon the Motive of Reward and Punishment in a future State, is the Foundation of Happiness in that State. How then can the Practice of Virtue be the Ruin of it? It eftablishes the Religion and Worship of the Deity upon the Bottom God himself has built it on ; which Way then is Re * Charact. Vol. II. pag. 279. CHA P.ligion in general and the Caufe of a Deity beXVI. trayed? And if Christ is the Distributer of the future Rewards and Punishments, and has improved all the Virtues, and the Worship of God by new Means fuperadded to make all effectual; how is his Religion overthrown? Or in what manner is its greatest Principle, the Love of God and Chrift, rejected or expofed; when the whole Service of Chriftianity is a grateful Acknowledgment of that most furprizing Love in the Benefits receiv'd, and to be receiv'd? BUT is it not extremely surprising and inconfiftent in this high-fpirited Author, who pretends to be fuch a paffionate Admirer of difinterested Love, Friendship, Virtue; if he of all Men, fhould appear an Enemy to that Religion, and that Love, and to Chriftianity upon their account; feeing nothing is more apparent, than that the leaft interested, moft generous Virtue, moft captivating Love, moft heroick Friendfhip, that ever yet reach'd the Ears of Mortals, enlivens every Page, and infpires the whole Syftem? Could he poffibly have been fincere in his own Principle, and at the fame Time forbear to love, adore, and become a Disciple to the Mediator of that Religion; if not for his Benefits conferr'd, at leaft out of Esteem of the tranfcendent Excellency of his Actions and Compaffions? To fcorn to be beholden to his Maker for the Hope of his Rewards or his Affiftance in Virtue, is more than human! And therefore his afpiring to a Sphere above mortal Capacity, and alluring Difciples after him, brings him down to a Pedant in Virtue and Humanity. His moral Beauty, and his pretended Love of it, are both mif-fhapen! his Syftem a Sham, and a mean mean Artifice to overturn the best Religion in CHAP. the World. BESIDES, the Religion I am fpeaking of includes bis Virtue and more; and therefore can't in itself be narrower than that. It teaches to work out our own Happiness in both Worlds in dependance upon God's Favour through the Mediator; which includes the whole of our Happinefs in all our Faculties, of Body, and Soul confequently larger than Virtue in bis Senfe, which he makes to confift in Affection to earthly Society; and allows it to Atheists, as well as Deifts; but not in fo perfect a Degree *. As Chriftia nity finds us a Man, it will make us a Man; our Nature and Conftitution now will be our Nature and Conftitution hereafter, only greatly improv ed in both its Parts: So exactly does Christianity, confult Nature and improve it. WHEREAS the Deift configns his Body in the Grave to everlasting Oblivion; fpurning the faid Religion, he fpurns all Belief of its Refurrection; drops half human Nature, and leaves it in the lurch for any Revivification or Happiness; and fo betrays its Caufe, in Futurity, in the earneft Expectation of the Creature, and lofes it before all the World. Such wretched Confulters are they of our common Nature, and worfe Counfellors of its joint Happiness! They join the Oppofers of Chriftianity from the beginning, in profeffing to deride this Article of future Hu * Charact. Vol. II. pag. 6, 57, 69. And this Virtue he confines to Honesty, and diftinguishes it likewife from Religion in his Effay on Wit and Humour, pag. 93. VOL. II. I man XVI. CHAP. man Happinefs, as a Hope more becoming Worms than Men, in the Pharfe of Celfus +. XVI. FOR tho' it is natural in us to have Affection to Society, as this Author pleads ||, can he deny it to be likewife natural in us to have Affection for Ourselves; and that Affection fufceptible of the Influence of Rewards and Punishments from our Maker, as our greatest Concernment, as our highest Reason, as our Religion for loving our Neighbour, and doing all the Duties to Society; to the Needieft; to Pofterity, who' can't requite us? Yet fo unconfcionable is he to God and Human Nature, as, the better to expel all Regard to God as a Governor and Rewarder, he tramples upon this chief Afpect and Confideration of Nature that is in every Agent; and upon the other Senfe of Natural, fets up his ftalking Horfe of Virtue, to fecure his Game of killing Religion dead. LET Men think, as free of Prejudice as they please, upon all Matters; but it will be a Shame and Reproach, if their actual Free-thinking is nothing more than Half-thinking, upon the Nature of a moral Agent, and the true Reasons and Motives of Virtue, in real Life and Action. I fhall therefore apply the Words of this Author to himself, because they fo exactly fit him, as he has degraded the Nobility of Authorship, by departing fo fhamefully from Nature: His "Piece will be found ridiculous, when it comes "thoroughly to be examin'd. For Nature will not "be mock'd. The Prepoffeffion against her can † Σχολήκων ἡ ἐλπίς, Orig. cont. 240. Vol. III. pag. 214. Chara&. |