tendency of Providence, the perfection of the Divine Nature, the immortality of the foul, and the future ftate of rewards and punishments. They all compli ed with the religion of their country, as much as poffible, in fuch particulars as did not contradict and prevent thefe great and fundamental doctrines of mankind. On the contrary, the perfons who now fet up for free-thinkers, are fuch as endeavour by a little trash of words and fophiftry, to weaken and destroy thofe very principles, for the vindication of which, freedom of thought at first became laudable and heroic. Thefe apoftates from reafon and good fenfe, can look at the glorious frame of nature, without paying an adoration to Him who raifed it; can confider the great revolutions in the univerfe, without lifting up their minds to that Superior Power which hath the direction of it; can prefume to cenfure the Deity in his ways towards men; can level mankind with the beafts that perifh; can extinguish in their own minds all the pleafing hopes of a future ftate, and lull themfelves into a ftupid fecurity against the terrors of it. If one were to take the word prieftcraft out of the mouths of thefe fhallow monfteis, they would be immediately ftruck dumb. It is by the help of this ingle term that they endeavour to difappoint the good works of the most learned and venerable order of men, and harden the hearts of the ignorant against the very light of nature, and the common received notions of mankind. We ought not to treat fuch mifcreants as thefe upon the foot of fair difputants, but to pour out contempt upon them, and speak of them with fcorn and infamy, as the pefts of fociety, the revilers of human nature, and the blafphemers of a Being, whom a good man would rather die than hear difhonoured. Cicero, after having mentioned the great heroes of knowledge who recommended this divine doctrine of the immortality of the foul, called thofe fmall pretenders to wifdom who declared against it, certain minute philofophers, using a diminutive even of the word little, to exprefs the defpicable opinion he had of them. The contempt he throws upon them in another pas

fage is yet more remarkable; where to fhew the mean. thoughts he entertains of them, he declares, he would rather be in the wrong with Plato, than in the right with fuch company. There is indeed nothing in the world fo ridiculous as one of thefe grave philofophical free-thinkers, who hath neither paffions nor appetites to gratify, nor heats of blood,nor vigour of conftitution that can turn his fyftems of infidelity to his advantage, or raise pleasures out of them which are inconfiftent with the belief of an hereafter. One who has neither wit, gallantry, mirth or youth to indulge by these notions, but only a poor, joylefs, uncomfortable vanity of diftinguishing himself from the rest of mankind, is rather to be regarded as a mifchievous lunatic, than a miftaken philofopher. A chafte infidel, a fpeculative libertine, is an animal that I fhould not believe to be in nature, did I not fometimes meet with thefe fpecies of men,who plead for the indulgence of their paffions in the midft of a fevere ftudious life, and talk against the immortality of the foul over a dishof coffee.

I would fain afk a minute philofopher, what good he propofes to mankind by the publishing of his doctrines? Will they make a man a better citizen, or father of a family; a more endearing hufband,friend, or fon? Will they enlarge his public or private virtues, or correct any of his frailties or vices? What is there either joyful or glorious in fuch opinions? Do they either refresh or enlarge our thoughts? Do they contribute to the happiness, or raise the dignity of human nature? The only good that I have ever heard pretended to, is, That they banish terrors, and fet the mind at ease. But whofe terrors do they banish? It. is certain, if there were any ftrength in their arguments, they would give great difturbance to minds that are influenced by virtue, honour, and morality, and take from us the only comforts and fupports of affliction, fickness and old age. The minds therefore which they fet at eafe, are only thofe of impenitent criminals and malefactors, and which, to the good of mankind, fhould be in perpetual terror and alarm.

I must confefs, nothing is more ufual than for freethinkers, in proportion as the infolence of fcepticism is abated in him by years and knowledge, or humbled or beaten down by forrow or ficknefs, to reconcile himself to the general conceptions of reafonable creatures; fo that we frequently fee the apoftates turning from the revolt towards the end of their lives, and employing the refufe of their parts and promoting those truths which they had before endeavoured to invalidate.

The hiftory of a gentleman in France is very well known, who was fo zealous a promoter of infidelity that he had got together a felect company of difciples, and travelled into all parts of the kingdom to make converts. In the midst of his fantaftical success he fell fick, and was reclaimed to fuch a sense of his condition, that after he had paffed fome time in great agonies and horrors of mind, he begged thofe who had the care of burying him, to drefs his body in the habit of a Capuchin, that the devit might not run away with it. And to do farther juftice upon himself, defired them to tie an halter about his neck, as a mark of that ignominious punishment, which in his own thoughts he had fo justly deferved.

I would not have perfecution fo far difgraced, as to with thefe vermin might be animadverted on by any legal penalties; though I think it would be highly reafonable, that thofe few of them who die in the profeffions of their infidelity, fhould have fuch tokens of infamy fixed upon them, as might diftinguish those bodies which are given up by the owners to oblivion and putrefaction, from thofe which reft in hope, and fhall rife in glory. But at the fame time that I am against doing them the honour of the notice of our laws, which ought not to fuppofe there are fuch criminals in being, I have often wondered how they can be tolerated in any mixt converfations while they are venting thefe abfurd opinions; and fhould think, that if on any fuch occafions, half a dozen of the mcft robuft chriftians in the company would lead one of thefe gentlemen to a pump, or convey him into a blan

ket, they would do very good fervice both to church and ftate. I do not know how the laws ftand in this particular; but I hope, whatever knocks, bangs, or thumps, might be given with fuch an honeft intention, would not be conftrued as a breach of the peace. I dare fay, they would not be returned by the perfon who receives them; for whatever thefe fools may fay in the vanity of their hearts, they are too wife to rifque their lives upon the uncertainty of their opinions.

When I was a young man about this town, I frequented the ordinary of the Black Horfe in Holbourn, where the perfon who ufually prefided at the table was a rough old-fashioned gentleman, who according to the customs of thofe times, had been the major and preacher of a regiment. It happened one day that a noify young officer, bred in France, was venting fome new-fangled notions, and fpeaking in the gaiety of his humour, against the difpenfations of Providence. The major at firit only defired him to talk more refpectfully of one for whom all the company had an honour; but finding him run on in his extravagance, began to reprimand him after a more ferious manner. Young man (faid he) do not abufe your benefactor whilft you are eating his bread. Confider whofe air you breathe, whofe prefence you are in, and who it is that gave you the power of that very fpeech which you make ufe of to his difhonour. The young fellow, who thought to turn matters into a jeft, aiked him if he was going to preach: But at the fame time defired him to take care what he faid when he spoke to a man of honour! A map of honour! fays the major: Thou art an infidel and a blafphemer, and I fhall ufe thee as fuch. In fhort, the quarrel ran fo high, that the major was defired to walk out. Upon their coming into the garden, the old fellow advifed his antagonist to confider the place into which one pafs might drive him; but finding him to grow upon him to a degree of fcurrility, as believing the advice proceeded from fear: Sirrah, fays he, if a thunderbolt does not ftrike thee dead before I come at thee, I fhall not fail to chaf

tife thee for thy profaneness to thy Maker, and thy faucinefs to his fervant. Upon this he drew his fword, and cried out with a loud voice, the word of the Lord and of Gideon; which fo terrified his antagonist, that he was immediately difarmed and thrown upon his knees. In this pofture he begged his life; but the major refused to grant it, before he had afked pardon for his offence in a fhort extemporary prayer, which the old gentleman dictated to him on the fpot, and which his profelyte repeated after him in the prefence of the whole ordinary, who were now gathered about him in the garden.

TATLER, Vol. III. No. 135.

It is ufual with polemical writers to object ill defigns to their adverfaries. This turns their argument into fatire, which instead of fhewing an error in the understanding, tends only to expofe the morals of thofe they write againft. I fhall not act after this manner with refpect to the free-thinkers.

Virtue,

and the happiness of society, are the great ends which all men ought to promote, and fome of that fect would be thought to have at heart above the rest of mankind. But fuppofing those who make that profeffion to carry on a good defign in the fimplicity of their hearts, and according to their best knowledge, yet it is much to be feared, thofe well-meaning fouls, while they endeavour to recommend virtue, have in reality been advancing the interests of vice, which as I take to proceed from their ignorance of human nature, we may hope, when they become fenfible of their mistake, they will, in confequence of that beneficient principle they pretend to act upon, reform their practice for the future.

The fages whom I have in my eye, fpeak of virtue as the most amiable thing in the world; but at the fame time that they extol her beauty, they take care to leffen her portion. Such innocent creatures are they, and fo great ftrangers to the world, that they think this a likely method to increase the number of her admirers.

VOL. II.

G