Newton, and affirm, with great pofitiveness, that all the motions of the heavenly bodies are the effects of electricity; and that the electric fire, like Jupiter's thunderbolts, is lanced from one part of the universe to the other, with an amazing rapidity, pervading all things, and animating all things?But, as Defcartes would have found it very difficult to tell us, by what phyfical law his tourbillons were turned, fo will the philofophers of our days find it very difficult to inform us, how electricity, or the electric fire, produces the different motions of the heavenly bodies.

Certainly experimental phyfics lead us to the discovery of the only truths, refpecting material bodies, that we are capable of comprehending: but fuch is the pride, and fertile imagination, of many enquirers, that they fuffer themfelves to be abused thereby, and, to the prejudice of their own reason, reject the dictates of this fure and useful guide. If thofe enquirers would limit their enquiries to fuch things as they were immediately interested to know, and as their faculties were capable of comprehending, and not inquiet themselves about the reft, we should no longer be difturbed by the imaginary fyftems of thofe pretended philofophers, whofe pride and vanity have totally eclipfed their reafon.

Every rational and diligent observer of nature will perceive that the world is governed by a wife and powerful Being, whofe will was its first law, and who continues to direct every part of matter,

by

by fecondary laws, which were annexed thereto, when it firft received its form: He will likewise *perceive, that there is in man a free, intelligent, and reafoning principle, independent of matter, which not only gives him life and motion, but which foars to the heavens, and otherwife manifests itfelf to be of a fpiritual nature; and confequently is capable of greater perfections than are, confiftent with mortality. By contemplating God in his works, and studying him by those attributes which we are interested in knowing, and which, from his great goodnefs, and univerfal benevolence to mankind, he has at different times youçhfafed to reveal unto us, we fhall attain to more real wifdom and knowledge, than by all the imaginary, and I had almost faid abfurd fyftems, of those philofophers, who would impofe their vifionary fpeculations upon us, as the dictates of truth and reason.

One of the principal attributes of that spiritual and intelligent part which we difcover within us, is, that of diftinguifhing good from evil: Conscience is the voice of the foul, as the paffions are the voice of the body; and therefore it is not furprizing, that these two voices should sometimes contradict each other; and even that the latter, when we hearken too much to its perfuafion, fhould totally overpower the former.-When they contradict each other, and when the latter has apparently reafon on its fide, it may be asked, To which then we should give ear?-As we fuppofe many things to be reasonable upon a first enquiry,

which afterwards turn out to be otherwife, and are thereby often deceived, we should be upon our guard against what we fuppofe to be the dictates of reason, before we have well examined them ; but confcience never deceives us; fhe is our true guide, and is to the foul, what inftinct is to the body: She is the judge of all our actions, and acquits or condemns us thereon; and if we would, in all things, obey her dictates, we should not fail to be happy.-There is therefore a principle of innate justice, and virtue, implanted in every human foul, whereby, notwithstanding our avowed opinions, we may judge whether our own actions, and as well those of others, are good, or evil. This is the heavenly voice which the Supreme Being has planted in every free and intelligent being, whofe faculties are limited, to be his fure and unerring guide, and infallible judge of good and evil; and if mankind would always fubmit their opinions and their reasoning to her dictates, they could

never err.

But the operations of the foul are united with, and often overpowered by, thofe of the body. We know not why the Supreme Being has limited the motions of this immortal principle, in this manner, and united them to thofe of a mortal body: but we are to fuppose that it was for wife and good purposes. If the fpirit of a man was free, and divefted of its mortal part, it would undoubtedly be equal to an angel; it would love and obey the laws which the Supreme Being established, because

ît could have no interest in acting counter thereto. It would be happy, but not in fo great a degree; a as the glory of virtue, and the fatisfaction of hav ing overcome all the fnares and temptations of this world would be wanting; because we have all reafon to fuppofe, that a virtuous man will be more happy than the angels: His fpirit, united to a mortal body, by powerful, but incomprehenfible chains, is not only obliged to preserve this body, but to combat against all its irregularities and paffions, which are fometimes extremely violent; as its eternal happiness in a great measure depends upon the care and affiduity with which it performs this arduous and penible tafk:-And, as we are told, that there is joy in heaven over one finner that repenteth," we must certainly conclude, that a foul, who has led its mortal part virtuously through all the irregularities, temptations, and fnares of this life, who has overcome the paffions and wicked defires of the body, and who has established the empire of virtue therein, has merited a more transcendent degree of happiness and glory than the angels, who have never been exposed to fuch temptations.-How fully and clearly is this doctrine explained, not only by the Evangelifts, but by St. Paul in his epiftle to the Hebrews! There we may find the will of the Supreme Being, which he has vouchfafed to reveal unto mankind by Jesus Christ, explained; there we may see the dignity of human nature fupported, against the poor and unintelligible jargon of thofe pretended

philofophers, who deny the providence of God, and who would put us upon a footing with the brute beasts; and all this in a manner not contradictory to human reafon, but perfectly conformable to the cool reflection of every modeft and intelligent being, and to the obfervation of every diligent and unprejudiced enquirer.

BUT there is another fect of philofophers, who have taken upon themfelves to contradict the doctrine of Jefus Chrift, and his Apostles, and who are by far more dangerous than either of thofe before mentioned; because they are modeft, and moderate, and pretend to reafon like men who would fearch after the truth, and who would lay themselves open to conviction; and these arè the Deifts; and, as many of them mean to make their ftudies fubfervient to the good of their fellow creatures, without any of that foolish vanity, and impertinence, peculiar to the other fects before mentioned, they are worthy of our most serious attention; and there is a real merit even in attempting to convince them of their errors.

In the first place, they seem to have fome doubt refpecting the facts contained in the Evangelifts, and in the other parts of the New Testament; because they therein discover many things which are above human comprehenfion: And, moreover, as they acknowledge the great goodness and care which the Supreme Being has towards all his creatures, they suppose that, if they exercise

the