thought to be reasonable: which not only the Philofophers of Greece and Italy and the ancient World; but the Banyans of Mogul, the Talapoins of Siam,the Mandarins of China, the Moralifts of Peru and Mexico, all the Wisdom of Mankind have declared to be neceffary Duties. Nay if the Atheists would but live up to the Ethicks of Epicurus himself, they would make few or no Profelytes from the Chriftian Religion, None revolt from the Faith for fuch things, as are thought peculiar to Chriftianity; Not because Mat. 5 44. they muft love and pray for their enemies, but because they must not poison or ftab them: not because they must not look upon a Woman to luft after her, but ver. 28. because they are much more restrain'd from the Perpetration of their Lufts. If wanton glances and libi dinous thoughts had been permitted by the Gospel, they would have apoftatized nevertheless. This we may conjecture from what Plato and others have Plato de told us, that it was commonly negleız ¿dovæv à 67- lib. 10. Legib. I, their immoderate Affections and Lufts, that e in the very times of Paganism induced men to be Atheists. It seems their impure and brutal Senfuality was too much confined by the Religion of those Countries, where even Venus and Bacchus had their Temples. Let not therefore voluptuous Atheists lay all the fault of their Sins upon the Infirmity of Human Nature; nor plead that Flesh and Blood cannot Ed. Step cannot refift, those Temptations, which have all their force and prevalence from long Custom and inveterated Habit. What enticement, what pleafure is there in common profane Swearing? yet neither the fear of God nor of the Law will perfuade men to leave it. 'Tis prevailing Example that hath now made it fashionable, but it hath not always been fo, nor will be hereafter. So other Epidemical Vices, they are rife and predominant only for a season, and must not be ascribed to Human Nature in the Lump. In fome Countries Intemperance is a neceflary part of Converfation; in others Sobriety is a Vertue Univerfal, without any refpect to the Duties of Religion. Nor can they fay,that this is only the difference of Climate, that inclines one Nation to Concupifcence and Senfual Pleasures; another to Blood-thirstiness and Defire of Revenge. It would discover great ignorance in History, not to know that in all Climates a whole People has been over-run with some recently invented or newly im ported kind of Vice, which their Grandfathers never knew. In the latest accounts of the Country of Guiana, we are told that the eating of Human Flesh is the beloved pleasure of thofe Savages: two Nations of them by mutual devouring are reduced to two handfulls of men. When the Gospel of our Saviour was preached to them, they received it with gladness gladness of heart; they could be brought to forgo Plurality of Wives; though that be the main impediment to the converfion of the Eaft-Indies. But the great Stumbling-block with thefe Americans, and the only Rock of Offence was the forbidding them to eat their Enemies : That irresistable Temptation made them quickly to revolt and relapse into their Infidelity. What, must we impute this to the temperature of the Air, to the nature of the Soil, to the in Aluence of the Stars? Are thefe Barbarians of Maneating Conftitutions, that they fo hanker after this Diet, which we cannot imagin without horror? Is not the fame thing practifed in other parts of that Continent? Was it not fo in Europe of old, and is it not now fo in Africa? If an Eleventh Commandment had been given, Thou shalt not eat Human flesh; would not these Canibals have esteem'd it more dif ficult than all the Ten? And would not they have really had as much reason as our Atheists, to plead the power of the Temptation, and the propensity of Flesh and Blood? how impudent are they then, that traduce the eafie and gracious Conditions of the Gospel for Unreasonable and Tyrannical Impofitions? Are not God's ways equal? O ye Children of Deftruction, and are not your ways unequal? À qu II. Secondly and laftly, As to the benign Influ ence of Religion upon Communities and Governments, 33 v¥«& habemus confitentes Reos; 'tis fo apparent and unqueftionable, that 'tis one of the wife Objections of the Atheist, That it first was contrived and introduced by Politicians to bring the wild and ftragling Herds Luk 19. of Mankind under Subjection and Laws. Out of thy own mouth fhalt thou be judged, thou wicked fervant.. 22. Thou fay ft that the wife Inftitutors of Govern ment, Souls elevated above the ordinary pitch of men,thought Religion neceffary to Civil Obedience. Why then doft thou endeavour to undermine this foundation, to undo this Cement of Society, and to reduce all once again to thy imaginary State of Nature and Original Confufion? No Community ever was or can be begun or maintain'd, but upon the Basis of Religion What Government can be imagin'd without Judicial Proceedings? and what methods of Judicature without a Religious Oath; which implies and fuppofes an Omniscient Being, as con ficious to its falfhood or truth, and a revenger of Perjury? So that the very nature of an Oath (and therefore of Society also) is fubverted by the Atheist de Cive, who profeffeth to acknowledge nothing fuperiour Leviath. to himself, no omnipresent obferver of the actions Góes, of men. For an Atheist to compole a System of Pa De fancti- liticks is as abfurd and ridiculous, as Epicurus's Serpietate mons were about † Sanctity and Religious Worship. Dear. Cic. But there was hope, that the Doctrine of abfoluce * Hobbes Laert. tate & de adverfus * uncon 50. Sieur de plain. p. uncontroulable Power and the formidable name of Leviathan might flatter and bribe the Government into a toleration of Infidelity. We need have no recourse to notion and fuppofition; we have fad experience and convincing example before us, what a rare Conftitution of Government may be had in a wholeNation of Atheists. The Natives of Newfoundland and De Laot. New France in America, as they are faid to live with. p. 34, 47, out any fenfe of Religion, fo they are known to be Voyage du deftitute of its advantages and bleflings; without a- Chamny Law or form of Community; without any Li- 28,5terature or Sciences or Arts; no Towns, no fixed Habitations, no Agriculture, no Navigation. And 'tis entirely owing to the power of Religion, that the whole World is not at this time as barbarous as they. And yet I ought not to have called these miferable Wretches a Nation of Atheifts. They cannot be faid to be of the Atheist's opinion; becaufe they have no opinion at all in the matter: They do not fay in their hearts, There is no God; for they never once deliberated, if there was one or no. They no more deny the Existence of a Deity; than they deny the Antipodes, the Copernican Syftem, or the Satellites Jovis : about which they have had no notion nor conception at all. 'Tis the Ignorance of thofe poor Creatures, and not their Impiety: their Ignorance os much to be pitied, as the Impiety of the Atheists is to be detefted E 2 |