THE following ESSAYS are copied from the "Harleian Miscellany," published in 1745, a work which was made up of a collection of scarce, curious, and entertaining pamphlets and tracts, as well in manuscript as in print, found in the Earl of Oxford's Library. It will probably never be known who was the author of the Essays. They were found in the library of the Earl, and had never before been published. See "Modern History of Universalism," pp. 80-83.

EDITOR.

NATURAL AND REVEALED

RELIGION.

ESSAY I.

On the Religion essential to Man.

IN Religion, all true principles must depend upon one only principle; this only principle is that of a self-sufficient being,

Every relation between two intelligent beings is necessarily founded in the nature of both. Now religion is essantially no more than a relation between God and man. It can therefore be founded only in the nature of these two beings.

Then every point of doctrine, every opinion, which is evidently opposite as well to the nature of God, as to that of man, ought to be deemed false, or at least foreign to man's essential religion.

From hence it is plain, that the religion, essential to man, must be simple, evident, free from all contradiction; that it must exclude everything false and imaginary; that it cannot require any man to strain his belief to what savors of an impossibility, much less to what savors of a contradiction.

If God is self-sufficient, he is perfectly disinterested; for what is infinite can lose nothing, as it can

gain nothing. Therefore he did not make man out of nothing to increase his own happiness; consequently his creating him capable of happiness could be for no other end, but to render him happy. If this be his end, which cannot be doubted, this end subsists invariably. God is therefore concerned for the happiness of those beings whom he has created.

The conclusion from hence is plain, that, since God does nothing for his own advantage, he has nothing in view but the advantage of his creatures; that whatever is called religion, is reduced to this. (If it be objected to this, that the scripture says, God made all things for his own glory: I answer, that it is not from the expressions of scripture we form the idea of God, but on the contrary, by the idea of God we rectify whatever these expressions seem to ascribe to him, that is either imperfect or contradictory;) therefore every other idea of religion is so far from honoring God, that it really dishonors him, by supposing him to be like unto men, who, in consequence of their insufficiency, cannot be perfectly disinterested.

The first idea a man has, is, that he exists: He finds he could not be the author of his own existence, so that the source of existence resides elsewhere: Where must it reside? It must be in some being that has not received its existence from any other; man, therefore, is obliged to own, that there is a first, a self-existent being. The first discovery, (which you see is only an unavoidable consequence of experience) is sufficient to lead him to others, I mean to more particular ideas concerning the attri

butes of that first being. As whatever we are capable of feeling, tasting, or knowing, must necessarily proceed from that first cause; this idea leads us to discover, in the first Being, not only power, but also wisdom and goodness, and this discovery also arises from experience.

Nothing is more familiar to experience, than the sentiment of joy: this sentiment, which is only momentary in man, gives him some idea of a more real felicity, whereof that which he feels is only a specimen or sample. From this experience he concludes, that the Author of his being, having made him capable of so delicious a sentiment, must be the source of all felicity.

Another thing, which he feels, leads him still farther: I mean the invincible inclination he has to happiness; and, as this desire is inseparable to his being, it must likewise be ascribed to the author of his being; from whence he justly concludes, that happiness is the end of his being. This conclusion leads him to another: he finds it is not completely attained in this world, consequently there must be one hereafter, which will accomplish that end. All these sentiments naturally arise from a man's considering himself only: let us now introduce him into society. He observes that the earth produces all the necessary things for man's subsistence, but this, being not equally divided, begets the language of mine, and thine: this language occasions another, namely, that of just and unjust, true and false.

When we hear men say to one another, this is false, that is unjust, he inquires into the meaning of

these terms.

He finds that the word false consists in the denying what we know to be true, or affirming what we know not to be so.

That what is called unjust consists in taking from another what is allowed to be his, or in not keeping one's promise.

But, notwithstanding he has clear ideas of what is truth or falsehood, justice or injustice, yet, upon examining things more, he sometimes observes, that falsehood lends such assistance to injustice, that judges are sometimes at a loss to discern who is in the right, and who in the wrong; so that sometimes the innocent suffer, and the guilty escape:, he then concludes, that if a Being, equitable in the highest degree, suffers, for a time, that justice should not be rightly administered, it is, because he reserves to himself the care of distributing it hereafter in the most exact proportion, when the unjust and the murtherer will receive the retribution due to their violence, and the poor and innocent persons, who sunk under the weight of injustice, will receive a proportionable recompense.

Hence we may see that real religion is not so much above the reach of man as some would persuade us; for it does not consist so much in a knowledge acquired by the instruction we receive from others, as in that we receive or attain from ourselves by sentiment and experience.

But some perhaps will say, that such a religion as this founded on our natural faculties is not sufficient for salvation: this is only the religion of nature, which is infinitely inferior to revealed religion, which