Some Account of thofe that first took upon them the Name of Deifts.-Lord Herbert of Cherbury, one of the most eminent deiftical Writers that appeared in England in the laft Age-His Attempt to form Deifm into a Syftem-Obfervations upon his Scheme, and upon the five Principles in which he makes all Religion to confift-It is fhewn that the Knowledge of them was very imperfect and defective in the heathen World; and that a Revelation from God for clearing and confirming thofe important Principles might be of great Advantage. DEAR SIR, NOW enter upon the task you have enjoined me, the giving fome account of the principal deiftical writers that have appeared among us for above a century paft. The reafons given. by you, and other judicious friends, have convinced me that fuch a work might be of ufe, if properly executed; we only differed as to the fitness of the perfon that was to execute it. My objections have been overruled; I must therefore set about it as well as I can and if I were fure that others would look upon this attempt with the fame favourable eye that your candour and friendfhip for me will incline you to do, I fhould be in no great pain about the fuccefs of it. The name of Deifts, as applied to those who are no friends to revealed religion, is faid to have been first assumed about the middle of the fixteenth century, by fome gentlemen in France VOL. I. B about the year 1505 and and Italy, who were willing to cover their oppofition to the chriftian revelation by a more honourable name than that of atheists. One of the firft authors, as far as I can find, that makes express mention of them, is Viret, a divine of great eminence among the firft reformers, who in the epiftle dedicatory prefixed to the second tome of his Inftruction Chretienne, which was published in 1563, fpeaks of fome perfons in that time who called themselves by a new name, that of deifts. Thefe, he tells us, professed to believe a God, but fhewed no regard to Jefus Chrift, and confidered the doctrine of the apoftles and evangelifts as fables and dreams. He adds, that they laughed at all religion, notwithstanding they conformed themselves, with regard to the outward appearance, to the religion of thofe with whom they were obliged to live, or whom they were defirous of pleasing, or whom they feared. Some of them, as he observes, professed to believe the immortality of the foul; others were of the Epicurean opinion in this point, as well as about the providence of God with respect to mankind, as if he did not concern himself in the government of human affairs. He adds, that many among them fet up for learning and philosophy, and were looked upon to be perfons of an acute and fubtle genius; and that, not content to perifh alone in their error, they took pains to spread the poison, and to infect and corrupt others, by their impious discourses and bad examples*. I leave it to you to judge, how far the account this learned author gives of the perfons that in his time called themselves deifts is applicable to those among us who take upon them the fame title, and which they feem to prefer to that of chriftians, by which the disciples of Jefus have hitherto thought it their glory to be distinguished. That which properly characterizes these deifts is, that they reject all revealed religion, and difcard all pretences to it, as owing to imposture or enthusiasm. In this they all agree, and in profeffing a regard for natural religion, though they are far from being agreed in their notions of it. They are claffed by fome of their own writers into two forts, mortal and immortal deifts t. The latter acknowledge a future ftate: the former deny it, or at least reprefent it as a very uncertain thing: and though these are, by fome among themfelves, reprefented under a very * See Bayle's Dictionary, article Viret. + Oracles of Reason, p. 99. difadvantageous character, and as little better than atheists, they are, it is to be feared, the more numerous of the two. Indeed fome of their most eminent modern writers feem to be very eafy about these differences. With them all are true deifts who oppose revelation, whether they own future rewards and punishments or not and they speak with great regard of those difinterested deifts who profefs to purfue virtue for its own fake, without regard to future retributions *. In giving an account of the deiftical writers that have appeared in thefe nations (for I fhall not meddle with thofe of a foreign growth), I fhall go back to the former part of the last century: and the firft I fhall mention, and who deferves a particular notice, is that learned nobleman, Lord Edward Herbert, Baron of Cherbury. He may be justly regarded as the moft eminent of the deiftical writers, and in feveral refpects fuperior to thofe that fucceeded him. He may be alfo confidered as the first remarkable deift in order of time, that appeared among us as a writer in the laft century; for the first edition of his book de Veritate was in 1624, when it was first published at Paris. It was afterwards published at London, as was also his book de Caufis Errorum, to which is fubjoined his treatise de Religione Laici. Some years after this, and when the author was dead, his celebrated work de Religione Gentilium was published at Amfterdam, in 1663, in quarto; and it was afterwards re-printed there in 1700, octavo, which is the edition I make use of; and an English translation of it was published at London in 1705. His Lordship feems to have been one of the firft that formed deifm into a system, and afferted the sufficiency, universality, and abfolute perfection, of natural religion, with a view to discard all extraordinary revelation as ufelefs and needlefs. He feems to affume to himself the glory of having accomplished it with great labour, and a diligent inspection into all religions, and applauds himself for it, as happier than any Archimedes t. This univerfal religion he reduceth to five articles, which he frequently mentioneth in all his works. 1. That there is one fupreme God. 2. That he is chiefly to be worshipped. 3. That piety and virtue are the principal part of his worship. 4. That we must repent * See Christianity as old as the Creation, p. 332, 333. ed. 8vo. De Relig. Gent. c. 15. init. That of our fins; and if we do fo, God will pardon them. 5. there are rewards for good men, and punishments for bad men, in a future state: or, as he fometimes expreffeth it, both here and hereafter. These he represents as common notices inscribed by God on the minds of all men, and undertakes to fhew that they were univerfally acknowledged in all nations, ages, and religions. This is particularly the defign of his book de Religione Gentilium; though it is but comparatively a fmall part of that work which tendeth directly to prove that these articles univerfally obtained: the far greater part of it is taken up with an account of the heathen religion and ceremonies, which he hath performed with an abundance of learning, and hath intermixed many foftening apologies for the pagan superstition and idolatry. As he represents these five articles as abfolutely neceffary, the five pillars, as he calls them, on which all religion is built; fo he endeavours to fhew that they alone are sufficient, and that nothing can be added to them which can tend to render any man more virtuous, or a better man. But then he fubjoins this limitation, 66 provided these articles be well explained in their full latitude*.” This univerfal religion which all men agree in, his Lordship reprefents to be the only religion of which there can be any certainty, and he endeavours to fhew the great advantages that would arise from men's embracing this religion, and this only. One of the reafons he offers to recommend it is this, that this catholic or universal religion answers the ultimate design of the holy fcriptures. "Sacrarum literarum fini ultimo intentionique quadrat." He adds, that "all the doctrines there taught aim at the establish"ment of these five catholic articles, as we have often hinted; "there is no facrament, rite, or ceremony there enjoined, but "what aims, or seems to aim, at the establishment of thefe five "articles." See his reasons at the end of his Religio Laici. One would be apt to think by what this noble writer here offers, that he must have a very favourable opinion of Chriftianity as contained in the holy fcriptures; finçe he.reprefents it as the great defign of all its doctrines, and even of the rites and facraments there enjoined, to establish those great principles in which he makes religion properly to confift.. Accordingly he ex Appendix to Relig. Laici, qu, 3d. prefsly |