prefsly declares in the above-mentioned treatife, that it was far from his intention to do harm to the beft religion, as he there calls Christianity, or the true faith, but rather to establish both*. But I am forry that I am obliged to fay, that, notwithstanding thefe fair profeffions, his Lordship on all occafions infinuateth prejudices against all revealed religion, as abfolutely uncertain, and of little or no use. He inveigheth promifcuoufly, as many others. have done fince, against all pretences to revelation, without making a distinction between the false and the true. He often speaks to the disadvantage of particular religion, which is a name he befloweth on the Christian religion, and any revelation that is not actually known and promulgated to the whole world: and he representeth it as containing doctrines, which difguft fome men against all religion, and therefore is for recommending what he calls the univerfal religion, as the best way to prevent men's having no religion at all. And particularly he infinuates, that the Christian religion granteth pardon on too eafy terms, and derogateth from the obligations to virtuet: a reflection which is manifeftly owing to a misapprehenfion or mifreprefentation of the doctrine of Christianity on this head. So he elsewhere fupposeth, that the faith there required is no more than a bare affent to the doctrines there taught; though nothing is capable of a clearer proof, than that the faith on which so great a stress is laid in the gospel-covenant is to be understood of a vital operative principle, which purifieth the heart, and is productive of good works; and that the neceffity of true holiness and virtue is there flrongly inculcated. The charge he advanceth against Christianity might be more jufily retorted upon himself, who, though he mentions it to the praise of his universal religion, that it giveth no licence to fin, but bindeth men ftrictly to the severity of virtue, yet to fhew what reason sinners have to hope for pardon, offereth feveral pleas and excufes that tend to extenuate the guilt of fin. Particularly he urgeth, that men's fins are not for the most part committed out of enmity against God, or to cast dishonour upon bim, but with a view to their own particular advantage or pleafure, and are chofen by them under the appearance of fome *Relig. Laici, p. 28. † See the appendix to his Relig. Laici, qu. 6. B 3 good. good*. And in his book de Veritate he declares, that thofe are not lightly to be condemned, who are carried to fin by their particular bodily conftitution; and he inftances particularly in the rage of luft and anger; no more than a dropfical perfon is to be blamed for his immoderate thirft, or a lethargic person for his laziness and inactivity. He adds indeed, that he does not set up as an apologist for wicked men, but yet that we ought to pass a mild cenfure upon those who are carried to fin by a corporeal and almoft neceffary propensity to vice. Neque tamen me hic confcelerati cujufvis patronum fifto; fed in id folummodo contendo, ut mitiori fententia de iis ftatuamus, qui corporea, brutali, & tantum non neceffaria propenfione in peccata prolabuntur. This ароlogy may be carried very far, fo as to open a wide door to licentiousness, and would foon introduce a very loose morality. But not to infift upon this, I would observe that the principal design of his treatise de Religione Laici seems to be to fhew, that the people can never attain to any fatisfaction as to the truth and certainty of any particular revelation, and therefore must rest in the five articles agreed to by all religions. This particularly is the intention of his fourth and fifth queries in the appendix to that treatise. In his fourth query he fupposes, that the things which are added to those common principles from the doctrines of faith are uncertain in their original; and that though God is true, the Laics can never be certain that what is pretended to be a revelation from God is indeed a true revelation from God. In his fifth query he urgeth, that fuppofing the originals to be true, yet they are uncertain in their explications. To this purpose he takes notice of the multiplicity of fects among Chriftians; and that the Laics can never be fufficiently fure of the meaning of the revelation, concerning which there are so many controverfies; that in order to arrive at any certainty in these matters, it would be neceffary either to learn all languages, to read all the celebrated writers, and to confult all thofe learned men that have not written, a method which is manifeftly abfurd and impractable; or elfe to have recourfe to a fupreme judge of controverfies appointed by common confent. It is an obfervation that will undoubtedly occur to you on this * De Relig. Gentil. p. 268. Dr. Tindal talks in the fame ftrain. Christ. as old as the Creat. p. 32. ed. 8vo. occafion, occafion, that his Lordship here maketh use precisely of the fame way of talking, to fhew that the Laics can have no certainty about any revelation at all, which the writers of the Romish Church have frequently urged to fhew the neceffity the people are under to rely entirely upon the authority of the Church or Pope, becaufe of the difficulties or the impoffibility of their coming to any certainty in the way of examination or private judgment. But if the Laity cannot be certain of revealed religion, because of the controverfies that have been raised about the articles of it, for the same reason it may be faid, that they can arrive at no certainty with refpect to his Lordship's catholic universal religion: for though he reprefenteth men as univerfally agreed in the five articles in which he makes that religion to confift, it is undeniable that there have been great controverfies about them; and that the modern deifts, as well as ancient philofophers, are divided in their fentiments in relation to them, especially when explained, as he requireth they fhould be, in their full latitude. He ought not therefore to make a thing's being controverted to be a proof of its uncertainty, and that men can come to no fatisfaction about it: a principle which he and other deifts often infift upon, but which manifeftly leads to univerfal fcepticism. But this is not the only inftance, in which arguments have been brought against Christianity, that in their confequences tend to fubvert all religion, and all evidence and certainty of reafon. From this general view of Lord Herbert's scheme, it sufficiently appears that his defign was to overturn all revealed, or, as he calls it, particular religion, and to establish that natural and univerfal religion, the clearness and perfection of which he fo much extols, in its room, as that which alone ought to be acknowledged and embraced as true and divine. I fhall now freely lay before you fome observations that have occurred to me in confidering the scheme of this noble author. One is this, that he hath carried his account of natural religion much farther than fome others of the deifts have done. It were to be wished, that all that glory in this character would agree with this noble Lord in a hearty reception of those articles which he representeth as fo effentially neceffary, and of such vast importance. These he would have to be explained in their full ex tent, and that except they be properly explained they are not fufficient. Thus explained, they include the belief not only of the exiftence, but the attributes of God; of fome of which, in his book de Veritate, he gives a good account, and of his providence and moral government. He afferts, that God is to be worshipped, and that this worship includeth our offering up to him our prayers and thanksgivings *; that piety and virtue are abfolutely neceffary to our acceptance with God: and he particularly urgeth the neceffity of obferving the ten commandments: that we are obliged to repent of our fins in order to our obtaining forgiveness, and that this repentance includeth both a forrow for our fins, and a turning from them to the right way. He alfo infifteth upon. the belief of the immortality of the foul, and a future state of rewards and punishments, in which God will recompenfe men according to their actions, and even according to their thoughts†. These things he fuppofeth to be common notices, fo clear that he can fcarce be accounted a reasonable creature who denieth them. And yet I am afraid, if all these things are to be looked upon as neceffary, many that call themselves deifts will be as loth to admit his Lordship's natural and catholic religion, as christianity itself. There is reafon to apprehend, that some of their strongest prejudices against christianity arise from its setting those principles in too clear a light, and enforcing them in too ftrong a manner. It is true, that when they are for putting a fair glofs upon deism, and afferting the fufficiency and perfection of natural religion abstracted from all revelation, they are willing to have it thought that their religion includeth the belief of those important articles. They are then obliged to have recourse to his Lordship's system, and the arms he hath furnished them with; but at other times they make it plainly appear that they are far from being fixed in thefe principles. His Lordship declares, that it is neceffary thefe articles fhould be well explained: but indeed they are expreffed in very general and indefinite terms, and there is no great likelihood of their agreeing in the explications of them. It is a thing well known, that many who have made no small figure among our modern deifts have denied fome of his Lordfhip's five articles, at least taken in the extent in which he feems willing to understand them. God's moral government and particular providence; his worship, especially as it includes prayer and praife; man's free De Relig. Gentil. p. 283. * De Veritate, p. 271, 272. agency, agency, the immortality of the foul, and a future ftate of retributions, have made no part of their creed. Some of them have been far from pleading for that ftri&tnefs of virtue which his Lordship tells us natural religion obliges men to; and, instead of urging the neceffity of repentance, have, after Spinofa, reprefented it as a mean, an unreasonable, and wretched thing*. And the rewards and punishments of a future flate have been exploded under the notion of bribes and terrors, a regard to which argueth a fordid and mercenary temper of foul, inconfiftent with a true and generous virtue. Another reflection that it is proper to make on Lord Herbert's scheme is this: that these five principles, in which he makes his univerfal religion to confift, were not fo very clear and well known to all mankind, as to make an external revelation needlefs or useless. His Lordship indeed fuppofeth them to be common notices, inscribed by a divine hand in the minds of men; and accordingly he fets himself to prove, with a great fhew of learning, in his book de Religione Gentilium, that these principles were univerfally believed and acknowledged by the people in all ages, countries, and religions. But any man that carefully examines his book will find, that all that he really proves is no more than this; that there were some imperfect veftiges of these important truths preferved among the Gentiles, and that the knowledge of them was never abfolutely and totally extinguished, which will be eafily allowed. But he has not proved, that the people, or even all those that passed for wife and learned, had a diftinét knowledge and assurance of those principles, especially if taken in their juft extent. The teftimonies he hath produced by no means prove fuch an univerfal agreement: what he feemeth principally to rely upon is the reasonableness and evidence of the principles themselves, which he fuppofeth to be fo plain, that no rational man can be ignorant of them. Thus he declares, that he would fooner doubt whether the beams of the fun fhone upon those regions, than suppose that the knowledge of God, the evidences of whofe existence and perfections are fo obvious from his works, did not enlighten their mindst. And he cannot be perfuaded, that any of them worshipped the fun as the chief * Pœnitentia virtus non eft, five ex ratione non oritur : quemi facti pœnitet bis mifer feu impotens eft. Spin. Eth. Pt. 4. Prop. 54. + De Relig. Gentil. p. 225. |