cover; but) even the greatest probability (†); concluding that in all fuch cafes, 'tis much eafier for him to say what is not his opinion, than what is (B). Nay, profeffing that in the grand article

(†) Harum fententiarum quæ vera fit, Deus aliquis viderit; quæ verifimillima magna quæftio eft. Tufc. Q. L. i. fect. xi. vid. Cleric. Prol. ad Hift. Eccl. fect. ii. c. 6 de Academicis.

(B) De Nat. Deor. L. i. c. 32. Utinam tam facile vera invenire poffem, quam falfa convincere. Id. apud Lac. L. ii. c. 3. Notwithitanding all the fine things which he had faid about the immortality of the foul, or a future ftate; in which point he seems to be most fanguine and pofitive of any; yet in his epistles (where he is the most likely to speak his real thoughts) we find him giving it all up, and having recourse only to the miferable comfort of a final infenfibility. L. v. Ep. ult. Ut hoc faltem in maximis malis boni confequamur, ut mortem, quam etiam beati contemnere debeamus, propterea quod nullum fenfum effet habitura, nunc fic affecti, non modo contemnere debeamus, fed etiam optare. L. vi. Ep. iii. Sed hæc confolatio levis eft; illa gravior, qua te uti fpero; ego certe utor. Nec enim dum ero, angar ulla re, cum omni vacem culpa; et fi non ero, fenfu omnino carebo. id. Ep. iv. Deinde quod mihi ad confolationem commune tecum eft, fi jam vocer ad exitum vitæ, non ab ea Repub. avellar, qua carendum effe doleam, præfertim cum id fine ullo fenfu futurum fit. Id ib. Sed cum plus in metuendo mali fit, quam in ipfo illo quod timetur, defino; præfertim cum impendeat, in quo non modo dolor nullus, verum finis etiam doloris futurus fit. Id. Ep. 21.Una ratio videtur, quicquid evenerit ferre moderate; præfertim cum omnium rerum mors fit extremum. More paffages to the fame purpose are collected by Bp. Warburton, Div. Leg. p. 387, &c. 2d Edit. And among the feveral apologies which the ingenious author of Cicero's life has offered for them, this probably will be efteemed the moft natural; that even here, in a melancholy hour, doubts and difficulties may be fuppofed to have got the afcendant over him. Vol II. p. 561. 4to. In truth, Cicero feems to have been often in the state of mind which he fo well defcribes, Tufc. 2. L. i. fe&t.11.M.-Evolve diligenter ejus [Platonis] cum librum, qui eft de animo: amplius quod defideres nihil erit. A. Feci mehercule, et quidem fæpius; fed nefcio quomodo, dum lego, affentior: cum pofui librum, et mecum ipfe de immortalitate animorum cœpi cogitare, affenfio omnis illa elabitur. That he had great doubts of a providence, is fully fhewn by the learned author of Ep. ad C Middleton, p. 74. note (b). That he both recommended fuicide as the best refuge in affliction, and had frequent thoughts of putting it in practice, is no lefs clearly proved by the fame writer, p. 76, 77, 78. And though he himself declares, upon occafion, that he was with difficulty withheld from it, by the advice of Atticus, and the intreaty of his friends: ibid. yet it appears too plainly, that this was not owing at laft, either to the strength

of

ticle of a first cause, if he had discovered the truth, he durft not have divulged it*; and putting the fuppofition as matter of probability, that the Philofophers in general were Atheists †. Men began then to be fenfible, that human reason was of itself a very infufficient director; and grew weary of the common delusions from pretended revelation. Oracles, omens, portents, were generally exploded||; the old fables of Elyfian fields, and Pluto's kingdom, were grown ridiculous, and given over to poets and painters, as the fame author informs us §. Another very learned writer

of

of his judgment or his refolution; to any prudential confiderations respecting the state, himself or his relations: fo much as to the fame notorious want of courage, which difabled him from bearing his misfortunes decently, and which muft equally deter him from attempting to end them together with his life. But to do him juftice, we must own that he had many good qualities, and that at last he died like a man.

• Nihil autem gigni poffe fine caufis. Atque illum quidem quafi parentem hujus Univerfitatis invenire difficile: et cum jam inveneris, indicare in vulgus nefas. De Univers, sect. 2.

† In eo autem quod in opinione pofitum eft, hujufmodi funt probabilia.- Eos qui Philofophiæ dent operam non arbitrari Deos effe. De Inventione, L. i. c. 29.

Omnis cognitio multis eft obftructa difficultatibus, eaque eft et in ipfis rebus obfcuritas, et in judiciis noftris infirmitas, ut non fine caufa et doctiffimi et antiquiffimi invenire fe poffe quod cuperent diffifi fint. Cic. Acad. ii. 3. Mihi autem non modo ad fapientiam cæci videmur, fed ad ea ipfa quæ aliqua ex parte cerni videantur, hebetes et obtufi. Id. ap. Lat. L. iii. c. 14. Nefcio quis nos teneat error, et miferabilis ignoratio veri, Id. ib. More teftimonies to the fame purpose may be feen in Leng's Boyle's Lect. fect, 12. p. 109,110. fol. Campbell's Neceffity of Rev. Leland's Advantage, &c. Vol. II.

Cic. de Div. paffim. Wefton's Inquiry into the Rejection of the Chriftian Miracles, p. 456.

§ Tufc. Quæft L.i. c. 10, 11.. Quid negotii eft hæc Poetarum et Pictorum portenta convincere? Quis eft enim tam excors, quem ifta moveant? Comp. Id. ib. c. 16. et Or. pro A. Cluent. 61. Nifi forte ineptiis ac Fabulis ducimur, ut exiftimemus illum apud inferos impiorum fupplicia perferre. Quæ fi falfa fint, id quod omnes

3

intel

of the fame time tells us, that they had near three hundred opinions about the chief good, and ultimate end of action *; that the objects of their devotion amounted to thirty thousand+; that there were no less than three hundred Jupiters, or fupreme gods, among them; in fhort, that they had multiplied their fcandalous deities to such a degree, and modelled their worship in such a manner, that he, and others of the wifer, and more fober fort, were afhamed of them : not to mention that the prevalence of the Epicurean philosophy had rendered both, in a great meafure, infignificant §. So great want had they of a thorough reformation in matters of religion.

Secondly, That age was also the fittest to receive fuch a benefit, as well as to propagate it in the world. At the fame time that the Jewish œconomy waxed old, and was ready to vanish away, it had ferved to build up a better house; had raised their minds above itself, and fitted them for a more perfect inftitution; and when the eye of reason in the Gentile world, had most of all discovered its own dimness, and could do little more than fhew the darkness that furrounded them;

intelligunt. Comp. id. de Nat. D. L. ii. pr. Nemo tam puer eft ut Cerberum timeat et tenebras, et larvarum habitum nudis offibus cohærentium. Mors nos aut confumit, aut emittit, Sen. Ep. 24.

Varro ap. Aug. de Civ. D. L. xix. c. 1.

+ Aug. de Cecil. Deif. 4, 5, 6. Jurieu, Crit. Hift. Vol. 2. p. 13. Prude tius fays, Ter centum millia divûm. Apoth. V.455.

Ter ull. Apol. c. 14.

I See Jenkin, Vol. I. p. 338. and Sartorius de Hypocrifi Gentilium circa cultum deorum. Add Fortin's Remarks on Eccl. Hift. p. 5.

See Le Clerc, Caufes of Incred. p. 266. Mofhem. De rebus Chriftianis ante Conftantinum, L. i. c. 1. fect, 25.

them; it then, in the best manner, prepared them to receive, and rejoice in a greater light. The many fine lectures which had been at several times delivered to the Jews, by those tutors and governors under whom God had placed them; by Mofes, Jofbua, Samuel, David, Solomon, and the fubfequent prophets; though all of them in fact found infufficient to direct their conduct; and most of them then, to a great degree, defeated and perverted, as is obferved above; yet we must allow, that, towards the end of this difpenfation, they began in general to be better understood than formerly; upon the erecting of more fynagogues, after the Babylonish captivity *, they were more frequently read and inculcated; and under their perfecutions, in the time of the Maccabees, more thoroughly studied and regarded; and laftly, by their numerous schools, and academies, which flourished in the most corrupt parts of their government +, learning of all kinds had spread itself among them, and got so good footing, as to render them the most capable of difcerning thefe

cor

• Vid. Buddei Hift. Eccl. V. T. Vol. II. pag. 976. Vitringa, de Synag. L. i. Part ii. c. 12. p. 413. or Patrick on 2 Chron. xxxvi. 15. who affigns this as one chief caufe of their keeping fo clear of idolátry ever after, when they had neither prophets nor miracles among them. Add Prid. Vol. I p. 389. 8th Ed. That they had fynagogues before the captivity, fee Lightfoot, Harm. p. 609, &c. Le Clerc on Pf. lxxiv. 8. and Jennings's Lect. B. 2. C. 2.

+ See Vitringa, Obf. Sacr. L. vi. c. 14. fect. 8, 9. Some of their own authors fay, there were near four hundred fynagogues in Jerufalem itself; as many academies; and the fame number of schools: fome reckon four hundred and eighty. Buddei Eccl. Hift. Vol. II. Part ii. fect. 7. p.966, &c. Lightfoot, Op. Vol. II. p. 140. and 197. That they affembled in thefe ynagogues three times a week. vid. id. ib. p. 280. et Schoetgen. Hor. Heb. in A&t. Apoft, xiii. 42. Comp. Univerf. Hift. B. ii, č,1. p. 26. Note [].

corruptions; and recovering themselves from the errors and abuses abovementioned; when they were once freely pointed out to them, and oppofed: fo that notwithstanding the prevailing iniquity, which made these, in that refpect the worst of times, this people had yet been fo far cultivated, as to be able to receive the promised feed; at least much more fo, than they had been at any time affignable before*.

The fame thing had been done to the heathen, in a good measure, and from the fame fource, by their great lawgivers, and philofophers; who got most of their best notions from travelling into Egypt, Chaldæa, and Phenicia themselves, or from converfing with those who did; fuch were Minos, Lycurgus, Solon, Numa, of whom this has been fhewn particularly by learned men†: füch was Zoroaster in the east, by fome supposed to have been servant to Ezra, by others to Daniel ||;

and

"Whilft the Prophets were in being, to defend the law, the peo. ple were negligent; but fince there have been no Prophets, zeal has fucceeded; which is an admirable providence.' Pafcall, fect. 10, 23.

+ Gale, Court of Gent. Part i. B. iii. c. 9,&c. Witfii Ægyptiaca, L. iii. c. 13. Clem. Alex. Strom. paffim. The fame is acknowledged by the Greeks themfelves. Vid. Diod. Sic. ap. Eufeb. Ev. Præp. Lib. x. P. 480, &c. Ed. Morell. Diog. Laert. Procem. pr. cum Cafaub. et al. in loc. imprimis, Eg. Menag. Obf. iii. 6. Add Young, Diff. Vol. I. c. ult. Leland, Advantage, &c. Vol. I. Part i. c. 19. p. 439. note q. Falfter Amoenitates philolog. c. 9.

Hyde, Rel. V. P. c. 24. p. 314.

Prid. Con. Vol. I. p. 331. Hyde, Rel. Vet. Perf. p. 314. He is fuppofed to have been fometimes endowed with the spirit of prophecy, like Balaan, id. ibid. c. 31. p. 382, &c. What ground there is to believe that he clearly foretold the coming of Chrift, may be feen in Univerf. Hift. Vol. II. p. 218. Another prophecy, to the fame purpose, occurs in p. 222. note R. Prideaux and Moyle agree in fuppofing that there must have been two perfons of that name, in order to reconcile the Greek and Perfian Accounts. [Moyle's Works,