Matter has precisely fuch a motion, and fuch a quantity of motion, without which the Laws of Mechanifm would be ufelefs, and the compofition of the World impoffible. He will acknowledge, that none but the primary Cause can produce Thought, or that principle which thinks in an Organised Body; and upon this distinction. betwixt Spiritual Qualities, and Material Qualities, is founded all his Doctrin of Senfations. Embrace the Notions of Democritus and Epicurus, their Atoms, their motion, and the different Determinations of that motion which is fo juft and regular, will in like manner lead you to the knowledge of God.

If therefore the general Confent of Men who judge of a Truth, and cannot be fufpected of judging with any Prejudice, be fufficient to put it past all doubt, confider what force and weight there is in the univerfal Confent of Men, fup. ported by those Four other kinds of Confent already taken notice of, which all perfwade us of the fame Truth, in fpite of Five other forts of Agreement, which are Firft, The Agreement of our Senfes in not perceiving this Deity. Secondly, The Agreement of the Imagination of all Men, in not being able to comprehend or reprefent it. Thirdly, The Agreement of contrary Prejudices, arifing from thofe Two Fountains. Fourthly, The Agreement of all our Paffions, in feeking their own fatisfaction, And Fifth The Agreement of our Sins, which always Terror, till we can affure our felves of This is the First Comparison to b tween the Two Opinions;

CHA P. XVII.

Wherein we continue to shew the Abfurdity of Atheism, by comparing it with the true Opinion.

IS certain, that a Man who believes there is a God, hazards nothing or very little, if he be deceived, to ufe the Atheists Expreflion; and on the contrary, he that does not believe a God, runs an infinite hazard, if he be in an error, there being no manner of proportion between the disorderly pleasure which Religion makes us loofe, and the Eternal Salvation which Atheism makes us renounce, were the Two O. pinions equally probable, which they are very far from being.

A Little Book intituled, La Delica telle.

It has been objected to Monfieur Pascal, who has endeavoured to illuftrate this Reflection, that we should not always believe what we defire; and if we find our felves perfwaded of any thing that way, we should diftruft an Opinion arifing from our Defires, and therefore that we ought to prove the Exiftence of God, and not to fhew that it is our interest to believe it.

Those who reafon thus, are not acquainted with the right ufe of this Reflection, which is not defigned to convince the Understanding, but to take away the Averfion of the Heart to this Truth, and to answer thofe fecret Ob

jections

jections of Self-Love: viz. But how if Religion fhould not be true? How if there were no God?

And there is no reafon to fear this nice kind of interest we find in believing the Existence of God fhould delude us. We have Two very different Interests, one of which always deceives us, and the other never; viz. The Intereft of Man, or the Rational Creature, and the Interefts of our Lufts and Paffions. The latter deceives our Reason, because it prevents all Reflections of the Mind; but 'tis impoffible the former fhould impofe upon our Reafon, becaufe 'tis from the pureft Lights of Reason it felf, that it fprings. Thus an Honest Man finds it his Interest to be Temperate, Juft, and Charitable; and this is a reasonable Intereft that never deceived any Man and which we are not wont to diftruft. A Vitious Man on the contrary, finds it his Interest to Revenge himself, to be debauched, or to satisfy himself any manner of way. But this is the interest of his Appetite and Lufts which are used to deceive, and which we know we ought to beware of.

Since therefore it is evident, that it is the common Interest of all our Paffions, to oppofe the Truth of God's Existence; and that on the ;. contrary, it is the interest of our Reason, and whatever thwarts onr Paffions within us, to embrace that Truth; it follows from hence, that it would be meer folly to deliberate one Moment which of thofe Two Opinions were to be chofen.

This Truth will more evidently appear, if we confider in the Third Place, the dreadful Confequences of Atheism. If the Opinion of the Atheist

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Atheist takes place, Vertue is nothing but a Chimera, a Combination of Atoms, a meer Name; Probity is nothing but a vain Scruple; Sincerity only Simplicity or Hypocrifie; all Truft and Confidence among Men ceafes. For who would trust those Men who owning no Deity, own no Law neither, more Sacred than that of their own Intereft? If that Opinion be admitted, Confcience is but a Prejudice, the Law of Nature but an Illusion, Right and Justice but an Error; the Kindness and Good Will Men have one for another, has no longer any Foundation; the Bonds of Society are all loofed; Fidelity is taken away; the Friend is ready to Betray his Friend; the Citizen to deliver up his Country; the Son to affafinate his Father, that he may enjoy his Estate, as foon as ever Opportunity ferves, or Authority or Secrefie will fecure him from the Secular Power, which is all that is then to be feared; the most inviolable Rights, and the most Sacred Laws, are no longer to be regarded, but as Dreams and Vifions.

1

But I confess, I cannot conceive any thing more ridiculons and extravagant, than to imagin, that all the kinds of Vertue, Sincerity, Probity, Juftice, Humility, Temperance, Fidelity, all the Bonds of Society, the juftelt Laws, and moft equitable Rules and Orders, the best established Tribunals, the right ufe of our Reafon, the Government and Command of our Paffions, Wisdom, Confcience, natural Law, every thing in fine, that raises the Character of Man, and diftinguishes him from other Animals; there is nothing, I fay, more ridiculous, than to imagine that all these things should be the iffue and product of fuch a fuppofed Error,

as

as our Opinion of the Existence of God. And that on the contrary, Sin and Debauchery, Injustice, Perfidioufnefs, Hypocrifie, the diftarbance of Society, whatever caufes the overthrow of States and Families, the ill use of our Reafon, Irregularity, all our most confessed Paffions and Vices, and the greatest disorders that can be committed, should spring from a Truth, as the Opinion of the Atheists would be, if their fenfelefs Suppofition should take place.

But if you had rather compare the Difficulties of these Two Opinions, than the Confequences of them, we agree to it. Eternity and Infinity are the Two Springs from whence are derived all the Difficulties Incredulous Perfons find in our Principle. And yet the Atheists themfelves are forced to attribute thofe Two Qualities to Matter. For if there be no avowed Principle that has limited Extension, Reason will have us conceive it, without any bounds. And though we could not prove Bulk or Magnitude Infinite, yet the Demonstrations of Geometry will force us to acknowledge Infinity in Smallness. Neither can they avoid afcribing Eternity to the World, that is, to Matter, or to the whole frame of Things, or to the Atoms which Bodies are compofed of; because these having no principle for their Existence, muft either in themselves, or at least with respect to the parts they are compofed of, fubfift from all Eternity.

What Extravagance then is this in the Atheist, to renounce the light and evidence of his understanding, and the general confent of Men, only to fall into all the fame Difficulties he o jects against the true Opinion?