The Jefuits in their doctrines seem to reft on the external act, difregarding intention. It is with them a matter of perfect indifference, from what motive men obey the laws of God; confequently that the service of those who obey from fear of punishment, is no lefs acceptable to the Deity, than of those who obey from a principle of love.

The other error mentioned above, is, That the

end juftifies the means. In defence of that propofition, it is urged, that the character of the means. is derived from the end; that every action must be right which contributes to a good end; and that every action must be wrong which contributes to an ill end. According to this reasoning, it is right to affaffinate a man who is a declared or concealed enemy to his country. It is right to rob a rich man, in order to relieve a perfon in want. What becomes then of property, which by all is held inviolable? It is totally unhinged. The propofition then is untenable as far as light can be drawn from reafon. At the fame time, the tribunal of reafon may be juftly declined in this cafe. Reafon is the only touchstone of truth and falfehood: but the moral fenfe is the only touchstone of right and wrong. And to maintain, that the qualities of right and wrong are difcoverable by reafon, is no lefs abfurd than that truth and falfehood are discoverable by the moral fenfe. The moral sense dictates, that on no pretext whatever is it lawful

to

to do an act of injuftice, or any wrong * : and men, confcious that the moral fenfe governs in matters of right and wrong, fubmit implicitly to its dictates. Influenced, however, by the reafoning mentioned, men, during the nonage of the moral sense, did wrong currently in order to bring about a good end; witness pretended miracles and forged writings, urged without referve by every fect of Chriftians against their antagonists. And I am forry to obferve, that the error is not entirely eradicated: miffionaries employed in converting infidels to the true faith, are little fcrupulous about the means: they make no difficulty to feign prodigies, in order to convert those who are not moved by argument. Such pious frauds tend to fap the very foundations of morality.

* See the first part of this Sketch, Sect. 3. at the end.

SKETCH

SKETCH III.

PRINCIPLES AND PROGRESS OF THEOLOGY.

S no other science can vie with theology, ei

ther in dignity or importance, it juftly claims. to be a favourite ftudy with every perfon endued with true taste and folid judgment. From the time that writing was invented, natural religion has employed pens without number; and yet in no language is there found a connected history of it. The prefent work will only admit a flight sketch which I fhall glory in, however imperfect, if it excite any one of fuperior talents to undertake a complete hiftory.

TH

CHAP. I.

Existence of a Deity.

HAT there exist beings, one or many, powerful above the human race, is a propofition univerfally admitted as true, in all ages, and among

all

all nations. I boldly call it univerfal, notwithstanding what is reported of fome grofs favages; for reports that contradict what is acknowledged to be general among men, require more able vouchers than a few illiterate voyagers. Among many favage tribes, there are no words but for objects of external fense: is it furprifing, that fuch people are incapable to exprefs their religious perceptions, or any perception of internal fenfe? and from their filence can it be fairly presumed, that they have no fuch perception *? The conviction that men have of fuperior powers in every country where there are words to exprefs it, is fo well vouched, that in fair reasoning it ought to be taken for granted among the few tribes where language is deficient. Even the groffeft idolatry affords evidence of that conviction. No nation can be fo brutifh as to worship a flock or a ftone, merely as fuch: the vifible object is always imagined to be connected with fome invifible power; and the worship paid to the former, is as reprefenting the latter, or as in fome manner connected with it. Every family

among

* In the language even of Peru, there is not a word for expreffing an abstract idea, such as time, endurance, Space, exiftence, fubftance, matter, body. It is no less defective in expreffing moral ideas, fuch as virtue, juftice, gratitude, liberty. The Yameos, a tribe on the river Oroonoko, described by Condamine,' ufed the word poettarraroincouroac to exprefs the number three, and have no word for a greater number. The Brafilian language is nearly as barren.

among the ancient Lithuanians, entertained a real serpent as a household-god; and the fame practice is at present univerfal among the Negroes in the kingdom of Whidah: it is not the ferpent that is worshipped, but fome deity imagined to refide in it. The ancient Egyptians were not idiots, to pay divine honours to a bull or a cat, as fuch: the divine honours were paid to a deity, as refiding in these animals. The fun is to man a familiar object being frequently obfcured by clouds, and totally eclipfed during night, a favage naturally conceives it to be a great fire, fometimes flaming bright, fometimes obfcured, and fometimes extinguished. Whence then fun-worship, once univerfal among favages? Plainly from the fame caufe: it is not properly the fun that is worshipped, but a deity who is fuppofed to dwell in that lumi

nary.

Taking it then for granted, that our conviction of fuperior powers has been long univerfal, the important question is, From what cause it proceeds. A conviction fo univerfal and fo permanent, cannot proceed from chance; but must have a caufe operating conftantly and invariably upon all men in all ages. Philofophers, who believe the world to be eternal and felf-exiftent, and imagine it to be the only deity, though without intelligence, endeavour to account for our conviction of fuperior powers, from the terror that thunder and other elementary convulfions raife in favages;

and