SECT. II.

ITS INTERNAL CREDIBILITY.

CHAP. I.

FOUR RULES LAID DOWN FOR THE PURPOSE OF ASCERTAINING THE TRUTH OF

ANY RELIGION, AND APPLIED TO PAGAN

ISM.

WHOEVER has attempted to imitate the artless fimplicity of truth, in a studied narration of feigned events, will have found how extremely difficult it is to avoid a perpetual recurrence of inconfiftencies. In addition to the unity of time, place, and action, a thousand little delicacies, which require the most minute and painful attention, are abfolutely neceffary, in order to give fuch a compofition the femblance of reality. If these be wanting, the magical illufion is immediately destroyed; and the glaring deficiency of contrivance provokes in the reader no fentiments except thofe of unmixed difguft. But if it be afferted, that the narrative, fo far from

SECT.' being an allowed tiffue of romantic adven

tures, comprehends nothing but plain matter of fact, the difficulty of connecting fuch a detail is then confiderably heightened. The page of authentic history, and the accurate calculations of chronology, will prefent infuperable obftacles on the one hand; while fome internal contradiction, fome unobferved inconfiftency, will equally ferve to expose the imposture on the other. Many different religions have been proposed to mankind at different periods of the world, and by different perfons. Hence to a thinking mind a question will naturally occur; whether any of, them are deferving of ferious attention, or, whether they are all to be confidered as equally falfe and contemptible. With whatever degree of justice these several forms of worship may claim the fanction of divine authority; it is eafy to conceive in theory the peculiar kind of internal credibility, which would stamp with marks of indisputable truth the religion that poffeffed it. Such a theory is not affected either by the existence or non-existence of an 、 authentic revelation; it is purely an abstract idea, like thofe pictures of a perfectly wife and good man, which the ancient

any mat

I.

philofophers pleased themselves with de- CHAP. lineating. When the degree of evidence, necessary to establish the truth of ter of fact traditionally received, has once been laid down according to the principles of right reafon; it does not appear that we are bound to admit any religon as true, unless its tokens of credibility correfpond with fuch a theory. Speaking abstractedly, it feems impoffible for any theological system to be false, provided it can be shewn,

laid down

I. That the promulger of it was not Four rules felf-deceived into a belief, that he was di- for the purvinely commiffioned; a deception, which certaining could only originate, either from Enthu- the truth of

fiafm, or from certain falfe appearances: supposed to be miracles:

II. That he was not an impoftor; or, in other words, that he had no intention to deceive his followers a:

a I do not pretend to claim any originality in laying down these rules; they appear from their obviousness to be a kind of common property, equally belonging to all, who have occafion to difcufs the credibility of any real or pretended revelation. The novelty of the difquifition must arife, not from the rules themselves, but from the mode of ufing them.

IH.

pofe of af

any religion;

SECT.

II.

III. That authentic documents have been handed down to pofterity from about the time, when fuch events took place, without any corruption or interpolation, except fuch various readings as are the natural and neceffary confequence of frequent transcription; and which may, generally fpeaking, be corrected by a careful collation of the best and most ancient copies b:

IV. And that the moral precepts be fuch, as are worthy of the goodnefs and purity of God; tending to promote virtue, and to difcountenance vice.

b A religion may indeed be true, without poffeffing this third mark; but in that cafe, we never can be abfolutely certain of its truth, because we know not how far the oral tradition might have been corrupted. Hence we may reafonably conclude, that God never would send a religion into the world defective in fo material a point.

c It may be proper to obferve, that, during the application of the two firft of these rules to the Mofaical difpenfation, it must be granted, merely for the fake of argument, that the Pentateuch contains a true narrative of facts. In other words, I fhall endeavour to prove, that, fuppofing for a moment the Scripture hiftory to be authentic, Mofes was neither felf-deceived nor a deceiver of others. Whether the hiftory be authentic or no, fhall be confidered under the third peculiarity to be required in a true religion. See chap. v.

Mr. Leflie's four rules for afcertaining the truth of any matter of fact, are, " first, That the matters of fact be such,

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and applied

ifm.

If we examine the Pagan mythologies CHAP. by these rules, we fhall invariably find I. them deficient in one or other, generally in all of them. We have no fufficient to Pagancause to believe, that either Zoroafter, or Thoth, or Orpheus, or Numa, were really inspired, or even fancied themselves, to be fo. We rather have every reafon to imagine, that they wifhed to deceive their followers, for the purposes of acquiring political influence. But even for a moment allowing these two particulars, what genuine documents have we of the original propagation of Paganism? We have nothing to rely upon, but a blind and uncertain tradition. Neither the Orphic hymns, nor the Theogony of Hefiod, much less the Metamorphofes of Ovid, pretend to have been written at the time, when the things, which they relate, were tranfacted. Where can we find any credible account

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as that men's outward fenfes, their eyes and ears, may be "judges of it; fecondly, that it be done publicly in the "face of the world; thirdly, that not only public monu"ments be kept up in memory of it, but fome outward ac"tions to be performed; fourthly, that fuch monuments, " and fuch actions and obfervances be inftituted, and do commence from the time that the matter of fact was "done." Short Method with the Deifts.

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