Imatges de pàgina
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to their Diana Taurica or Scythica, fo renowned of old; and the Sarmatians worshiping in ftrange Rites one Deity called Pogwifd, another Jeffa, a third called Lacton; and Nia, Marzana, and Zievonia, Goddeffes; befides two famous Deities named Zelus and Poletus, which were jointly worshiped like the Diofcuri. I need not make any Remarks upon the ceremonious Worships of the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans; for among them I am fure natural Religion was buried under Loads of Ceremonies: There we hall hear of nothing but Temples, and Priefts, and Altars; Expiations, Luftrations, Pomps and Proceffions; Images, Hieroglyphicks, Auguries, Plays, and a thousand other Rites, which learned Men have wrote large Volumes to explain. And if we go farther Eaftward into Perfia, and Syria; we fhall fee the former employed about ftrange Ceremonies in the worship of the Sun, keeping in the facred Fires, facrificing Horfes to Mi thras, with many other Rites which the Magi had invent→ ed; and shall find the Syrians running after a Troop of different Gods, with as different Worthips, Molech, Af taroth, Baal, Dagon, Beelzebub, Nifroch, Rimmon, Nebo, &c. Vid. Selden de Diis Syris.

And if you please to look upon the Books of Travels into the East and Weft-Indies, you will find altogether as much Ceremony in the Heathen's Worship there: So that I beseech you, Philologus, to fhew in what Part of the World this natural Religion of yours lay fculking, in this univerfal Reign of Rites and Ceremonies. And if you cannot, I must conclude, that this Story of the ancient Univerfality of pure natural Religion is all philofophical Romance, and never had any Being, but in the Brains of the Gentlemen of your Perfuafion, and thofe of fome System-makers and Preachers of late, drawn from the scatter'd Sayings and Books of Philofophers, which some have fanfied a compleat Syftem of Religion, which alone was owned and practifed for fome Ages in the World. But I think it is clear from the foregoing Obfervations, that your Notion of fuch a fimple natural Religion was never practifed in the World, as far as prophane

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that is

Lion, was at

first Regealed.

Hiftory goes; and as for those that allow the facred, thé Sacrifices of Cain and Abel will evince ritual Worship to be as old as Mankind it felf. Which will be yet clearer when it appears.

3. That the common Rules of Morality, or a good called na- Life, which we generally call natural Religion, were at sural Reli- firft revealed by God. This may feem a little ftrange to thofe who are prepoffeffed by other Opinions; but it feems rather more ftrange to confider, that thofe moral Notions fhould come into the Soul by the ufual Ways that are generally fuppofed. It was formerly the current Opinion of the Schools, that thefe moral Notices were Ideas connate with the Soul, and in a certain Manner infcribed upon it. But it is very odd to think, how fuch Propofitions as thefe, Parents are to be honoured, Friends are to be affifted, the Marriage-bed to be undefiled, Whoredom and Drunkenness avoided; 'tis odd to think, I fay, how thefe Propofitions which are the Complication. of fo many diftinct and fimple Ideas, which we are fure are generally attained by Experience and Reason, fhould yet be afferted to come into the Mind by fuch an unaccountable Way, as this of Infcription. But feeing no more is meant by this Infcription, than a Kind of natural and univerfal Infpiration of the Soul or Imbution of it with these moral Principles; this is altogether unagreeable to the Souls of Children, Ideots, and fome very rous People, who we are certain do want moft of thefe moral Notions. So that of late this Opinion of innate Ideas has been generally exploded by learned Men, and another taken up, it may be fubject to as many Difficulties, which attributes the Origin of these moral Notions to the Deductions of right Reafon; afferting, that the Generality of Men having the Ufe of Reason, and few of them being fo brutish, but in their Life-time they apply their Minds to the Confideration of thefe moral Duties, and fo by the Agreeableness of them to the focial Life of Mankind, do calily infer the Obligation of them. And fo the Lau natural is by this Explication nothing elfe, but a Scheme of Virtues and Vices, which every Man, by

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his own Reason and Experience, has found out to be fuch from their Agreeablenefs and Difagreeableness to Soctery, and to the Ends Man is defigned for. Thus I am fuppofed to come to know, that to rob my Neighbour is unlawful, because this is contrary to thofe Pacts of Fidelity we have entred into together, or because this is inconfiftent with that mutual † Love and Kindnefs we ought to bear to our Fellow-creatures; or because this violates the natural Right which accrues to another by Occupation, il and which cannot be alienated but by Gift, or Sale, or Dereliction. Now there is many a poor honeft Indian who knows it is his Duty not to fteal, as well as e'er a Hobbs or Puffendorff of them all; and yet he never in his Life fo much as dreamt of Pacts, or Fides Data, or Occupation. Suppofe I bargain with an honeft Virginian for a Pipe of Tobacco, and a Bottle of Sack, to watch my Tent, whilft I fleep, from wild Beafts or Banditti's: now when he might cut my Throat, and run away with all that I have; what is the Reason that the poor Fellow ftays walking about as truftfully with his Bow and Arrow, as if he were fet Centinel by a Captain that would hang him for running away? Why, fay moft of our Natural-religion Men, by frequent Exercife of his Reafon and Thinking, he has come to the Knowledge of the Horridnefs of the Sin of Murther, and the Bafenefs of Unfaithfulness. But then who can ever think, that this poor ignorant Wretch fhould ever have given himself to fuch grave and philofophick Difquifitions that he should ever have confidered, that to kill a rational Creature, was to deface the Image of the All-wife Deity, to ufurp a barbarous Power over one naturally equal with himself, and to take away that Life which mutual Friendship obliged him to protect; that to violate a given Faith was a Bafenefs beneath the Dignity of a rational Man, and which, if univerfally practifed, would destroy all Society out of the World. No certainly, the

Vid. Hobb's Leviathan. + Parker's Law of Nature. || Puffendorff de Jur. Nat, & Gentium,

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poor Indian never troubled his Head with thefe Matters his Thoughts in his younger Days ran all upon Hunting, and Swimming, and Loving, and afterwards to get good Store of Prog for his Wives and Children; int he ne ver thought a Word of these Rationales of Morality, which were invented by Men of a learned Education and bufy Thoughts. How came then this poor Fellow to the Knowledge of thefe moral Duties? Why truly, I can conceive no other Way than by Tradition; his Father taught them him, and his Grand-father his Father, and fo up to Adam, the common Parent of us all; who had them firft from God Almighty, as the univerfal Laws, that all his Pofterity fhould be governed by. Nor is it any Objection againft this Opinion, that Tradition does not feem to fome fo proper a Means to convey Morality by to Mankind, becaufe of its Liableness to Corruption; and that it would have been more fenfibly vitiated than we find it is, had it defcended by this Method: For tho' Relations of Matters of Fact, ancient Cuftoms, and difficult Articles of Faith, may fuffer much by being conveyed this Way; because the Understandings of Men cannot be fuppofed to have a clear Understanding of these Things upon the firft Propofal, and fo may be liable to miftake them, which muft occafion very great Alterations in fuch a Number of Deliveries; but thefe plain Rules of Morality, fuch as worship God, honour thy Parents, thou fhalt do no Murther, thou shalt not steal, &c. are fo natural to the Understanding, fo eafy to be embraced by it, and appear upon Propofal to be fo extremely useful to Mankind, that they must be affented to, and can never be miftaken or forgot. The fame is the Cafe of these moral Rules, as of very early and ufeful Inventions, fuch as Spinning, Weaving, Arching, &c. which are conveyed to all the World, not by being written in Books, or in Men's Hearts, but by the handing down from one to another for feveral thousand Years together. Now unJefs it was the general Opinion of Mankind, that this was the ordinary Way of conveying the Rules of Morality to their Pofterity; to what Purpofe fhould they take fo

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much Pains in inftructing their Children, as we find Men have done in all Ages, and in all Countries? But if Morality were inscribed on Men's Hearts, and fo were all one as if it were implanted in their Nature; Parents might with as much Wisdom pretend to teach their Children to eat and drink, to love their Children, and defire a Propagation of their Species, which they cannot but do; or if these moral Duties were the neceffary and unavoidable Deductions of Reason, it would be as fimple to go about to learn them the Rules of Virtue, as to teach them that one and one make two. And it is farther particularly. remarkable, and which may ferve as a good Proof of what has been faid, we find that Parents are commanded by God, Deut. vi. 6. to teach their Children these moral Duties. For after the recital of the ten Commandments, (viz. the moral Law,) He adds, And thefe Words which I command thee this Day fhall be in thy Heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy Children, and shalt talk of them when thou fittest in thy House, and when thou walk eft by the Way, and when thou lieft down, and when thou rifeft up. And 'tis yet farther remarkable, that what Mofes here fays, fhall be in the Jews Hearts, the Apostle fays, Rom. ii. 15. was written in the Gentiles Hearts; So that unless there can be a fubftantial Difference evinced between being in the Heart, and being written there, all the Doctrine of infcribed Propofitions falls to the ground. And I am fure there is no Reafon why God fhould write moral Laws in the grofs and literal Senfe in the Gentiles Hearts, and put them into the Jews by the ordinary Way of Teaching and Inftruction.

4. But in the fourth place, Philologus, you are fome- Riddles not thing mistaken in afferting that it was the ancient Riddles, the Corrup when Men affected to deliver facred Truths in the ænig tural Reliz tion of namatical Way, that firft debauched natural Religion, by gion. introducing all the Fabulofity of the Heathen Polytheifm. This is a Pofition, which is afferted very confidently by fome, who I believe are better Friends to Religion than you, but I think without juft Ground, for whatever I could fee,

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