prescribed, and acted towards others, and for the same ends; the same for my obedience as has been done for others, if ever it was done; that I may know the rules to be his. If this be proscribing rules for his wisdom, his wisdom was never directed by these rules. If it never was, then my information is false, which is what I ought to examine into, and be convinced of Still the common cry is, if you take away our rule, what do you give us in its room? These men do not know, that what ground error and superstition loses, truth and reason gains; and the contrary. Is not reason a better guide than superstition, and rational conviction than traditional tales? How can a rule then be wanting, when superstition or credulity fails to be that rule? Is not reason an equal enemy to both? and does not reason build on sense and experience? How then can a good guide be wanting to those, who quit the blind guides of credulity and superstition? Is not reason and understanding the true light of the mind? and can they want a guide who follow this light? Does not this objection then argue blindness and stupidity? Reason then is the rule, the guide we ought to adhere to, improve, and employ by examination and exercise, to know thereby, what is right. The conviction and direction of this rule, we should follow and no other. This is the superior, and the only rule and judge, seeing all rules are judged by it. How then can we want a rule, even if all others are taken away, when we always carry this rule within us? And may therefore have recourse to it in every time of need, by only asking ourselves, Is it reasonable? and considering in ourselves, what the reasonable answer must be. But what need is there for all this enquiry? and what benefit will accrue from it? The benefits are many. All virtue is the offspring of truth, none comes from ignorance. Truth teaches all good things? error all evil things; truth promotes friendship, good neighbourhood, and sociability among men: it cultivates human nature, and dignifies it. It is the patron of liberty, of peace, of confidence, and trust in each other. Truth gives satisfaction to him who possesses it, by removing those vain fears and terrors which distract and torture those that travel in error; and directs to avoid all those infatuations, dangers, and distresses which ignorance leads men into. A redemption from these evils is obtained by Free Enquiry: by it truth is known and enjoyed, and man's mind is brought to a state of happiness: the kingdom of heaven is within him, to him the kingdom of God is come. TO THE FREE ENQUIRERS. GENTLEMEN, By means of your Paper, give me leave to convey the following lines to the Writer of the first letter in your second Number. SIR, Whoever you are, excuse me for the liberty I take, in asking you, Why, after you had wrote so well in favour of reason, that I think it cannot be easily mended, you added your last needless paragraph? If you were not conscious, that what you had wrote, was designed to injure Christianity in general, since you attacked no doctrine of it in particular? or why did you fear in the end, that it should be so conceived? I see nothing in it of that nature, and 1 think if you had not seen more, you would have said nothing about it, therefore had no occasion to apologize for any injury you had not committed, if you had conceived none. It betrays a bad conscience, for a man to plead not guilty, before any accusation is laid to his charge. "Suspect the woman when no fear's upon her, That in all company's, "I'm chaste!" cries out, Neither party is obliged to you for your apology: it is supposing Christians are afraid of sound reasoning, and that others will pervert it. Your great concern for defending Christianity, where Christianity is not concerned, gives reason for jealousy, that it was aimed against it. And surely, Sir, Christianity, it is hoped, it not an unreasonable religion; if it is, let it go, as not worth contending for: if reason cannot support it, let it drop. Your apology tends to raise unnecessary fears in Christians, that Christianity may be subverted by reason. Go on in the name and power of it, do your utmost, you cannot hurt it; is it like an old house, ready to fall about our ears upon examining the foundation of it? I hope not. Make use of your reason in a free and masterly manner, and make no more needless and ill-judged apologies. When infidels apologize for Christianity, being driven to it by fear, or interest, or whatever makes them dissemble their real sentiments, they do it in so bungling a manner, that it is easily seen through, and tends only to their own confusion. Are Christians afraid of every declaration in favour of reason? No surely: But it seems by what you have said, you would raise up such fears in their minds. Do Christians fear that Christianity must fall, if reason stands? What sort of unreasonable Christians must these be? Upon the whole, let believers and unbelievers be frank and honest, that we may hear and judge what is right and true. No. 7.] THE FREE ENQUIRER. SATURDAY. [Nov. 28, 1761. We will not apologize for again suspending our Examination of the Life of Moses: but exhibit, without preface, the following contributions. GENTLEMEN! SOME particular expressions in a late Sacerdotal Address to his Majesty, which his known good sense will most certainly disregard, has occasioned the ensuing abstract thoughts on Religious Establishments in general. However disagreeable they may prove to some, I flatter myself they may be agreeable to the sentiments of all friends, to themselves and country; in confidence of which, they are submitted to you, Gentlemen, by AMICUS LIBERTATIS. To aim at public good, consistently with private, is certainly laudable. He who attempts it, though he fails of success, acts a commendable part. "Paul may plant, and Apollos may water, but it is God who giveth the increase."* If it be our business not only to think well, but do well, our actions should correspond with our thoughts. But if men are by any means, or in any manner, discountenanced in their good intentions, the public are the sufferers. But when truth can break through, and dispel the clouds of opposition, its radiancy always appears in the greater glory, and has the more sensible influence. Where this spirit obtains liberty, there it finds its proper soil, and seeks no other establish * 1 Cor. iii. 6. ment; there the seeds of truth and virtue bring forth their fruits of public and private good. It is asserted, that an established religion is highly necessary for the government of mankind; and some go so far as to say, that men had even better have a bad religion than none. But by a bad religion men are badly governed. This is a government that does evil, under a pretence of doing good. It is an evil power which authorizes men to do evil and justifies it; it is the corruption of all justice and equity; and can this be just and right? Is male administration the less oppressive, because executed. with authority? Does wickedness change its nature by being protected and sanctified? Can the nature of things be altered by the power of man? If not, what good can false religion do, which calls natural light darkness, and dark mysteries revelation? Religion is of that nature, that it either mends or mars the morals of mankind, as it is either true or false. Let it be supposed, that men, without religion, act according to nature; but men governed by false religion, act according to nature corrupted. What nature teaches may be seen by the untaught, uncultivated nations in America, and some parts of Africa, at the Cape of Good Hope. Have these people been guilty of the blood-shed, the cruelty and the tyranny, those nations have been guilty of, influenced by bad notions of religion? Have the Americans destroyed as many millions as the Spaniards? Do we read that the" Canaanites" of old spread desolation around them, like the Jews? Are not those religious. false, which are productive of mischief to mankind? As the mighty pretension of every religion is, to promote goodness; by what better rule can we judge of the truth aud goodness of a religion, than by the trial of truth it encourages, and the goodness it promotes?-Did ever nation, without a religious motive, murder in the most cruel manner, men and women, for confessing to have a solemn regard to faith and a 5 |