nrr siirr
 
 Stack 
 Annex 
 
 6 
 
 ^!fei 
 
 A 
 
 NEW SYSTEM 
 
 OF 
 
 RELIGION. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE DEITY. 
 
 | MAN, when will thy pride 
 M ^ M ceafe to be in exadt pro- 
 
 ; ^^> 
 
 *,ooo TC oo portion to thy ignorance ? 
 When will the heavenly light of 
 fcience teach thee humility, and 
 thyfelf? 
 
 Con- 
 
 2000378
 
 (4) 
 
 Confidcr, ye of the human race, 
 the various fyftems of religion, 
 which have been recommended to 
 your reverence by the tradition of 
 your fathers. Does not one, and 
 the fame, radical error pervade 
 them? Have not their founders 
 taught us pride, inftead of hu- 
 mility? Yes, ye awful fathers of 
 our worfhip! ye forgot that man 
 is but a particle of littlenefs, and 
 that the Deity is infinite great- 
 nefs. Ye forgot what different 
 degrees of magnitude there are, 
 between a grain of fand and the 
 fun : what infinite fcales of being, 
 between the Fountain of exiftence 
 and man! 
 
 Hence
 
 ( 5) 
 
 Hence blafphemous fanatic ifm 
 has eftablimed an approximation, 
 a familiarity, between little man 
 and the Creator of Gods. All the 
 cares of the Deity, all the paflions 
 which human folly has imputed to 
 him who is tranquillity, are con- 
 centrated in the affairs of a worm. 
 There are no dignified beings, but 
 the Deity and mankind ; and angels, 
 who are but the fervants of man. 
 Oh, horrible pride ! The Deity is 
 but a fuperior man, in the dark 
 conception of fanaticifm ; or men 
 are inferior deities. 
 
 Abandon this impious familia- 
 rity, abandon it for ever, and cover 
 
 thy
 
 (6) 
 
 % 
 
 thy head with duft, thou fon of the 
 meaneft exiftence ! Know that, as 
 the particles of fnow beneath the 
 northern pole, as the fand in the 
 burning defarts of Zaara, fo nume- 
 rous are the fcales of fpiritual ex- 
 istence, between the Deity and 
 man: and that the loweft race of 
 thefe beings knows that man is 
 but the Ihadow of nothing. 
 
 Sages have conceived that, as 
 there are venomous, and apparently 
 ufelefs, reptiles in the lower fcale 
 of exiftence, fo there may, in the 
 infinite number of worlds, be fome 
 apparently noxious and ufelefs ; and 
 whofe real ufe is only known to the 
 
 Creator.
 
 Creator. As a toad, or a viper, 
 upon earth, fuch may this globe be 
 in the riumber of worlds. Her in- 
 habitants may have been created, 
 and the lunar orb appointed to 
 maintain their native frenzy, as ex- 
 amples of folly to fuperior beings, 
 that they may, by comparifon, know 
 the value of wifdom, and be happy. 
 
 The intentions of the Creator we 
 cannot know : but the pride of man 
 we know, and the caufe of that 
 pride. Before the telefcope laid 
 open the wonders of the fky, it was 
 thought that the ftars were but or. 
 naments to our dome, and fparks 
 to illumine our darknefs. But by 
 
 what
 
 (8) 
 
 what mental telefcope mall we dif- 
 cover the fuperior fcales of fpiritual 
 cxiftence; and learn humility, by 
 comparing ourfelves with the in- 
 habitants of eternal day ? We are 
 proud, becaufe fuperior to beads, 
 whom we fee, and know: and 
 might be humble, could we fee, 
 and know, even the lowed link of 
 an infinite chain of fuperior being. 
 
 The Atheift, and the Deift, and 
 the worfhipper of received faiths, 
 are alike mifled by pride. The 
 Atheift erects himfelf into the in- 
 tellectual arbiter of the univerfe; 
 and thinks there is no knowledge, 
 but what relides in his own bofom. 
 
 How
 
 (9) 
 
 How canft thou prove the exiftencc 
 of a Deity, when thou canft not 
 prove thy own? Art thou not as 
 fanatic, abfolutely to deny, as 
 others, abfolutely to believe? Do 
 not thy fenfes, and thy reafon, per- 
 petually deceive thee? how then 
 canft thou know that there is no 
 God ? True it is that the credulity 
 of the nations is vaft, and the arts 
 of priefts various : but obferve well 
 the fabric of this world, and the 
 various fcale of being which our 
 organs admit us to perceive, and 
 confefs the probability of a Deity ; 
 nay, of many fuperior beings, of 
 fuch power as to be gods to man- 
 kind, though as men to the Foun- 
 tain
 
 (0) 
 
 tain of Life. Is thy mind fo narrow, 
 as to think that human conceptions 
 imprifon the univerfe ? Is man the 
 only rational being, becaufe the 
 only one with whom we are ac- 
 quainted? If thou believeft that 
 there is no God, thou art thyfelf 
 credulous ; and if thou wilheft to 
 perfuade others, thou art but a fa- 
 natic of a new faith. Atheift, doubt 
 of thy faith: doubt, but do not 
 tremble. Let not the pride of man 
 perfuade thee, that thy opinions 
 can excite any paffion, but pity, in 
 the minds of fuperior beings. 
 Could a man create a fly, and put 
 it into his garden, would he not 
 fmile to find, that the fly denied the
 
 cxifte.nce of his creator? Would 
 he be angry ? No. He would fay 
 the eyes of a fly are but fmall, and 
 how can he fee a large objed:? 
 
 And thou, Deift, why has thy 
 pride made thee fo familiar with 
 the Deity ? Thou believeft in the 
 exiftence of man, and in the exift- 
 cnce of one God ; but formeft no 
 conception of the infinite diftance 
 between God and man ; nor alloweft 
 that there mud be infinite orders of 
 rational being, between the meanefb 
 and the higheft. The meanefl of 
 thefe orders muft be as gods to 
 thee ; and yet thou laughefl at the 
 Polytheift. 
 
 But
 
 (12) 
 
 But the greateft pride belongs to 
 the received faiths, which bring 
 down the Deity to human littlenefs, 
 and level him in our duft. Syftems 
 of blafphemy, when will ye ceafc 
 to difgrace human reafon! Thou, 
 fanatic, art humble. Know that 
 thy humility is the extremity of 
 pride. The purple tyrant is a ftran- 
 ger to the pride that fvvells thy 
 heart. Thou art humble with man, 
 but the bofom friend of thy God, 
 who hears all thy petitions ; and has 
 appointed and felected thee from 
 the mafs of mankind, to be his fa- 
 miliar companion in this life, and 
 in eternity. Thou art humble I 
 
 To
 
 To human pride are all religions 
 indebted for their progrefs ; and a 
 more powerful and univerfal prin- 
 ciple could not be employed. Hold 
 out the idea of a felect, and chofen, 
 fociety, entitled to benefits unknown 
 to the reft of mankind, and you will 
 be greedily heard. And what is 
 this life to eternity? Let us, fay 
 they, be bruifed, and humbled in 
 this life ; while even here we arc 
 fupported with the proud idea, that 
 we are fuperior to the reft of man- 
 kind, and the chofen friends of God; 
 and that we {hall enjoy eternal 
 glory, and happinefs, while our 
 enemies, nay all mankind, not of 
 
 our
 
 (14) 
 
 our fociety, mall have eternal tor- 
 ture. How deeply are pride and 
 malice rooted in our hearts ! This 
 is what mortals call humility ! 
 
 Of the Deity man can form no 
 idea: and perhaps even the firft 
 fpiritual fcale cannot have the fmall- 
 eft comprehenfion of his attributes, 
 or mode of exiftence. Has a worm 
 any conception of the human mind? 
 When we fay that the Deity is felf- 
 exiftent, infinite, eternal, what ideas 
 can we form of thofe qualities ? 
 None. Let us adore him in filence : 
 but never imagine that our adora- 
 tion can honour the Fountain of 
 
 Being.
 
 ('5) 
 
 Being. Such adoration is blaf- 
 phemy. Our adoration only marks 
 us as rational creatures ; and excites 
 grateful and benevolent ideas in the 
 mind. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ^OOOOOCOOOOOOOeOOCOOO300c;OOO^ 
 
 MATTER AND CREATIOX. 
 
 A.L.L, things in exiftence, and all 
 modes of exiftence, have their op- 
 poiites. Nor can the human, or 
 perhaps any, mind form a concep- 
 tion of an object, without a tacit 
 comparifon between it and its op- 
 pofite. What idea of light, without 
 darknefs? of truth, without falfe- 
 hood ? of good, if there were no 
 evil ? It may be faid, that to deny 
 exiftence to any object, is at fame 
 time to deny exiftence to its op- 
 
 pofite :
 
 ('7) 
 
 polite : for without its contrariety 
 nothing is known to exift. 
 
 Hence to deny the eternity of 
 matter, is to deny the eternity of 
 the Deity. He is the fupreme op- 
 pofite of matter, of chaos. As the 
 pureft of fpirits he muft have had 
 his oppofite, in the grofieft of mat- 
 ter, from all eternity. 
 
 Had not matter been coeternal 
 with the Deity, he muft have filled 
 all fpace with infinite purity ; and 
 it was impoflible that any corrup- 
 tible matter could be produced, in 
 a univerfe completely filled with 
 the divine radiance. 
 
 If 
 
 D
 
 If we deny a coexiftent fubjec\ 
 we muft allow that the Deity is the 
 abfolute creator of evil, which 
 feems abfurd ; whereas if we grant 
 trie eternity of matter, the origin of 
 evil is accounted for, without any 
 derogation to the Creator. For 
 even omnipotence cannot work im- 
 poflibilities : and it is as impofllble 
 to impart fpiritual perfection to 
 matter, as it is to make darknefs 
 and light the fame. 
 
 No ancient fyftem of religion, or 
 philofophy, has ever iuppofed that 
 the Deity abfolute ly created matter; 
 caufed matter to exift, while no- 
 thing before exifted except himfelf. 
 
 Even
 
 ('9) 
 
 Even in the book of Genefis, the 
 word, tranflated created, implies 
 merely fa/hioned or made y as the 
 moft fkilful Hebraifts agree. The 
 Bramins, the Perfians, the Phoeni- 
 cians, the Egyptians, the Greek 
 philofophers, all allowed a chaos, a; 
 mafs of inert matter, coexiftent 
 with the Deity. 
 
 Atheifts aflert of courfe the eter- 
 nity of matter ; and their antago- 
 nifts affume the oppofite proportion. 
 But the eternity of matter is indeed 
 the ftrongeft argument for the exif- 
 tence of a Deity, from that aphorifm 
 that no object exifts without its op- 
 pofite. This feems a law of ne 
 
 ceflity,
 
 ceflity, of fate, as an ancient Greek 
 would exprefs it, that even omnipo- 
 tence could not alter nor controul. 
 
 But how the pureft of fpirits, the 
 Deity, could act upon grofs and 
 inert matter, it is impoflible to con- 
 ceive. Light, which is almoft a 
 fpiritual fubftance, acts in a kind of 
 creative capacity upon grofs mat- 
 ter; but that a pure fpirit could 
 have no contact, nor influence 
 whatever, upon matter, is a grand 
 argument of modern atheifm. 
 
 The views of atheifm are, how- 
 ever, as confined, as thofe of fana- 
 ticifm. We muft believe that there 
 
 arc
 
 are at leaft as many degrees, and 
 forts, of fpirit, as of matter. The 
 creation of fpirits by the Deity, is 
 inconceivable by us; and perhaps 
 even by the pureft fpirits them- 
 felves. But grant that the Creator 
 only immediately formed the Gods, 
 the fpirits next to himfelf in power 
 and dignity, and imparted to them 
 a fupreme portion of his own crea- 
 tive power, why might not they 
 either acT: upon matter themfelves ; 
 or by creating inferior fpirits, but 
 flill of vaft power, minifter to a 
 progrefs, that led down by degrees 
 to the creation of matter ? What a 
 vaft idea muft it give us of the 
 great Firft Caufe to fuppofe even 
 
 this
 
 this world, and man, but the work 
 of one of his remote minifters ! But 
 can we have too vaft ideas of the 
 Deity? Yes, fays human pride, 
 we may! 
 
 CHAP.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 4$COOCCOOCQ00003COCOOCCCCeCCCC^ 
 
 THE GODS. 
 
 X HE polytheifm of all ancient 
 nations was founded upon miftaken 
 principles. Their gods were the 
 offspring of human pride, and often 
 but deified men ; ever limilar in 
 paflions, and vices, to mankind 
 their creators, not their creation. 
 The vaftnefs of the univerfe was 
 unknown, even to the ancient phi- 
 lofophers. This earth was efteem- 
 ed the eflence of creation, man in 
 
 the
 
 (4) 
 
 the next degree to the gods. All 
 religions have flood upon human 
 pride. 
 
 The polytheifm here to be efta- 
 blifhed, is on the contrary founded 
 upon the vaftnefs of the univerfe, 
 the infignificance of this earth, and 
 of man. Even inferior fpirits muft 
 be as gods to man, in power, in 
 knowledge, in every attribute. 
 
 But by the Gods are here meant 
 fpirits of vaft and fuperior power ; 
 capable of creating worlds, and of 
 annihilating them, as a man builds 
 a houfe, and throws it down. 
 
 That
 
 That fuch high beings are, is in- 
 ferable from the chain of exiftence, 
 obfervable in the material world. 
 Nor can any idea be more honour- 
 able to the Deity, than to fuppofe 
 that the (pirits of his own immediate 
 creation are of amazing power, and 
 perfection, and yet inferior to him 
 in an infinite degree. Now, if we 
 allow the exiftence of a Deity, the 
 moft magnificent ideas concerning 
 him muft infallibly be the moft true. 
 
 It is probable that each God pre- 
 fides over a world of his own crea- 
 tion, and has miniftering fpirits, 
 to manage different departments. 
 Some ancients believed that each 
 
 nation
 
 (26) 
 
 nation had it's guardian divinity; 
 nor can he who believes a firft caufe 
 of order, think that even human af- 
 fairs, little as they are, can be entirely 
 left to human management. 
 
 If even rhonarchs be approached 
 with awe, and a fort of adoration, there 
 can furely be no offence in the wor- 
 fhip of the Gods, our creators and 
 protectors. Humility, and propriety 
 concur to didiate that our adoration 
 of them cannot be offenfive to the 
 Deity, whom we rhoft highly honour 
 m honouring his immediate mi- 
 nifters. 
 
 Nor
 
 Nor let the trite argument againft 
 polytheifm be here applied, namely 
 that there cannot be but one being 
 omnipotent, and omniprefent. This 
 is true of the Deity, the great firft 
 caufe. But man is little ; and many 
 are the beings who are gods to him. 
 Nor can the power, or will, of thefe 
 beings clam. They are created 
 pure intelligences, for good, and 
 not for evil ; and feel immediately 
 the conftant prefence of the omni- 
 potent, and omniprefent, Deity. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 (28) 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE GENII. 
 
 J. H E fpiritual orders of being arc 
 unknown to us; and ofconfequence 
 we have no diftindl terms, even for 
 the grand divifions of thefe orders. 
 A thoufand names could not exprefs 
 even thefe grand divifions of fpirits, 
 diftinft in power, and in qualities. 
 
 The higheft order is that of the 
 Gods. The loweft that of the Genii, 
 or daemons. 
 
 Ancient
 
 Ancient philofophers, who aflerted 
 that every human being has his guar- 
 dian Genius, might with lefs abfur- 
 dity have aflerted that every ape has 
 his guardian man. Philofophy is 
 often but the quinteflence of human 
 pride. 
 
 The Gods cannot be evil, becaufc 
 fupreme intelligence, and fupremc 
 goodnefs, are the fame ; and wicked- 
 nefs and folly are fitters. But of 
 the daemons, whofe mind exceeds 
 that of man by only one degree, it 
 is not improbable that fome may 
 be bad. Their forms may even 
 partake of matter, and yet be what 
 men may call fpiritual. There may 
 
 be
 
 be degrees of matter fo fine as to 
 cfcape our organs. The air almoft 
 efcapes them. 
 
 The offices, and enjoyments, of 
 thefe fpirits, we are ftrangers to ; but 
 it is highly probable that they often 
 intermix in human affairs, and pro- 
 duce thofe fingular events, which 
 are by fome imputed to fortune, 
 and by others to a fpecial providence. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 (31) 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ORIGIN OF EVIL. 
 
 IF, fay the Atheifts, you take 
 away any of the attributes of the 
 Deity, you deftroy his exiftence, for 
 a Deity without benevolence, or 
 without power, is no Deity. Grant- 
 ed. But evil muft have got into the 
 univerfe, either with the permiflion 
 of the Deity, in which cafe he is not 
 all-good, or in other words, you 
 deftroy his exiftenee : or elfe againft 
 his permiflion, in which cafe he is 
 
 not
 
 (30 
 
 not omnipotent, and you alfo deftr'oy 
 his exiftence : this dilemma feems 
 the chief bafis of atheifm. 
 
 But the origin of evil may be ac- 
 counted for in two ways ; neither of 
 yrhich derogates from the belief of 
 a Deity. 
 
 The eternity of matter the Atheifts 
 will grant ;, and, without this being 
 allowed,, it feems impoffible to ac- 
 count for the origin of evil. 
 
 Though the Deity have infinite 
 benevolence, and, infinite power to 
 exert that benevolence, yet he can- 
 not operate abfolute impoflibilities. 
 
 He
 
 (33) 
 
 He cannot make a body be in one 
 place, and in another, at the fame 
 inftant ; nor can he render oppofite 
 objects identically the fame. He 
 cannot make light darknefs, nor 
 truth falfehood. Neither can he 
 make matter perfect, and free from 
 evil ; which is in it's eflence imper- 
 fect, and foil of evil. 
 
 In another point of view, if pride 
 would permit us to fuppofe it pofli- 
 ble that this our world, and man, 
 are but the works of inferior agents 
 of the Deity, whofe infinite purity 
 could not act upon matter, the ori- 
 gin of evil may be partly owing to 
 thefe agents being neither all-good 
 
 nor
 
 (34) 
 
 nor all-powerful. And yet no inw 
 putation refts upon the Deity, any 
 more than when we allow that the 
 Deity made man, and yet fee how 
 imperfect the works of man are. 
 That the Deity can act upon mat- 
 ter may be an impoffibility ; but it 
 is a certain impoffibility that he can 
 impart infinite benevolence, or infi- 
 nite power, to any other being. 
 
 The eaflcrn dogma of an evil dei- 
 ty, coeternal with the good, is inad- 
 miffible. An evil deity is a con- 
 tradiction in terms. Evil feems a 
 mere defect, or abfence of good; 
 as darknefs is the abfence of light. 
 Now a defect can never be an active 
 
 principle.
 
 (35) 
 
 principle. Moral evil is the fruit of 
 imperfect underftanding ; but infi- 
 nite intelligence is eflential to the 
 idea of a deity. 
 
 Ndr can a fpirit of any fuperior 
 order ever miftake evil for it's good, 
 or in other words, be evil. The 
 purity of it's effence mud adl, as a 
 quick inftincl, againft evil; and 
 the vaftnefs of it's intelligence muft 
 guard even againft it's diftant ap- 
 proach. It is denied that evil at 
 all exifts, except in matter and ma- 
 terial beings. 
 
 Even in human fociety good muft 
 exceed evil, elfe that fociety could 
 
 not
 
 (36) 
 
 not exift. In all countries, and ages, 
 a bad man is an exception to fo- 
 ciety, and not a rule. An action 
 muft have great goodnefs to excite 
 praife; and fmall wickednefs will 
 incur difpraife. When a man does 
 well, he is not praifed, becaufe he 
 barely does what is expected ; but 
 if ill, he is blamed. The natural 
 ftate of man muft be good: but 
 man in a ftate of perfection is a con- 
 tradiction in terms, irreconcileable 
 by human pride. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 (37) 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ^coeocooKooocootKooMOoeeooofr 
 
 MAN. 
 
 WHY am I here? fays the 
 Atheift. Thou art here, as part of 
 a large plan, which thou canft ne- 
 ver conceive, nor perhaps minds of 
 a thoufand times thy powers. 
 
 Man forms the medium between 
 material and fpiritual exiftence. 
 His component parts are perhaps 
 the moft diflbnant ; and his charac- 
 ter of courfe the moft eccentric of 
 
 all beings. 
 
 Some
 
 Some fix upon one predominant 
 character for mankind ; others upon 
 others. Some will have all men 
 influenced only by felf-intereft ; 
 others by vanity. But every one 
 needs but confult his own bread, 
 to find that he is influenced by a 
 variety of motives. 
 
 All mankind have indeed a lead- 
 ing character, namely incongruity. 
 
 The greateft minds often acl, and 
 fpeak, meanly ; the wifeft, foolimly. 
 
 Nay, the moft oppofite qualities 
 are often found in the fame man ; 
 the greateft folly in fome refpccts, 
 
 joined
 
 (39) 
 
 joined with the greateft wifdom in 
 others : and the like. 
 
 Man is in fome matters a fpirit, 
 in others a beaft. If any rational 
 being have occalion for the utmoft 
 humility, it is man : and yet he is 
 certainly of all rational beings 
 the moft proud. The reafon is, 
 that he is of all thefe beings the 
 moft ignorant. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 J 9009003000 OS<$ OCOJO00030O 
 
 HIS DUTIES. 
 
 A HE great duty of man is to be 
 ufeful, and beneficial to others. A 
 noxious plant produces poifon; a 
 beneficial one fruits. Such is 
 man. 
 
 The duty which we owe to the 
 Gods is a remote, and feeble, in- 
 centive to conduct. Our more im- 
 mediate motive is the good opinion 
 of others ; and a regard to the or- 
 der of fociety. 
 
 Human
 
 uo 
 
 Human nature has been reprefent- 
 ed as in a ftate of the utmoft depra- 
 vity ; but it's depravity has never 
 been fuch, and never will be fuch, 
 that good actions will pafs for bad, 
 and bad for good. Virtue lives. 
 
 Our regard for the opinion of 
 others therefore does honour to hu- 
 man nature, and to it's Creator. 
 
 But, independently of the opi- 
 nion of others, a man ought to do 
 what, from the nature and eflence 
 of morality, he knows to be juft and 
 right. 
 
 Man
 
 Man has certainly a moral in* 
 ftinct, which gives him fatisfac^ 
 tion, when he does what is right ; 
 and checks him when he acts 
 amifs. This moral inftinct is 
 what is commonly called con- 
 fcience. 
 
 Moral infiinct is as neceflary to 
 human exiftence, as natural iru 
 Hind is to that of beads. 
 
 This moral inftinct is an ac- 
 tual emanation of the Deity, en- 
 lightening all rational minds ; as 
 the emanation of folar light illu- 
 mines natural objects. The clouds 
 
 of
 
 (43) 
 
 of vice may obflrudl, but cannot 
 cxtinguifh, it. 
 
 Even brutal inftindl is an ema-* 
 nation of the Deity; but as the 
 recipient of light is, fuch is the 
 colour and nature of that light. 
 A vegetable only grows by the 
 folar heat: an infect grows, and 
 moves. The intellectual light of 
 the Deity is alike varied, in various 
 recipients. 
 
 Perhaps the moft approximate 
 motive to human action is, the eafe 
 and delight we feel in doing good, 
 and our pain in doing evil. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 HIS HAPPINESS. 
 
 A LEASURE cannot be happinefs, 
 becaufe conftant pleafure ceafes to 
 be fuch. 
 
 X 
 
 Pleafures demand intervals ; and 
 the higheft of them are momentary. 
 Happinefs muft be conftant; muft 
 exift in the intervals of pleafure. 
 
 Mere eafe, or indolence, is not 
 happinefs, any more than fleep is 
 happinefs. 
 
 Happinefs
 
 (45) 
 
 Happinefs confifts in the active 
 purfuit of fome great object; and 
 in intervals of pleafure and of eafe. 
 
 The improvement of the mind is 
 the moft important of human pur- 
 fuits; and the gradual acquifition of 
 virtue and of knowledge, leads to the 
 greateft happinefs. 
 
 If the moral inftincT: be much 
 clouded, and the love of virtue and 
 ufefui knowledge obliterated, the 
 man may have many pleafures, but 
 never can have happinefs. 
 
 If human exiftence terminate not 
 with this life, it is of the laft im- 
 portance
 
 (46) 
 
 portance to preferve the moral in- 
 flinft clear; for in proportion to 
 the clearnefs of that inftind, muft 
 our future happinefs be. 
 
 That vice and mifery are the 
 fame, is not a metaphor, but a 
 fimple truth. Every acl: of vice 
 foils the mental mirror of happi- 
 nefs. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 (47) 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A FUTURE LIFE. 
 
 iVlAN has no authentic title to 
 a future life. Think not, vain 
 mortals, that if ye died as the 
 beafts, the juftice of the Deity 
 could be arraigned. Impious 
 thought ! 
 
 Let the good be often mife- 
 rablc, and the bad often happy in 
 this life, what is it to the juftice of 
 the Deity ? Can he work impofli- 
 
 bilities,
 
 (48) 
 
 bilities, or overcome the imperfec- 
 tion of matter ? 
 
 Man is fo important in his own 
 eyes ! But if he does right, what 
 merit has he to entitle him to eter- 
 nal happinefs ? 
 
 Our horror at annihilation, and 
 our ftrong hopes of immortality, 
 have been adduced as arguments 
 for our immortality. Wife ar- 
 guments ! Are our fears, and 
 wifhes, rules for our Creator? 
 
 Could apes flatter themfelves 
 that they mould at their death be- 
 come men, would we regard their 
 
 vain
 
 (49) 
 
 Vain imaginations, as the rules of 
 nature ? 
 
 If the foul be immortal, it is 
 the effeft of the goodnefs of the 
 Creator, and not of his juflice. 
 
 It is impoflible to prove the 
 immortality of the foul ; and im- 
 poflible to prove its mortality. But 
 probability is in favour of the firft 
 polition. For man is the being who 
 connects the material and fpiritual 
 chain. As fuch he muft have 
 fomething fpiritual in him ; and 
 "what is fpiritual cannot die. 
 
 The
 
 The happinefs, or mifery of a 
 future life muft confift in the ftate of 
 the mind. Vice muftminifter its 
 own torments ; virtue its own hap- 
 pinefs. 
 
 END. 
 
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