The great lesson which every sect, and every individual of every sect, ought to learn from the history of the church, is Moderation. Want of genuine Moderation towards those who differ from us in religious opinions, seeins to be the most unaccountable thing in the world. Watson, Bishop of Landaf THE CHRISTIAN WORLD is divided into denominations, each of which is discriminated by sentiments peculiar to itself. To delineate the nature, point out the foundation, and appreciate the tendency of every individual opinion, would be an endless task. My only design is briefly to enumerate the leading tenets of the several par ties which attract our notice, and to make this variety of religious opinions a ground for the exercise of moderation, together with the improvement of other Christian graces. The moderation here recommended lies at an equal distance between an indifference to truth and the merciless spirit of uncharitableness. It is a virtue, alas! much talked of, little understood, and less prac tised. B But before we delineate the tenets of the several parties, the Atheists and Deists shall be just mentioned, two descriptions of persons frequently confounded together; and also a general outline given of Theophilanthropism and Mahometanism, of Judaism and Christianity. These topics will form a proper introduction to an account of the Sects and Denominations of the RELIGIOUS WORLD. ATHEISTS. THE Atheist does not believe in the existence of a God. He attributes surrounding nature and all its astonishing phænomena to chance, or to a fortuitous concourse of atoms. Plato distin-. guishes three sorts of Atheists; such as deny absolutely that there are any Gods; others who allow the existence of the Gods, but deny that they concern themselves with human affairs, and so disbelieve a Providence; and lastly, such as believe in the Gods and a Providence, but think that they are easily appeased, and remit the greatest crimes for the smallest supplication. The first of these, however, are the only Atheists, in the strict and proper sense of the word. The name of Atheist is composed of two Greek terms, a and Oos, signifying without God, and in this sense the appellation occurs in the New Testament, Ephes. ii. 12, Without God (or Atheists) in the world. It is to be hoped that direct Atheists are few. Some persons indeed question the reality of such a character, and others insist, that pretensions to Atheism have their origin in pride, or are adopted as a cloak for licentiousness. In the seventeenth century, Spinosa, a foreigner, was its noted defender; and Lucilio Vanini, an Italian, of eccentric character, was burnt, 1619, at Toulouse, for his Atheistical tenets. Being pressed to make public acknow. ledgment of his crime, and to ask pardon of God, the king, and justice, he boldly replied, that he did not believe there was a God; that he never offended the king; and as for justice, he wished it to the devil. He confessed that he was one of the twelve who parted in company from Naples, to spread their doctrines in all parts of Europe. The poor man, however, ought not to have been put to death; confinement is the best remedy for insanity. Lord Bacon, in his Essays, justly remarks, that "A little philosophy inclineth a man's mind to Atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to reli. gion; for while the mind of man looketh upon second causes scattered, it may rest in them and go no farther: but when it heholdeth the chain of them confederated and linked together, it must needs fly to Providence and Deity." Archbishop Tillotson, speaking of Atheism, says, "For some ages before the reformation, Atheism was confined to Italy, and had its chief residence at Rome. All the mention that is of it in the history of those times, the Papists themselves give us, in the lives of their own popes and cardinals, excepting two or three small philosophers, that were retainers to that court. So that this Atheistical humour amongst Christians was the spawn of the gross superstition and corrupt manners of the Romish church and court. And, indeed, nothing is more natural than for extremes in Religion to beget one another, like the vibrations of a pendulum, which the more violently you swing it one way, the farther it will return the other. But in this last age Atheism has travelled over the Alps and infected France; and now of late it hath crossed the seas and invaded our nation, and hath prevailed to amazement!" 1 The sermons preached at Boyle's Lecture-the discourses of Abernethy on the Divine Attributesand the treatises of Dr. Balguy, are an excellent antidote against Atheistical tenets. This last writer thus forcibly expresses himself on the subject : "Of all the false doctrines and foolish opinions which ever infested the mind of man, nothing can possibly equal that of Atheism, which |