ADDRESSED TO THE

PHILOSOPHERS AND POLITICIANS

ОР

FRANCE.

LETTER I.

GENTLEMEN,

THE

HE representatives of your nation, zealous to diftinguish themselves as the patrons of liberty, and the friends of the oppreffed and perfecuted, in every part of the world, have done me the honour of making me a citizen of France; and many of your departments, conceiving much too highly of me, and mistaking my talents, did me the farther honour of inviting me to take a feat in your Conventional Affembly. Though, confcious

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confcious of my incapacity to discharge the duties of this appointment, and unwilling to abandon a situation of fome usefulness in this country, I declined this honour, I accepted with gratitude that of citizenship for myself, as well as for my fon; and, willing to do every thing in my power for the country that has fo generously adopted me, I shall run the risk of being lefs favourably thought of by fome of you, by addreffing you on a subject which I conceive to be of infinite importance to all mankind, though it appears to be too much overlooked, or grofsly misunderstood, by the greatest part of the French nation. You to whom I particularly address these Letters, viz. the Philofophers and Politicians, will fmile, and fome of you perhaps will proceed no farther, when I fay that this fubject is that of religion.

I am well aware that the very term religion will give many of you difguft. Nor do I wonder at it, when I confider how much the thing has been abused, and how much the interested and artful have availed themselves

of

of the ignorance and credulity of the rest of the world with refpect to it, fo that the groffeft impofitions have long paffed for feri

ous truth.

Such, however, you well know to have been the cafe with refpect to philofophy, and efpecially chemistry, though the age of myftery and deception in this business is now over, and rational and useful fcience has taken place of folemn pretenfions, abfurd fyftems, and idle tricks. But because we now hear no more of the art of tranfmuting metals, or of the elixir vita, which were the great objects of the chemifts of the last age, do we abandon every thing that bears the name of chemistry? Neither, then, ought we to difcard every thing that bears the name of religion, because we have exploded fuperstition and prieftcraft.

The objects of religion are unquestionably of infinite magnitude, compared to which every thing relating to philofophy and chemiftry is as nothing. If there be a God, a providence,

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providence, and a future ftate, which are the objects of religion, it must be of the greatest confequence to men to be apprized of them. For befides that they are fubjects of the greatest fublimity in themselves, and moft deferving of our attention and contemplation as rational beings, our knowledge of them is of the greatest use to direct our practice, and enable us to secure our greatest happiness.

I am far, however, from being willing to dazzle your minds with a display of the magnitude, and interefting nature, of the objects that I would recommend to your attention. Be as much upon your guard against deception as you poffibly can. It behoves you to be fo, and the more, in proportion to the importance of the fubject. But be upon your guard alfo against deep-rooted prejudices with respect to a fubject that you must acknowledge you have not much confidered. Take nothing for granted, either from your nurses, from bold atheistical writers, who abound among you, or from myfelf. But whatever means you apply to detect error, and investigate truth,

in other cafes, apply them here; and admit nothing for true but when the reasons in favour of it shall be superior to those against it.

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I will even put the matter on this fair iffue. I invite you to admit nothing but what shall appear to be least contrary to natural analogy, and confequently to probability. For I maintain that, as unbelievers in revealed religion, admit what is more contrary to common experience, and daily obfervation, than I do. I well know you laugh at the idea of miracles; but I fay that it will be found, upon inquiry, that you believe in greater miracles than myself. This you muft acknowledge to be a fair iffue, and upon this I freely put every question between us.