ESSAY THE THIRD: Containing fome further REFLECTIONS On the RISE and PROGRESS of MONOTHEISM, That firft and great PRINCIPLE of NATURAL THEOLOGY, OR THE FIRST PHILOSOPHY. ESSAY THE THIRD. I SECTION I HAD finished the last effay before I recollected that there was fomething in Mr. LOCKE's Difcourfe concerning the reafonableness of Christianity, very repugnant to what I have advanced about the knowledge of the one true God, and to what I fhall have occasion to say, on another occasion, about the ignorance of natural religion, under which it is fuppofed that mankind labored before the coming of CHRIST. I fhall not anticipate the fecond point, but shall beftow fome more reflections on the firft, in order to judge, whilst the subject is fresh in my mind, whether I ought to retract any thing that I have faid to you in conversation, or that has fallen from my pen upon the fubject. If it appears, on examination, that my notions are not fo well founded in fact and in reafon, as those of this great man, in the prefent case, 1 shall submit with pleasure to an authority, that في that I refpect extremely in all cafes; and if it appears that they are better founded than his, in both, one ufeful leffon will be the refult of this examination: we fhall learn how unfafe it is to take for granted any thing, in matters efpecially which concern, or which are thought to concern, religion, that we have not ourselves examined, and how inexcufable it is to do this in cafes wherein we may be able, with a little pains, to judge for ourselves. THE first article of natural theology, in which the heathens were deficient, according to Mr. Locke, was the knowledge of one God, maker of all things. He admits, at the fame time, that the works of nature, in every part of them, fufficiently evidenced a deity; and that, by the impreffions of himself, God was easy to be found. Thefe affertions do not feem very confiftent: and therefore it is added, that the world made fo little use of their reason, that they faw him not, "fense and luft blinded their "minds. But the rational and thinking part of "mankind, he confeffes, found the one fupreme, "invifible God, when they fought after him." If this be true now, as it is moft certainly, the heathen world made as good ufe of their reafon, for ought I can fee, as the Chriftian world. In this, it is not the irrational and unthinking, but the rational and thinking, part of mankind who feek, and find the true God: and just so we are told that it was in the other. Befides, if this be be true, it follows, that this great and fundamental article of natural theology is discoverable by a due use of human reason; and Mr. LOCKE acknowledges accordingly, again, that God was found by the wife and virtuous: which is a limitation of no great fignificancy to his purpose, fince the vicious would have fought him in no ftate of mankind, nor the foolish have found him. But, fays this writer, the wise and virtuous had never authority enough to prevail on the multitude, and to persuade the societies of men, that there was but one God. If he had proved, as well as affirmed this, he would only have proved, what no man denies, that sufficient means to reclaim men from polytheism and idolatry, and to establish the belief of one God, appear to have been wanting in general, and to a great degree, as far as the memorials we have of ancient nations can fhew. He would not have proved, that the light of nature was infufficient, nor that the religion of nature was defective in this refpect. He would not have proved, what he had in view to establish, that the belief and worship of one God was the national religion of the Ifraelites alone, and that it was their par ticular privilege and advantage to know the true God, and the true worship of him; whilst all other nations, from the beginning, adored the host of heaven, as EUSEBIUS afferts very confidently, tho' he is far from proving it. EUSEBIUS took much pains, and used much M art, |