ral fect of religion, to keep them quiet. And whenever Christianity shall be abolished, the legislature must find fome other expedient to employ and entertain them. For what imports it how large a gate you open, if there will be always left a number, who place a pride and a merit in refufing to enter ?

HAVING thus confidered the most important objections against Christianity, and the chief advantages propofed by the abolishing thereof; I fhall now, with equal deference and fubmiffion to wifer judgments as before, proceed to mention a few inconveniences that may happen, if the gospel should be repealed; which perhaps the projectors may not have fufficiently confidered.

AND, firft, I am very fenfible how much the gentlemen of wit and pleasure are apt to murmur, and be choked at the fight of fo many daggled-tail parfons, who happened to fall in their way, and offend their eyes. But at the fame time these wife reformers do not confider, what an advantage and felicity it is, for great wits to be always provided with objects of fcorn and contempt, in order to exercise and improve their talents, and divert their fpleen from falling on each other, or on themselves; especially when all this may be done without the leaft imaginable danger to their perfons.

AND to urge another argument of a parallel nature : If Christianity were once abolished, how could the freethinkers, the ftrong reafoners, and the men of profound learning, be able to find another subject fo calculated in all points whereon to display their abili ties? What wonderful productions of wit should we be deprived of, from those whofe genius, by continual practice, hath been wholly turned upon rallery and invectives against religion, and would therefore never be able to fhine or diftinguifh themfelves upon any other fubject? We are daily complaining of the great decline of wit among us; and would we take away the greatest, perhaps the only topic we have left? Who would ever have fufpected Afgil for a wit, or Toland for a philofopher, if the inexhaustible stock of Christianity had not been at hand to provide them with materials? What other subject thro' all art or nature could have produced Tindal for a profound author, or furnished him

with readers? It is the wife choice of the fubject that alone adorns and distinguishes the writer. For had an hundred fuch pens as thefe been employed on the fide of religion, they would have immediately funk into filence and oblivion.

Nor do I think it wholly groundless, or my fears altogether imaginary, that the abolishing of Christianity may perhaps bring the church in danger, or at least put the fenate to the trouble of another fecuring vote. I defire I may not be mistaken: I am far from prefuming to affirm, or think, that the church is in danger at prefent, or as things now ftand; but we know not how foon it may be fo when the Chriftian religion is repealed. As plaufible as this project feems, there may be a dangerous defign lurking under it. Nothing can be more notorious, than that the Atheists, Deifts, Socinians, Antitrinitarians, and other fubdivifions of freethinkers, are perfons of little zeal for the present ecclefiaftical establishment. Their declared opinion is for repealing the facramental test; they are very indifferent with regard to ceremonies; nor do they hold the jus divinum of Epifcopacy. Therefore this may be intended as one politic step towards altering the conftitution of the church-established, and fetting up Prefbytery in the ftead; which I leave to be further confidered by those at the helm.

IN the laft place, I think nothing can be more plain, than that, by this expedient, we fhall run into the evil we chiefly pretend to avoid; and that the abolishment of the Chriftian religion will be the readieft courfe we can take to introduce Popery. And I am the more inclined to this opinion, because we know it hath been the conftant practice of the Jesuits to fend over emissaries, with inftructions to perfonate themselves members of the feveral prevailing fects among us. So it is recorded, that they have at fundry times appeared in the guife of Prefbyterians, Anabaptifts, Independents, and Quakers, according as any of these were moft in credit: fo, fince the fashion hath been taken up of exploding religion, the Popish miffionaries have not been wanting to mix with the freethinkers; among whom Toland, the great oracle of the Anti-Chriftians, is an Irish priest, the fon of an Irish prieft; and the most learned and ingeVOL. I.

T

nious

nious author of a book called the Rights of the Chriftian church, was, in a proper juncture, reconciled to the Romifh faith; whofe true fon, as appears by a hundred paffages in his treatise, he ftill continues. Perhaps I could add fome others to the number; but the fact is beyond difpute. And the reafoning they proceed by is right for fuppofing Chriftianity to be extinguished, the people will never be at eafe till they find out fome other method of worship; which will as infallibly produce fuperftition, as fuperftition will end in Popery.

AND therefore, if, notwithstanding all I have said, it ftill be thought neceffary to have a bill brought in for repealing Christianity, I would humbly offer an amendment, that instead of the word Chriftianity, may be put religion in general; which, I conceive, will much better answer all the good ends propofed by the projectors of it. For as long as we leave in being a God and his providence, with all the neceffary confequences which curious and inquifitive men will be apt to draw from fuch premiffes ; we do not strike at the root of the evil, tho' we should ever fo effectually annihilate the prefent fcheme of the gofpel. For of what ufe is freedom of thought, if it will not produce freedom of action; which is the fole end, how remote foever in appearance, of all objections against Christianity? and therefore the freethinkers confider it as a fort of edifice, wherein all the parts have fuch a mutual dependence on each other, that, if you happen to pull out one fingle nail, the whole fabric muft fall to the ground. This was happily exprefled by him, who had heard of a text brought for proof of the Trinity, which in an ancient manufcript was differently read; he thereupon immediately took the hint, and, by a sudden deduction of a long forites †, moft logically concluded, Why, if it be as you fay. I may fafely whore and drink on, and defy the parfon. From which, and many the like inftances eafy to be produced, I think nothing can be more manifeft, than that the quarrel is not against any particular points of hard digeftion in the

A forites differs from a fyllogifm, in that it takes only the minor propofition. An example of this figure may be seen, vol. viii. in John Bull, part 2. chap. 17. near the end, p. 268.

the Chriftian fyftem; but against religion in general; which, by laying reftraints on human nature, is fuppofed the great enemy to the freedom of thought and action.

UPON the whole, if it shall still be thought for the benefit of church and ftate, that Christianity be abolished; I conceive, however, it may be more convenient to defer the execution to a time of peace; and not venture in this conjuncture to disoblige our allies, who, as it falls out, are all Chriftians; and many of them, by the prejudices of their education, fo bigotted, as to place a fort of pride in the appellation. If, upon being rejected by them, we are to truft to an alliance with the Turk, we shall find ourselves much deceived: for as he is too remote, and generally engaged in war with the Perfian Emperor, fo his people would be more scandalized at our infidelity, than our Chriftian neighbours. For the Turks are not only ftrict observers of religious worship; but, what is worfe, believe a God; which is more than is required of us, even while we preferve the name of Chriftians.

To conclude: Whatever fome may think of the great advantages to trade by this favourite scheme, I do very much apprehend, that in fix months time after the act is paffed for the extirpation of the gospel, the Bank and East-India stock may fall, at leaft, one per cent. And, fince that is fifty times more than ever the wisdom of our age thought fit to venture for the prefervation of Christianity, there is no reafon we should be at fo great lofs, merely for the fake of deftroying it.

196

A Project for the ADVANCEMENT of RELIGION and the REFORMATION of MANNERS*.

By a PERSON of QUALITY.

Written in the year 1709.

To the Countess of BERKLEY +.

MADAM,

MY

Y intention in prefixing your Ladyfhip's name, is not, after the common form, to defire your protection of the following papers; which I take to be a very unreasonable requeft; fince, by being infcribed to your Ladyship, tho' without your knowledge, and from a concealed hand, you cannot recom

mend

The author appears in earnest throughout this whole treatife; and the dedication, or introduction, is in a strain of serious panegyric, which the Lady, to whom it is addreffed, undoubtedly deferved. But as the pamphlet is of the fatirical kind, I am apt to imagine, that the Dean put a violence upon himself, in chusing to appear candidly ferious, rather than to fmile under his ufual mafk of gravity. Methinks, upon thefe occafions, I perceive him writing in fhackles. Orrery.

In the Project, &c. Dr. Swift appears in the character of a great infpired prophet. He crieth aloud, he spareth not, he lifteth up his voice like a trumpet. If. lviii. 1. He rebuketh all ranks of men for their depravities and corruptions, their profaneness, their blafphemy and irreligion. His difcourfe he addreffeth unto his Sovereign, and, beyond all contradiction, proveth it to be an important duty incumbent on all princes, to encourage and to enforce morals and religion, by exerting their utmost authority. He then applieth himself to the legislature, conjuring them to forward fo noble a defign, and to provide remedies against that torrent of iniquity, which, if not vigorously oppofed, would certainly increase, and never ftop in its career, until it fubverted the conftitution. And, finally, he declares, in the prophetic style and fpirit, that a reformation of manners, and turning unto God, are the best natural as well as religious means, to bring the war to an happy conclufion. Swift.

+ This excellent Lady, was Elifabeth, the daughter of Baptift Noel, Viscount Campden, and fifter to Edward Earl of Gainfborough. Hawkef