uninformed, and more dangerous to the principles of the great` mass of mankind, than any publications that this country ever before produced. And certain it is, that, having been distributed with infinite industry through every district of the kingdom, they did for a time diffuse their poison far and wide, and made a strong and fatal impression on the multitude. But, thanks be to God! they at length providentially met with talents infinitely superior to those of their illiterate author, which, with the blessing of Heaven upon them, gave a sudden and effectual check to the progress of this mischief, and afforded a striking proof of the truth of that prophecy respecting the stability of our religion, that "the gates of hell shall never prevail against it."

While Paine's works were addressed to the oi oλo, and were eagerly read by many in the lower ranks, Voltaire's writings have unquestionably produced more infidels among the higher classes, and spread more general corruption over the world, than all the voluminous productions of all the other philosophists of Europe put together.

On the other hand, see a piece in the second volume of the "Scholar Armed," entitled," Voltaire Dissected;" where it is said, that his reason "was to right reason what a monkey is to a man ;"-that his learning" was nothing extraordinary: he had the way of making a great figure with a little he affected universality, but it does not appear that he was deep in any one science;"-that his religion, "by which I mean his speculations about the Deity (for he had no other), was, as nearly as we can discover, the same with that of the Atheist Vanini ;"-that he was " as unsound in his metaphysics as in his divinity;"-that he was "as fond of levelling in learning as in politics;"-and that his object was "to be rid of truth under the name of error; and to this all his artifices were directed.

"With a strong disposition to evil, he was no friend to restraint of any kind: so he abhorred all but the law of liberty, which is no law; and all government but the government of equality, which is no government: and as religion is the support both of law and government, he hated that worst of all."" If the people of God have an enemy, Voltaire always finds in that enemy something congenial with himself. He therefore takes part with the Egyptians against the Jews, with the Heathens against the Christians, with the Sectaries against the Church, with the Heretics against the Scripture, and with Atheists against God; having expressly defended the Atheist Vanini." p. 334-5, &c.

It is evident that Voltaire was not a Deist only, but, at the same time, a Materialist, a Fatalist, a Sceptic, and an Atheist.

"There are none but quacks who are certain," (says he, writing to the king of Prussia, 28th November, 1770): "we know nothing of the first principles." And again, speaking of the soul," doubt is not an agreeable state, but certainty is a ridiculous one."

Yet this is the Coryphæus of the sect; the man who has given laws and religion to multitudes in Europe, for more than half a century past. The modern soi-disant philosophers, alias infidels, on the continent, are almost all his disciples: judge then of their improvements in philosophy, politics, and religion; and of the men who have lighted a torch that is to illuminate mankind,-ex uno disce omnes.

"They are the men of all mankind most wise;
And when they die, no doubt all wisdom dies."

See "Les Erreurs de Voltaire," by the Abbé Nonnotte, and "Voltaire in the Shades," or "Dialogues on the Deistical Controversy."

But notwithstanding their numbers, and the various arts they have used, infidelity has not been able to achieve any thing which may recompense the activity, or gratify the vanity of these its champions and abettors. They have successfully employed the arts of conversion with the churlish misanthrope, who would assimilate the character of the Deity to the dark and unamiable complexion of his own; with the raw and conceited stripling, who disdains to tread in the beaten track of opinion; and with the obdurate libertine, who is interested in weakening the sanctions, and disproving the very existence, of a law by which he stands condemned. But have the virtuous and the wise-have men of the highest rank in literature, or of the most respectable reputations in society-gone over to their party? By no means. And, if great and good men yet rank themselves under the banners of Christianity, when they may upon conviction desert it without danger and without infamy, a strong presumption arises, that the truth is on our side, and that the cause of true religion has been ably and successfully pleaded by her children.

But while we justify the ways of God, we mean not to speak with undistinguished contempt, or with unrelenting asperity, of every man by whom they have been arraigned. In some of those who have looked upon the Gospel with an unfriendly eye, we readily acknowledge, and, under any

VOL. II.

2 II

other circumstances, we should warmly admire, very shining abilities.

We mean only to say of infidels in general, what Dr. Jortin says, when speaking of those whom this country has produced, that "some of them have been ignorant and illiterate; most of them a sort of half-scholars, and retailers of second-hand wares; none of them eminently learned, or contributors to the advancement of erudition and knowledge in any material article *."

A few of them indeed, as Lord Herbert (the first, the most fair and candid, and by far the most respectable of our English Deists), Hobbes, Hume, and Collins, are allowed to have been moral characters +; but though the goodness of men's nature sometimes prevails, through God's mercy and restraining grace, over the ill tendency of their principles, and makes them better than they profess themselves; most commonly they run into such conduct as must be unwarrantable, according to the very principles and doctrines they have embraced.

But, notwithstanding the cloud of doubts and difficulties which these men have been so long eagerly collecting around them; in these later times, as in the primitive days of Christianity, those who have sincerely sought after truth must have found it in the victorious arguments of the friends of the Gospel, opposed to the sophisms of the conspirators. And it may be said, that many points of religion have been placed in a clearer light than they had been before, by the modern apologists.

Hence, could we possibly countenance the principle of doing evil that good may come, we should be apt to say, with the poet,

"Jam nihil, O—querimur; scelera ipsa, nefasque,
Hac mercede placent."

If the Celsi and Porphirii have been thus numerous, equally so have been the Justins and Origens; who, "having put on the whole armour of God, and done all to stand," have

"First Charge to the Archdeaconry of London," in the seventh volume of his "Sermons," p. 373.

+ This is more, I fear, than can be said for him who stands last and lowest on the list of our right honourables who have dishonoured themselves by their zeal in the cause of infidelity, and who has perverted to the worst of purposes talents that, if rightly employed, might have ennobled his nobility. The baron to whom I allude has entitled himself to notice under this article; but as I do not consider that his name would do honour to my pages, however popular it is with many, I shall be satisfied with merely an allusion, and leave it to its fate-to be condemned to lasting fame. See above, vol. i. p. 14.

stood up in defence of Christianity, and ably warded off every blow aimed at its truth, or its importance to mankind. Among them may be ranked the venerable names of Grotius, Leslie, Ellis, Addison, Bentley, Tillotson, Stillingfleet, Butler, Waterland, Leland, Lardner, Clarke, Sherlock, Campbell, Beattie, Bryant, Newton, Hurd, Horne, Watson, and Paley.

Lords Rochester and Lyttleton, Sir John Pringle, Charles Gildon, Gilbert West, and Soame Jenyns, Esqrs., were all converts from Deism; and four of them also wrote in behalf of Christianity.

A sufficient antidote against the principles of Deism may be found in Grotius, "On the Truth of the Christian Religion;" Mr. Leslie's "Short Method with the Deists," and his "Truth of Christianity demonstrated;" Dr. Ellis's" Knowledge of Divine Things from Revelation, not from Reason or Nature;" Dr. Bentley's "Phileleutheros Lipsiensis,' or "Discourse on Free-thinking;" Bishop Stillingfleet's" Origines Sacræ;" Bishop Butler's "Analogy;" Bishop Warburton's "View of Bolingbroke's Philosophy;" Mr. Leland's "View of Deistical Writers;" Dr. Beattie's " Essay on Truth," and his "Evidences of the Christian Religion;" the Sermons preached at "Boyle's Lecture," in 3 volumes folio, or in 4 volumes 8vo., abridged by Mr. Burnet; Bishop Sherlock's "Sermons ;" and "the Scholar Armed," in 2 volumes 8vo.

I will only further add on the subject of this article, that the "Teylerian Society" in Holland lately gave it in the negative, viz. "That man cannot come to the knowledge of God and of the Divine attributes without Revelation." See the "British Critic," for January 1799, p. 94.

I can readily believe that every orthodox reader, whether Churchman or Dissenter, will heartily join me in the following excellent prayer of our church, whose charity is unbounded, and who, like her Divine Master, "will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

"O Merciful God, who hast made all men, and hatest nothing that thou hast made, nor wouldest the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live; have mercy upon all Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Heretics, and take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of thy word; and so fetch them home, blessed Lord, to thy flock, that they may be saved among the remnant of the true Israelites, and be made one fold under one Shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end." Amen.

ATHEISM AND ATHEISTS.

"Dies alibi, illic nox omnibus noctibus nigrior densiorque "."

NAMES, &c.

THE word Atheist is of Greek original, and is compounded of the two terms a, negative, and Oeos, God, signifying "without God." In the strict and proper sense of the word, it is characteristic of those who do not believe in the existence of a God, or who own no being superior to nature. The same religionists, or rather anti-religionists, have been known also by the name of Infidels; yet the word Infidel is not confined to Atheists only, but is now commonly used to distinguish a more numerous sect, and is become almost synominous with Deist. Atheism has ever, been so unacceptable to mankind in general, that its abettors have frequently assumed a name more mild than that of Atheists. Thus, about the beginning of the last century, they, as well as the Deists, styled themselves Freethinkers; and of late, they have adopted the name of Illuminati, and of Philosophers.

He who verily disbelieves the existence of a God, as an infinite, intelligent, and moral agent, is a direct or speculative Atheist: he who endeavours to instill atheistical principles into others, though they may not be his own principles; or rather, he who confesses a Deity and Providence in words, but denies them in his life and actions, is a practical Atheist.

Although, in some things, both these are closely united, yet in many things they differ, and, in some respects, they are quite the reverse. Thus, the speculative Atheist confesses a Deity, for the most part at least, in his life and actions, but denies him in his words: on the contrary, the practical Atheist confesses a Deity in his words, but denies him in his

Thus Pliny describes the eruption of Vesuvius, which suffocated his uncle; and the description, as far as it goes, seeins also to suit the frigid zone of the Religious World, to which I have at length conducted the reader.

We have now in London a sect of Freethinking Christians, who, among other peculiarities, reject the two sacraments, and all public social worship; but this, "et hoc genus omne," I scruple not to class among the “Dii minorum gentium," whom I think myself free to overlook.