N°:3 Saturday, March 14.

Quicquid eft illud, quod fentit, quod fapit, quod vult, quod viget, cælefte & divinum eft, ob eamque rem eternum fit neceffe eft.

Cicero.

Whatever That be, which thinks, which understands, which wills, which acts, it is Something Cæleftial and Divine, and, upon that account, must neceffarily be Eternal.

AM diverted from the Account I was giving the Town of my particular Concerns,

by cafting my Eye upon a Treatife, which I could not overlook without an inexcufable Negligence, and want of Concern for all the Civil, as well as Religious Interests of Mankind. This Piece has for its Title, A Dif courfe of Free-thinking, occafioned by the Rife and Growth of a Sect called Free-thinkers. The Author very Methodically enters upon his Argument, and fays, By Free-thinking I mean the Ufe of the Understanding in endeavouring to find out the Meaning of any Propofition whatsoever, in confidering the Nature of the Evidence for, or againft, and in judging of it according to the Seeming Force or Weakness of the Evidence. As foon as he has delivered this Definition, from which one would expect he did not design to

fhew

shew a particular Inclination for or against any thing before he had confidered it, he gives up all Title to the Character of a Free-thinker, with the most apparent Prejudice against a Body of Men, whom of all other a good Man would be most careful not to violate, I mean Men in Holy Orders. Perfons who have devoted themselves to the Service of God, are venerable to all who fear Him; and it is a certain Characteristick of a diffolute and ungovern'd Mind, to rail or speak disrespectfully of them in general. It is certain, that in fo great a Crowd of Men fome will intrude, who are of Tempers very unbecoming their Function; but because Ambition and Avarice are fometimes lodged in that Bosom, which ought to be the Dwelling of Sanctity and Devotion, must this unreasonable Author vilify the whole Order? He has not taken the leaft Care to disguise his being an Enemy to the Perfons against whom he writes, nor any where granted that the Inftitution of Religious Men to ferve at the Altar, and instruct fuch who are not as wife as himself, is at all neceffary or defirable; but proceeds without the leaft Apology, to undermine their Credit, and fruftrate their Labours: Whatever Clergymen in Difputes against each other, have unguardedly uttered, is here recorded in fuch a manner as to affect Religion itself, by wrefting Conceffions to its Difadvantage from its own Teachers. If this be true, as fure any Man that reads the Discourse must

allow

allow it is; and if Religion is the strongest Tye of Human Society; in what manner are we to treat this our common Enemy, who promotes the Growth of fuch a Sect as he calls Freethinkers? He that should burn a Houfe, and justify the Action by afferting he is a Free Agent, would be more excufable than this Author in uttering what he has from the Right of a Free-thinker: But there are a Set of Dry, Joylefs, Dull Fellows, who want Capacities and Talents to make a Figure amongst Mankind upon benevolent and generous Principles, that think to furmount their own natural Meannefs, by laying Offences in the way of fuch as make it their Endeavour to excel upon the received Maxims and honeft Arts of Life. If it were poffible to laugh at fo melancholy an Affair as what hazards Salvation, it would be no unpleafant Inquiry to afk what Satisfactions they reap, what extraordinary Gratification of Senfe, or what delicious Libertinifm this Sect of Free-thinkers enjoy, after getting loofe of the Laws which confine the Paffions of other Men? Would it not be a matter of Mirth to find, after all, that the Heads of this growing Sect are fober Wretches, who prate whole Evenings over Coffee, and have not themselves Fire enough to be any further Debauchees, than merely in Principle? Thefe Sages of Iniquity are, it feems, themselves only fpeculatively wicked, and are contented that all the abandoned young Men of the Age are

kept

kept fafe from Reflexion by dabling in their Rhapsodies, without tafting the Pleasures for which their Doctrines leave them unaccountable. Thus do heavy Mortals, only to gratify a dry Pride of Heart, give up the Interests of another World, without enlarging their Gratifications in this; but it is certain there are a fort of Men that can puzzle Truth, but cannot enjoy the Satisfaction of it. This fame Free-thinker is a Creature unacquainted with the Emotions which poffefs great Minds when they are turned for Religion, and it is apparent that he is untouched with any fuch Senfation as the Rapture of Devotion. Whatever one of these Scorners may think, they certainly want Parts to be Devout; and a Senfe of Piety towards Heaven, as well as the Senfe of any thing else, is lively and warm in Proportion to the Faculties of the Head and Heart. This Gentleman may be affured he has not a Tafte for what he pretends to decry, and the poor Man is certainly more a Blockhead than an Atheist. I must repeat, that he wants Capacity to relifh what true Piety is; and he is as capable of writing an Heroick Poem, as making a fervent Prayer. When Men are thus low and narrow in their Apprehenfions of things, and at the fame time vain, they are naturally led to think every thing they do not understand, not to be understood. Their Contradiction to what is urged by others, is a neceffary Confequence of their Incapacity to

receive

receive it. The Atheistical Fellows who appeared the laft Age did not ferve the Devil for nought; but revelled in Exceffes fuitable to their Principles, while in these unhappy Days Mischief is done for Mifchief's fake. These Free-thinkers, who lead the Lives of Reclufe Students, for no other purpose but to disturb the Sentiments of other Men, put me in mind of the monftrous Recreation of those late wild Youths, who, without Provocation, had a Wantonnefs in ftabbing and defacing those they met with. When fuch Writers as this, who has no Spirit but that of Malice, pretend to inform the Age, Mohocks and Cut-throats may well fet up for Wits and Men of Pleasure.

IT will be perhaps expected, that I should produce fome Inftances of the ill Intention of this Free-thinker, to fupport the Treatment I here give him. In his 52d Page he says,

2dly. The Priests throughout the World 'differ about Scriptures, and the Authority of Scriptures. The Bramins have a Book of Scripture called the Shafter. The Perfees have their Zundavaftaw. The Bonzes of China have Books written by the Difciples of Fo-be, whom they call the God and Saviour of the World, who was born to teach the way of Salvation, and to give Satisfaction for all Mens Sins. The Talapoins of Siam have a Book of Scripture written by Sommonocodom, who, the Siamese fay, was born of a Virgin,

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