might make a fenfible impreffion, and be retained on the minds of men, skillful rulers have in the feveral civilized nations of the earth devised temples, facrifices, churches, rites, ceremonies, habits, mufic, prayer, preaching, and the like spiritual trumpery, whereby the priest maketh temporal gains, and the magiftrate findeth his account in frightening and fubduing the people. This is the original of the combination between church and state, of religion by law established, of rights, immunities, and incomes of priests all over the world: There being no government but would have you fear God, that you may honor the king or civil power. And you will ever observe that politic princes keep up a good understanding with their clergy, to the end that they in return, by inculcating religion and loyalty in the minds of the people, may render them tame, timorous and flavish.

Crito and I heard this discourse of Alciphron with the utmoft attention, though without any appearance of furprife, there being indeed nothing in it to us new and unexpected. But Euphranor who had never before been present at such conversation, could not help fhewing fome astonishment; which Lyficles obferving, asked him with a lively air, how he liked Alciphron's lecture. It is, faid he, the first I believe that you ever heard of the kind, and requireft a strong stomach to digest it.

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EUPH.-I will own to you, that my digeftion is none of the quickest; but it hath sometimes, by degrees, been able to mafter things which at first appeared indigeftible. present I admire the free spirit and eloquence of Alciphron ; but, to speak the truth, I am rather astonished, than convinced of the truth of his opinions. How, (faid he, turning to Alciphron) is it then poffible you should not believe the being of a God?

ALC.-To be plain with you, I do not.

VIII. But this is what I föresaw, a flood of light let in at once upon the mind being apt to dazzle and diforder

rather than enlighten it. Was I not pinched in time, the regular way would be to have begun with the circumftantials of religion, next to have attacked the mysteries of christianity, after that proceeded to the practical doctrines, and in the last place to have extirpated that which of all other religious prejudices, being the first taught, and basis of the reft, hath taken the deepest root in our minds, I mean, the belief of a God. I do not wonder it sticks with you, having known several very ingenious men who found it difficult to free themselves from this prejudice.

EUPH. All men have not the fame alacrity and vigor in thinking: For my own part, I find it a hard matter to keep pace with you.

ALC.-To help you, I will go a little way back, and refume the thread of my reafoning. First I must acquaint you, that having applied my mind to contemplate the idea of truth, I discovered it to be of a stable permanent, and uniform nature; not various and changeable, like modes or fashions, and things depending on fancy. In the next place, having obferved several fects, and fubdivifions of fects, espousing very different and contrary opinions, and yet all profeffing christianity, I rejected those points wherein they differed, retaining only that which was agreed to by all, and fo became a Latitudinarian. Having afterwards, upon a more enlarged view of things, perceived. that christians, Jews, and Mahometans had each their different systems of faith, agreeing only in the belief of one God, I became a Deift. Laftly, extending my view to all the various nations which inhabit this globe, and finding they agreed in no one point of faith, but differed one from another, as well as from the forementioned fects, even in the notion of a God, in which there is as great diverfity as in the methods of worship, I thereupon became an Atheist; it being my opinion, that a man of courage and fense should follow his argument wherever it leads him, and that nothing is more ridiculous than to be a free-thinker by halves. I approve the man who makes thorough work, and, not

content with lopping off the branches, extirpates the very root from which they fprung.

IX. Atheism therefore, that bugbear of women and fools, is the very top and perfection of free-thinking. It is the grand Arcanum to which a true genius naturally rifeth, by a certain climax or gradation of thought, and without which he can never poffefs his foul in absolute liberty and repofe. For your thorough conviction in this main article, do but examine the notion of a God with the fame freedom that you would other prejudices. Trace it to the fountain-head, and you fhall not find that you had it by any of your fenfes, the only true means of discovering what is real and substantial in nature. You will find it lying amongst other old lumber in fome obfcure corner of the imagination, the proper receptacle of visions, fancies, and prejudices of all kinds : And if you are more attached to this than the reft, it is only because it is the oldeft. This is all, take my word for it, and not mine only, but that of many more the most ingenious men of the age, who, I can affure you, think as I do on the subject of a Deity. Though fome of them hold it proper to proceed with more referve in declaring to the world their opinion in this particular, than in moft others. And it must be owned, there are ftill too many in England who retain a foolish prejudice against the name of Atheift. But it leffens every day among the better fort; and when it is quite worn out, our free-thinkers may then, (and not till then) be faid to have given the finishing stroke to religion; it being evident that fo long as the existence of God is believed, religion must fubfift in some shape or other. But the root being once plucked up, the scions which fhot from it will of course wither and decay. Such are all those whimsical notions of conscience, duty, principle, and the like, which fill a man's head with fcruples, awe him with fears, and make him a more thorough flave than the horse he rides. A man had better a thousand times be hunted by bailiffs or

meffengers than haunted by these spectres, which embarafs and embitter all his pleasures, creating the most real and fore fervitude upon earth. But the free-thinker, with a vigorous flight of thought breaks through those airy springes, and afferts his original independency. Others indeed may talk, and write, and fight about liberty, and make an outward pretence to it, but the free-thinker alone is truly free.

Alciphron having ended this difcourfe with an air of triumph, Euphranor spoke to him in the following manner. You make clear work. The gentlemen of your profeffion are, it seems, admirable weeders. You have rooted up a world of notions, I should be glad to fee what fine things you have planted in their stead.

ALC.-Have patience, good Euphranor, I will fhew you in the first place, that whatever was found and good we leave untouched, and encourage it to grow in the mind of man. And fecondly, I will fhew you what excellent things we have planted in it. You must know then, that pursuing our close and fevere fcrutiny, we do at last arrive at something folid and real, in which all mankind agree, to wit, the appetites, paffions, and fenfes: These are founded in nature, are real, have real objects, and are attended with real and substantial pleafures food, drink, fleep, and the like animal enjoyments, being what all men like and love. And if we extend our view to the other kinds of animals, we shall find them all agree in this, that they have certain natural appetites and fenfes, in the gratifying and satisfying of which they are conftantly employed. Now thefe real natural good things which include nothing of notion or fancy, we are fo far from destroying, that we do all we can to cherifh and improve them. According to us, every wife man looks upon himself, or his own bodily exiftence in this prefent world, as the centre and ultimate end of all his actions and regards. He confiders his appetites as natural guides directing to his proper good, his passions and

senses as the natural true means of enjoying this good.Hence he endeavors to keep his appetites in high relish, his paffions and senses strong and lively, and to provide the greatest quantity and variety of real objects suited to them, which he studieth to enjoy by all poffible means, and in the highest perfection imaginable. And the man who can do this without restraint, remorfe or fear, is as happy as any other animal whatsoever, or as his nature is capable of being. Thus I have given you a fuccinct view of the principles, discoveries, and tenets of the select spirits of this enlightened age.

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X. Crito remarked, that Alciphron had spoke his mind with great clearness. Yes, replied Euphranor, we are obliged to the gentleman, for letting us at once into the tenets of his fect. But, if I may be allowed to speak my mind, Alciphron, though in compliance with my own request, hath given me no fmall uneafinefs. You need, faid Alciphron, make no apology for fpeaking freely what you think, to one who profeffeth himself a free-thinker. I fhould be forry to make one, whom I meant to oblige, uneafy. Pray let me know wherein I have offended. am half afhamed, replied Euphranor, to own that I, who am no great genius, have a weakness incidental to little ones. I would fay, that I have favorite opinions, which you represent to be errors and prejudices. For instance, the immortality of the foul is a notion I am fond of, as what supports the mind with a very pleasing prospect.And if it be an error, I should perhaps be of Tully's mind, who, in that cafe, profeffed he should be forry to know the truth, acknowledging no fort of obligation to certain philofophers in his days, who taught, that the foul of man was mortal. They were, it seems, predeceffors to those who are now called free-thinkers; which name being too general and indefinite, inafmuch as it comprehends all those who think for themselves, whether they agree in

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