Characterif.. Ib. p. 47. A. AN execrable Superftition has in many Christian Countries, in a Manner, extinguish'd thefe kind Sentiments, and even all Humanity and Pity; infomuch that the tender Sex can rejoice to hear the Shrieks, and fee the Agonies of Men expiring under the most cruel Tortures; and there's scarce any Place, fo much does this curfed Bigotry prevail, where we do not almost daily fee too much Reason to cry, " Tantum Religio potuit fuadere malorum. THE Noble Author now quoted juftly observes, " If "there be a Religion that teaches the Adoration and Love "of a God, whofe Character it is to be captious, and of high Resentment, fubject to Wrath and Anger, furious, revengeful, and revenging himself, when offended, on "others than those who gave the Offence; and if there "be added to the Character of this God, a fraudulent Dif"position, encouraging Deceit and Treachery among Men; "favourable to a few, tho' for flight Causes, and cruel to "the rest; 'tis evident that such a Religion as this being strongly enforc'd, muft of Neceffity raise even an Appro"bation and Respect towards the Vices of this Kind, and "breed a fuitable Difpofition, a capricious, partial, re"vengeful, and deceitful Temper. For even Irregulari"ties and Enormities of a heinous Kind muft in many Ca-fes appear illuftrious to one, who confiders them in a "Being admir'd and contemplated with the highest Ho nour and Veneration. Whenfoever, therefore, a Re"ligion teaches the Love and Admiration of a Deity, that "has any apparent Character of Ill; it teaches at the fame "Time a Love and Admiration of that Ill, and causes that ་་ to be taken for good and amiable, which is infelf horrid "and deteftable. ARCH ་ D 181. & ARCHBISHOP Tillotson, than whom none better understood human Nature, fays, that "According as Mens No-Serm. Vo', 1. tions of God are, fuch will their Religion be; if they ro.. p. 60. "have grofs and falfe Conceptions of God, their Religion will be abfurd and superstitious: If Men fancy God "to be an ill-natur'd Being, arm'd with infinite Power, "who takes Delight in the Misery and Ruin of his Crea"tures, and is ready to take all Advantages against them, "they may fear him, but they will hate him; and they "will be apt to be fuch towards one another, as they fancy God to be towards them; for all Religion doth "naturally_incline Men to imitate him whom they worship. P. 2. Val Le DR. Scot, to root out all fuch injurious Notions as derogate from the Goodness of God, very justly observes, that "God being infinitely good in his own Nature, it Chrift. Life, "is impoffible we fhou'd conceive him to be better than p. 326. "he is; and therefore every falfe Notion we entertain of "his Goodness muft detract from it; and fo much as we "detract from his Goodness, fo much we detract from "the principal Reason and Motive of our loving him. AND indeed, Power and Knowledge of themfelves can't engage our Love; if they cou'd, we shou'd love the Devil in Proportion to his Power and Knowledge; 'tis Goodness alone which can beget Confidence, Love, and Veneration; and there's none of those Questions, whether relating to God or Man, but what may be easily determined, by confidering which Side of the Question carries with it the greatest Goodness; fince the fame Light of Nature, which shews us there is such a good Being, fhews us alfo what fuch Goodness expects. And did Men confider how repugnant 'tis to his Goodness, to require any Thing of de Superftitio P. 171. E. Edit. Francofart. them which they had no Reason to obey, but because they had no Power to disobey; they must abhor the Notion of all arbitrary Commands. AND therefore, I fhall not fcruple to affirm, That He who stedfaftly adheres to what the Light of Nature teaches him concerning the divine Goodness, as he will avoid the See Plutarch comfortless Prospect of the Atheist, the perpetual Anxiety of ne, Op To. 2. the fuperftitious, the wild Perturbation of the Enthufiaft, and the pernicious Fury of the Bigot; fo he can't fail of the True Religion, happily feated in the Middle between these Extreams. And, as fuch a Person can't but love God as he ought, fo in Imitation of the divine Goodness, which influences all his Actions, he will contribute his utmoft to the Good of Others; and his Love and Kindness will be as extenfive as human Nature; and going on rational and evident Principles, which must give him entire Satisfaction, he will act a steady uniform Part. And what can be wanting to a Man, who has this heavenly, this god-like Difpofition, which renders him happy in himself; and as far as it is in his Power, makes the whole World so too. AND fince 'tis not eafy to part with a Subject, which One can fcarce think of without Rapture; I must fay, that Men can never have true Sentiments of the Goodness of the divine Legiflator, or esteem his Laws as they ought, till they are convinc'd he requires nothing of them but what is for their Good; and that they can't but be miserable as long as they swerve. from Rules so essential to their Happiness; and that the longer they do fo, the more difficult will it be to acquire a contrary Habit. These Notions early inculcated, will caufe Men with Joy to obey the divine Laws, and make them in Reality love God as well as be belov❜d by him; who has the chief Regard to the Heart, and above all Things requires the Purity of the Mind; and that Men fhou'd act, not out of a Principle of flavish Fear, but from perfect Love void of all Fear. "It Plutarch fpeaking of Religion, as it ftood in the Heathen Church, and in his own Time, reprefents it as full of Satisfaction, Hope, Joy, and Delight; and fays, " It is plain, Treatife aga Epicurean " and evident from moft demonftrable Testimonies, that Atheism. To. 2. p. 1101.D, "neither the Societies, nor publick Meetings in the Tem-E. "ples, nor any other diverting Parties, Sights, or Enter"tainments are more delightful, or rejoicing, than what "we ourselves behold, and practice in the Church-Worfhip. Our Difpofition and Temper is not on this "Occafion, as if we were in the Prefence of worldly Potentates, dread Sovereigns and defpotick Princes; nor are we "here found meanly humbling ourselves, crouching in Fear " and Awe, and full of Anxiety and Confufion, as wou'd be "natural to us in fuch a Cafe? but where the Divinity is "efteem'd the nearest, and most immediately present, there "Horrors and Amazement are the furtheft banish'd; there "the Heart, we find, gives the freeft Way to Pleasure, to "Entertainment and this even to Excess. And, CHRISTIANS in addreffing to the divine Majefty, must be fill'd with inexpreffible Joy and Delight, did they confifider the true Notion of God; c.c Who, as Archbishop Til-To. 1. p. 243 -"lotson says, wou'd appear to be fo lovely a Being, fo full "of Goodness and all defirable Perfections, that even those "who are of so irregular Understanding, as not to believe "there is a God, yet could not refrain from wishing with "all their Hearts there was One Who takes particular "Care of every one of us, and loves us, and delights to do Who understands all our Wants, and is able ¢ - us good. Is it not Letter concer Entbuliafm. p. 40, 41. "not every Man's Intereft, that there fhould be fuch a Go"vernor of the World as really defigns our Happiness, and " has omitted nothing neceffary to it; as governs us for our Advantage, and will require nothing of us but what is for "our Good; and yet will infinitely reward us for doing of "That which is beft for ourselves; that will punish any "Man that shall go about to injure us, or to deal otherwise "with us than himself in like Cafes would be dealt withal. We have Reason to believe God to be fuch a Being, "if he be at all. B. ARE not the laft Words too bold in fuppofing there cou'd be no God, were he not fuch as he describes him? A. WITH Submiffion, I think not, fince there can be nothing in God but what is God-like; he either must be perfectly good, or not be at all. It wou'd be well, if all who in Words give this Character of the Deity, were confiftent with themselves, and did not impute fuch Actions to him, as make him resemble the worst of Beings, and fo run into downright Demonifm. And let me add, Men of good Senfe, and who mean well, will naturally fall into the fame Sentiments; a Shaftsbury will say the fame as a Tillotson. "IF there be, fays that Noble Author, a general Mind; "it can have no particular Interest: But the general Good, "and the Good of the Whole, and its own private Good, "muft of Neceffity be one and the fame. It can intend nothing befides, nor aim at any Thing beyond, nor be provok'd to any Thing contrary. So that we have only "to confider, whether there be really fuch a Thing as a "Mind that has Relation to the Whole, or not. For, if un happily there be no Mind, we may comfort ourselves, however, that Nature has no Malice: If there be really a MIND we may reft fatisfy'd, that it is the best natur'd one |