ple, gives great scope to fuperftition. A man who purposes to purchase tickets, must fast fix and thirty hours, must repeat a certain number of Aye Maries and Pater Nofters, must not fpeak to a living creature, must not go to bed, muft continue in prayer to the Virgin and to faints, till fome propitious faint appear and declare the numbers that are to be fuccefsful. The man, fatigued with fafting, praying, and expectation, falls afleep. Occupied with the thoughts he had when awake, he dreams that a faint appears, and mentions the lucky numbers. If he be disappointed, he is vexed at his want of memory; but trufts in the faint as an infallible oracle. Again he falls asleep, again fees a vifion, and again is disappointed.

Lucky and unlucky days, which were fo much rely'd on as even to be marked in the Greek and Roman calendars, make an appendix to prophecies. The Tartars never undertake any thing of moment on a Wednesday, being held by them unlucky. The Nogayan Tartars hold every thirteenth year to be unlucky: they will not even wear a fword that year, believing that it would

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would be their death; and they maintain, that none of their warriors ever returned who went upon an expedition in one of thefe years. They pafs that time in fasting and prayer, and during it never marry. The inhabitants of Madagascar have days fortunate and unfortunate with refpect to the birth of children: they deftroy without mercy every child that is born on an unfortunate day.

There are unlucky names as well as unlucky days. Julien Cardinal de Medicis, chofen Pope, was inclined to keep his own name. But it being obferved to him by the cardinals, fays Guichardin, that the popes who retained their own name had all of them died within the year, he took the name of Clement, and was Clement VII. As John was held an unlucky name for a king, John heir to the crown of Scotland was perfuaded to change his name into Robert; and he was Robert III.

I clofe this important article with a reAlection that will make an impreffion upon every rational perfon. The knowledge of future events, as far as it tends to influence our conduct, is inconfiftent with a ftate of activity, fuch as Providence has al

lotted

lotted to man in this life. It would deprive him of hopes and fears, and leave him nothing to deliberate upon, nor any end to profecute. In a word, it would put an end to his activity, and reduce him to be merely a paffive being. Providence therefore has wifely drawn a veil over future events, affording us no light for prying into them but fagacity and expe

rience.

These are a few of the numberlefs abfurd opinions about the conduct of Providence, that have prevailed among Chriftians, and ftill prevail among fome of them. Many opinions no lefs abfurd have prevailed about fpeculative points. I confine myself to one or two inftances; for to make a complete lift would require a volume. The first I fhall mention, and the most noted, is tranfubftantiation; which, tho' it has not the leaft influence on practice, is reckoned fo effential to falvation, as to be placed above every moral duty. The following text is appealed to as the fole foundation of that article of faith. "And as they were eating, Jefus took "bread, and bleffed it, and brake it, and gave it to the difciples, and faid, Take,

eat; this is my body. And he took "the cup,

and gave thanks, and gave

it

to them, faying, Drink ye all of it: "for this is my blood of the new testa

ment, which is fhed for many for the "remiffion of fins. But I fay unto you, "I will not drink henceforth of this fruit "of the vine, until that day when I drink "it new with you in my Father's king"dom (a)." That this is a metaphor, must strike every one: the paffage cannot even bear a literal meaning, confidering the final claufe; for furely the most zealous Roman Catholic believes not, that Chriftians are to drink new wine with their Saviour in the kingdom of heaven. At the fame time, it is not fo much as infinuated, that there was here any miraculous tranfubftantiation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of our Saviour; nor is it infinuated, that the apoftles believed they were eating the flesh of their mafter, and drinking his blood. St John, the favourite apostle, mentions not a word of this ceremony, which he certainly would not have omitted, had he imagined it an effential article of faith.

(e) St Matthew, xxvi. 26. &c.

But

But fuppofing tranfubftantiation were clearly expreffed in this text, yet men of understanding will be loth to admit a meaning that contradicts their five fenfes. They will reflect, that no man now living ever faw the original books of the New Teftament; nor are they certain, that the editions we have, are copied directly from the originals. Every remove from them is liable to errors, which may juftly create a fufpicion of texts that contradict reafon and common fenfe. Add, that the bulk of Chriftians have not even a copy from the original to build their faith upon; but only a tranflation into another language.

And this leads to what chiefly determined me to felect that inftance. God and nature have beftowed upon us the faculty of reafon, for diftinguishing truth from falfehood. If by reasoning with candor and impartiality, we discover a propofition to be true or falfe, it is not in our power to remain indifferent: we must judge, and our belief muft be regulated by our judgement. I fay more, to judge is a duty we owe our Maker; for to what purpofe has he beftow'd reafon up

on