*think it an affront to their understanding to be told fo plain a truth, as the ill confequence of their conduct to the very < principles they approve.'

The fourth chapter contains fome farther reflections on the fubject of ridicule. If in any fort of writings the fedate, the rational, and candid manner ought particularly to prevail, Mr. Wefton fays, one would think it fhould be in thofe, where fome dubious points, or fome important doctrines of our holy religion are controverted and explained: and yet it is ftrange to fee how the venerable combatants on either fide forfake this plain and natural path, and start afide to mirth, to levity, and ridicule: how they triumph in the sharp and ludicrous hits they give to each other, and value themselves more on fatyr than fenfe, and repartee than truth; and all this too, at a time when they extol in words, and ought to copy in effect, the fweet fimplicity of thofe heavenly writings. where there is scarce a sarcasm or jeer through the whole.

Nay, fo deeply, we are told, has this infected fome of the greatest Genii, and the profoundest adepts in the Chriftian Ichool, that it has, in fome measure, forced them most unnaturally to co-operate even with Infidels themselves; to judge that to be a dead and unactive mafs, which wants piquancy against our brother, and to fall into, or feign a fpirit of flumber over unpointed candour, moderation, and truth; in fhort, to pervert the juft course and order of things, and pronounce that only to be excellent, of which we fhould be afhamed, as inconfiftent with our dignity, and unbecoming our profeffion.

Having endeavoured to fhew, that one of the predominant and characteristic qualities of the prefent age, and especially in this ifland, is an immoderate paffion for ridicule, our author proceeds, in his fifth chapter, to enquire into the causes of it. The first cause he mentions, is The Reformation of religion, which, by laying open the follies and impoftures of Popery, fuddenly increased the powers of ridicule, and added mightily to its ftock of ludicrous images, and fantastic reprefentations. Another cause of the prevalency of this humour, we are told, is total Infidelity, which has fo enlarged the fphere of ridicule, that while the original Proteftant laughs at the Catholic, the Catholic at the Proteftant, and both at the Fanatic, the Infidel laughs at all.

The Restoration, it is faid, is another, and that a very confiderable caufe of the prevalence of ridicule. That four and

morofe

morofe difpofition, that ftiff and puritanical conduct, that vifage covered over with clouds of fuperftition, and that converfation devoid of gaiety and grace, joined to the confideration of those dreadful calamities which the men of this caft were fuppofed to bring on all this, our Author fays, gave the nation fuch an abhorrence of their manners, that it foon began to incline to the contrary extreme; and this likewife, being aided by thofe overflowings of joy, and thofe tumults of debauchery which are common to great and fignal deliverances and what is worfe ftill, all this being fupported by the example of the monarch, and his court, during the courfe of a long and profligate reign, it, in effect, changed the whole frame of the people, and made their exceffes of laughter altogether as offenfive as the difgufting feverity they had fo july rejected. From this Era, we are farther told, is to be dated chiefly that fport with the enfigns of the magiftrate and the prelate; thofe effufions of ridicule on the statesman and the minifter; thofe fcoffs at virtue which belong only to hypocrify; and, those insults on religion which belong only to fuperftition.

The other caufes mentioned by Mr. Wefton, are these following the Revolution and Acceffion; and in confequence of both, the continuance of faction after its natural diffolution; the general diffufion of knowledge, and improvement of the understanding; the politeneís and urbanity, and together with them, the deceitfulness and hypocrify of modern converfation; extended commerce, with its fure concomitant luxury; a fondness for imitating our airy neighbours in most of their customs; and a frequent and prevailing mixture with fome of the fouthern nations.

In the fixth chapter he confiders the bad effects of ridicule, which affect society more remotely. The first he mentions is the great difcouragement modeft men are forced to undergo on this account, whofe ardour is thereby repreffed, and whofe courage is abated for such useful attempts to themselves, and their dependants, as are properly within their fphere. The other bad confequences are-the feparation of friends; a géneral want of confidence between man and man; and the tendency ridicule frequently has to darken the intellect, to viciate the tafte, and pervert the judgment.

The ill confequences of ridicule which have a more extenfive influence on fociety, is the fubject of the feventh chapter. Now thefe are the prejudice it does to truth, and the reason of things; making the one appear like falfhood, and the

other

other like folly-the contempt that is hereby brought on the perfons and authority of men and an utter incompatibility

with zeal to the state.

Our author concludes this chapter with repeating his former admonition, BE SERIOUS; and goes on, in the eighth, to point out other means of reviving zeal among his countrymen. His exhortations are as under.-Watch attentively the motions of your hearts, and take the proper advantage of every favourable fuggeftion-Come near and behold the wellbuilt fabric of our conftitution; carefully furvey it in all its parts; on the one fide, examine the beauty of holiness; on the other, the beauty of freedom, and then help falling in love with it, if ye can.--Have ftrong and vigorous impreffions of national glory-Confider that ye are freemen; and that there is a dignity of fentiment, and warmth of heart, a grandeur of mind, and fuperiority of courage peculiar to men of that exalted character-reflect upon the great and manifold dangers that furround you-and confider the beneficial tendency of your religion, above all others in the world.

Mr. Wefton introduces his ninth chapter, wherein he treats of the power of example, with mentioning another qualification for the acquifition of public fpirit, more neceflary than any one of the reft, and at the fame time more difficult to be acquired than all of them put together, viz. a full fuperiority over the inordinate love of gain.

In the tenth he endeavours to fhew, that a firm belief of the Chriftian religion has the greateft tendency to make us zealous for the community, and courageous in its defence.

A full conviction of the doctrines of the Gofpel, he thinks, is conftantly and neceffarily productive of true zeal and courage, as well as of every other perfection and virtue; but as the contrary has been maintained by men of the first rank in literature; and as it has been even affirmed, that faith has not the leaft connection either with virtue or courage, or any other great and praife-worthy action, he endeavours, in the eleventh chapter, to answer this objection.

The fum of the objection, as contained in many scattered obfervations of Mr. Bayle, is briefly this-That the different vices and virtues of mankind do, for the most part, take their colour from their different temperature and complexion; the different modes and cuftoms of their country, and the cafual hits and contingencies of their lives; that their principles and perfuafions have not so great an influence on them, as is

generally

generally imagined; that it is common for men to act above their principles in fome cafes, and below them in others, without giving any room to fufpect that they do not really admit them; that it is eafy to conceive a bad Christian and a good Atheist, tho' the one as certainly believes in Chrift, as the other difbelieves a God; that moreover, it is found by daily experience, that all men in fome part of their lives, thro' paffion, fear, or furprize, act against the fulleft conviction; and that this feems to be the cafe with many Chriftians, who, tho' they are fcandalously profligate and abandoned in their practice, yet frequently betray the cleareft fymptoms of belief, nay, and are credulous even to fuperftition.

In answer to this, our author obferves, in the first place, that it is the conduct of reasonable Beings in general, who are duly convinced of any probable truth, to be commonly influenced, guided, and directed, agreeably to that conviction. Thus the merchant, who is perfuaded, that at the end of a wearifom voyage he fhall advance his fortunes; and the husbandman, who is perfuaded, that at the return of the feafon he fhall receive his feed with increase, bear each of them the fatigues of their respective employments, and may rightly be faid, in the language of fcripture, both to plough and trafic in hope.

But fecondly: this point, we are told, receives yet an additional degree of proof, by confidering farther the natural alliance between Infidelity and the vices prevalent among Chriftians. Because men believe not Providence; therefore they fo greedily fcrape and hoard :-they do not believe any reward for charity; therefore they will part with nothing:they do not hope for fuccour from God; therefore they are difcontented: they have nothing to raise their spirits; there fore they are abject.

As this may be thought too general, Mr. Wefton presses the inftance of covetoufnefs more particularly. The end then of the covetoufnefs man, he fays, is indifputably the increase of gain; and on this his heart is fo paffionately fet, that he trufts, even to faithlefs men, and fecurities liable to a thoufand accidents, purely from the greater probability of accomplishing his defign: and yet tell him of the gain of Eternity, for which too he has the promise of God, who cannot lye, and he is not affected by it at all. Now what probable folution can there be of his pursuing fo ardently the treasures of the earth, and neglecting fo abfurdly thofe of heaven; but that he has a firm perfuafion of the exiftence of the one, and

doubts,

doubts, at least, and fcruples about the existence of the

other.

To fay, as it is often faid, that it is the diftance only of these last that makes them totally difregarded, is the groffeft contradiction to the general practice of mankind: every thing distant, which in their expectation is likely to happen, has its due influence over their conduct: old age borders upon death, and death upon eternity; yet provifion is made only for the first, while the laft is neglected. Why? but because the one is known to be the lot of humanity, the other looked upon as only an uncertain promise.

But it will be expected of us, perhaps,' continues our author, to difpute this matter with Bayle, rather from his inftances than our own: let us therefore felect one of the • strongest that he has brought to prove his point.

The tender 'mother then who has been educated in the principles of the Chriftian faith, and yet in oppofition to thefe principles, for fear of human laws, fheds herself the blood of her own off-spring, is thought to be one, whose ⚫ conduct meets with no probable folution, but upon a fuppofition, that to avoid a prefent infamy, which fhe fees directly before her, fhe renders herself liable to eternal punishment, which fhe certainly believes, but fees at a distance: and we must acknowlege, that the believes it; because it ' was a tenet she was brought up in, and never difputed it in ⚫ her own mind, nor heard it difputed by others.

Though this latter part is not certain, yet it may be granted, that the belief she was brought up in remains with her: but then this horrid action fhews what a kind of belief it was; and it will be farther fhewn by a case that • reaches numbers of the like fort.

The feparate exiftence, if not the immortality of the foul, is a principle that not only Chriftians, but men of all ⚫ denominations have been brought up in; and most of them ⚫ have never seen any reason to doubt this matter, or, indeed, ⚫ have asked themfelves about it at all: and yet the very fight of their departed friend feems to shake this principle to its foundation; for otherwife we cannot conceive why they not only mourn over him at prefent, like one that has ceased from being, but fpeak of him afterwards, in their cooler moments, with the fame fymptoms of despair.

The belief, therefore, that weeps over an immortal foul as if it was extinct, and the belief which for fear of a preLent,