understood: The Author, against his own exprefs Words, against the plain Sense of his System, has been conceived to mean, That all Governments and all Religions were, as to their Forms and Objects, indifferent. But as this wrong Judgment proceeded from Ignorance of the Reason of the Reproof, as explained above, that Explanation is alone sufficient to rectify the Mistake. However, not to leave him under the leaft Sufpicion, in a Matter of so much Importance, I shall justify the Sense here given to this Passage more at large. First by considering the Words themselves: And then by comparing this mistaken Sense with the Context. The Poet, we must observe, is here speaking, not of civil Society at large, but of a just legitimate Policy, Th'according Music of a WELL-MIX'D State. Now these are of several Kinds; in some of which the Democratic, in others the Aristocratic, and in others the Monarchic Form prevails. Now as each of these mix'd Forms is equally legitimate, as being founded on the Principles of natural Liberty, that Man is guilty of the highest Folly, who chuses rather to employ himself in a speculative Contest for the superior Excellence of one of these Forms to the rest, than in promoting the good Administration of that fettled Form to which he is subject. And yet all our warm Disputes about Government have been of this kind. Again, if, by by Forms of Government, must needs be meant legitimate Government, because that is the Subject under Debate, then by Modes of Faith, which is the correspondent Idea, must needs be meant the Modes or Explanations of the true Faith, because the Author is here too on the Subject of true Religion: Relum'd her ancient Light, not kindled new. Besides, the very Expression (than which nothing can be more precise) confines us to understand, by Modes of Faith, those human Explanations of Christian Mysteries, in contesting which, Zeal and Ignorance have so perpetually violated Charity. Secondly, If we consider the Context; to suppose him to mean, that all Forms of Government are indifferent, is making him directly contradict the preceding Paragraph; where he extols the Patriot for discriminating the true from the falfe Modes of Government. He, says the Poet, Taught Pow'r's due Use to People and to Kings, Taught not to flack, nor strain its tender Strings; The less and greater set so justly true, That touching one must strike the other too; 'Till jarring Int'rests of themselves create Th'according Music of a well-mix'd State. Here he recommends the true Form of Government, which is the mixt. In another Place he as strongly condemns the false, or the abfolute Jure Divino Form: J For Nature knew no Right Divine in Men. 1. 237. To suppose him to mean, that all Religions are indifferent, is an equally wrong as well as uncharitable Suspicion. Mr. Pope, tho' his Subject in this Effay on Man confines him to natural Religion (his Purpose being to vindicate God's natural Difpensations to Mankind against the Atheist) yet gives frequent Intimations of a more sublime Dif pensation, and even of the Neceffity of it; particularly in his second Epistle [1. 1.39] where he speaks of the Weakness and Insufficiency of human Reason. Again, in his fourth Epistle [1. 331] speaking of the good Man, the Favourite of Heaven, he says, For him alone, Hope leads from Gole to Gole, And opens still, and opens on his Soul; Till lengthen'd on to Faith, and unconfin'd, It pours the Bliss that fills up all the Mind. But natural Religion never lengthened Hope on to Faith; nor did any Religion, but the Christian, ever conceive that Faith could fill the Mind with Happiness. Lastly, The Poet, in this very Epistle, and in this very Place, speaking of the great Restorers of the Religion of Nature, intimates that they could only draw God's Shadow, not his Image: Relum'd her ancient Light, not kindled new, • See the second Letter, p. 88. As As reverencing that Truth, which tells us that this Discovery was reserv'd for the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the Image of GODP. Having thus largely confidered Man in his focial Capacity, the Poet, in order to fix a momentous Truth in the Mind of his Reader, concludes the Epistle in recapitulating the two Principles which concur to the Support of this Part of his Character, namely, Self-love and focial; and shewing that they are only two different Motions of the Appetite, to Good, by which the Author of Nature has enabled Man to find his own Happiness in the Happiness of the Whole. This the Poet illustrates with a Thought as fublime as is that general Harmony he describes : On their own Axis as the Planets run, For he hath the Art of converting Poetical Ornaments into Philosophic Reasoning; and of improving a Simile into an Analogical Argument. But of this Art, more in our Next. P 2 Cor. iv. 4. LETTER LETTER IV. HE Poet, in the two foregoing Epistles hav Ting confidered MAN with regard to the MEANS (that is, in all his Relations, whether as an Individual, or a Member of Society) comes now, in this last, to consider him with regard to the END, that is, HAPPINESS. It opens with an Invocation to Happiness, in the Manner of the ancient Poets, who, when destitute of a Patron God, applied to the Muse, and, if she was engaged, took up with any fimple Virtue, next at hand, to inspire and profper their Designs. This was the ancient Invocation, which few modern Poets have had the Art to imitate with any degree of Spirit or Decorum; while our Author, not content to heighten this poetic Ornament with the Graces of the Antique, hath also contrived to make it subservient to the Method and Reasoning of his philosophic Composition. I will endeavour to explain so uncommon a Beauty. It is to be observed that the Pagan Deities had each their feveral Names and Places of Abode, with fome of which they were supposed to be more |