(2.) If the Members of any State or Government happen to be Heathens or Idolaters, or perhaps Manichees, who believe two Sovereign Principles or Powers, one of Good, t'other of Evil, &c. they may be invited and inclined to hearken to the Principles of true Religion and Christianity, if they are not utterly discouraged by finding Penalties laid upon their mistaken Belief; and they might by the fame Gentleness continue their favourable Opinion of us, and grow up by degrees into Believers of the one true God. I might repeat the same thing concerning the Heathen Neighbors of fuch a State or Government, and Strangers who come to traf fick with them. By feeing the Gentleness and Goodness of fuch a Chriftian Nation, they by degrees may attend to the Gospel of Chrift, and be converted and become his Difciples, and may be allured to unite themfelves and their Riches and Powers to fupport this Government. Penalties may make Diffemblers and Hypocrites, but good Chriftians are not to be made this way.

doms, who by his Prophets gave Jeroboam ten Tribes, who cut off his Pofterity and anointed Jehu, and again cut off his Pofterity, and did what he pleafed in altering the Succeffions of their Kings; Jehovah the holy one of Ifrael who was their God was alfo their King.

(3.) If it be allow'd that Polytheists should lie under any Penalty by the Law for own ing many Gods, let us fuppofe a Socinian or an Arian, a Turk or a Deift to be the fupreme Governor: May he not take it into his head to lay the fame Penalty on Athanafians for owning and adoring three distinct infinite and almighty Perfons, of which the Unitarian Governor perhaps can get no other Idea than that of three Gods? We well know that the Governments of this World are not wont of themfelves to be too nice or too juft in their Diftinction of Theological Matters, nor too ready to put a favourable Conftruction on the Sentiments of those who dare to differ from them. I fear the Remonftrances made by the Athanafians drawn from a few Theological or Metaphyfical Dif tinctions, or from the Holy Bible, would not eafily perfuade the Arian or Socinian, the Turkish or Deift Governor to make any faving Difference between them and other Polytheifts: And thus the Idolater with many Gods and the Athanafian with his Trinity would fall under the fame publick Penalties, how unjust foever fuch a Sentence might be, if thoroughly examin'd by Chriftian Principles.

VII.

VII. As those Perfons who are appointed by the Government to teach the People the Civil Rules or Statutes of the Land, fhould be well inftructed in them themselves, that as far as poffible the People might never be led into a mistake in Matters wherein their Lives and Properties are concern'd; fo for the fame reason, the Perfons that should be appointed by the State to inftruct the People in the Knowledge of a God and the Religion of an Oath, and to acquaint them with the Rules of these perfonal and focial Vertues which are so neceffary to good Government, I fay, thefe Teachers should be themselves well inftructed in the Knowledge of God, of Vice and Vertue, and be alfo to all appearance pious and vertuous and loyal, practifing that Reverence to God, and those Civil and Moral Laws which they teach, that with more fuccefs they may inftru&t the People in these things which are of so much importance to their Civil Welfare and the Prefervation of the Government.

VIII. As Taxes are raifed by the State, and Customs and Tributes of various kinds justly impofed by the Government, in order to defray the publick Expences and to pay the publick Officers; fo it feems reasonable

E 2

that

that those publick Officers who are appointed to inftruct the People in the Knowledge of the Laws of the Land, and in the Knowledge of these Vertues and Vices which affect the Civil Society, as well as in the Knowledge of a God who will punish fecret Wickedness, and in the Sacrednefs and Solemnity of an Oath, which is the Bond of Government, I fay, it is reasonable that these publick Teachers fhould be paid or fupported out of the Civil Lift, if I may so express it, or the Tribute raised for the fupport of Civil Government, fince the Support and Peace of the Civil Government fo much depends upon it *.

And perhaps we might venture fo far as to fay, that the Preachers of natural Religion in all the more neceffary and obvious Doc

trines

*Long fince this was written, I met with a particular Appointment of fuch publick Sermons or Inftructions to be given to the People in China, by their Mandarins or Governors of Towns and Provinces, on the firft and the fifteenth Days of the Month; which is actually practis'd by them there, as Pere Du Halde gives us an account in his late History of China, vol. I. p. 53. where he enumerates all the 16 Texts given them by the Emperor to enlarge upon one or another of them twice a Month in publick Affemblies. Almost every one of them contains fome moral Virtue, and there is a Specimen added of the Sermon of a Mandarin upon one of them. It may be observed, that not one of all these Subjects has any relation to their Gods or Religion, except that which orders the ftifling of new Sects, and I think is the only one that cannot be vindicated.

trines and Duties of it, which have fo evident a Connexion with the Civil Profperity and Welfare of the State, may be lawfully maintain'd by the Government out of the national Tribute appointed to fupply the Civil Lift; but I affirm it not at present.

I.

SECT. IV.

Of the People's Attendance on thefe Publick'

NOW

Teachers.

WOW a Question arifes here, if there are publick Officers appointed to teach the Laws of the Land, and also to teach the Things that relate to the Knowledge of the true God, the Religion of an Qath, and thofe Vertues and Vices which concern the Civil Interefts of the Society, may not the supreme Power likewise oblige the People at certain seasons to come and attend the Lectures of these publick Teachers, supposing that thefe Times and Seafons are fo wifely adjusted as not to interfere with the Civil Interefts of Mankind or of that Nation?

II.