hopes, that the Politeness and Beauty peculiar to Mr. ADDISON's writings would make their way to perfonsof a fuperior character and a more liberal education; and that, as they come from the hands of a Layman, they may be the more readily received and confidered by young Gentlemen, as, a proper, Mamual of Religion, om is no es gnol es

Our modern Sceptics and Infidels are great Pretenders to Reason and Philofophy, and are willing to have it thought that none who are really poffeffed of those talents can easily affent to the truth of Chriftianity. But it falls out very unfortunately for them and their caufe, that thofe perfons within our own memory, who are confeffed to have been the mosto perfect Reasoners and, Philofophers of their time, are alfo known to have been firm Believers, and

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they

they Laymen; I mean Mr. BOYLE, Mr. Locke, Sir ISAAC NEWTON, and Mr. ADDISON who, modeftly speaking, were as good Thinkers and Reafoners, as the best among the Sceptics and Infidels at this day. Some of them might have their particular opinions about this or that point in Chriftianity, which will be the cafe as long as men are men ; but the thing here infifted on is, that they were accurate Reafoners, and at the Taffle time firm Believers, duoboluit yll Mr. BoŶ£E, the most exact searcher white the works of Nature that any age has known, and who faw Atheim and Infidelity beginning to fhew Thethfelves in the loofer and volupW8us feign of King Charles the Second, pursued his philofophicab inquities with religious views, tofeftaBINH the minds of men in a firm belief and thorough fenfe of the infi

nite power and wifdom of the great Creator.

This account we have from a one who was intimately acquainted with him, and preached his Funeral Sermon : It appeared to thofe who ' converfed with him in his inquiries 'into nature, that his main design in that (on which as he had his own eye most constantly, fo he took care to put others often in mind of it) 'was to raise in himfelf and others ' vafter thoughts of the greatness

and glory, and of the wisdom and ' goodness of God. This was fo deep in his thoughts, that he concludes the article of his will, which relates to that illuftrious body, the Royal Society, in these words : I wishing them a happy fuccefs in "their laudable attempts to difco

a Dr. Burnet. 'A..

b Life,

p. 22.

"ver the true nature of the works of "God; and praying that they and "all other fearchers into phyfical "truths may cordially refer their "attainments to the glory of the

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great Author of Nature, and to "the comfort of mankind." The fame person also speaks thus of him: 'He had the profoundest veneration 'for the great God of heaven and earth, that ever I obferved in any perfon. The very name of GOD was never mentioned by him with'out a pause and a vifible ftop in his 'difcourfe.'

And of the ftrictnefs and exemplarinefs of the whole course of his life, he fays, I might here challenge the whole tribe of Libertines, to come and view the usefulness, as ' well as the excellence of the Chrif

"tian Religion, in a dife that was len tirely dedicated to it Against the Atheists he wrote his Free Enquiry into the received No! 'tion of Nature' (to confute the pernicious principle of afcribing effects to Nature, which are only produced by the infinited power band awisdom of God) and also his Effay about final Caufes of Things natural,' to shew that all things fin nature werel made and contrived with great for der, and every thing for its proper end and use, by an all-wife Creator do

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Against the Deifts he wrote a treatg tifent of Things/above Reafon ;'bin which he makes it appears that feb veral things, which we judge to be contrary to reason, because above thedreach of our understandings være ́ nots therefore to be thought unrea fonable, because we cannot comprehend them, fince they may be appa

rently