XXXII. But I can never hope, Crito, to make ycu think my fchemes reafonable. We reafon each right upon his own principles, and fhall never agree till we quit our principles, which cannot be done by reafoning. We all talk of juft, and right, and wrong, and public good, and all thofe things. The names may be the fame, but the notions and conclufions very different, perhaps diametrically oppofite: and yet each may admit of clear proofs, and be inferred by the fame way of reafoning. For inftance, the gentlemen of the club which I frequent, define man to be a fociable animal: confequently we exclude, from this difinition all thofe human creatures, of whom it may be faid, we had rather have their room Gg 24a MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.]
than their company. And fuch, though wearing the fhape of man, are to be efteemed in all account of reafon, not as men, but only as human creatures. Hence it plainly follows, that men of pleafure, men of humour, and men of wit, are alone properly and truly to be considered as men. Whatever, therefore, conduceth to the emolument of fuch, is for the good of mankind, and confequently very juft and lawful, although feeming to be attended with lofs or damage to other creatures: inafmuch as no real injury can be done in life or property to thofe, who know not how to enjoy them. This we hold for clear and well connected reafoning. But others may view things in another light, aflign different definitions, draw other inferences, and perhaps confider, what we fuppofe the top and flower of the creation, only as a wart or excrefcence of human nature. From all which there mull enfue a very different fyftem of morals, politics, rights, and notions.
Cri. — If you have a mind to argue, we will argue: If you have more mind to jeft, we will laugh with you.
Lys. — — Ridentem dicere verum £hiidvetat?
This partition of our kind into men and human creatures, puts me in mind of another notion broached by one of our club, whom we ufed to call the Pythagorean.
XXXIII. He made a threefold partition of the human fpecies, into birds, beafts, and limes, being of opinion that the road of life lies upwards, in a perpetual afcent through the fcale of being: In fuch fort, that the fouls of infects, after death, make their fecond appearance in the fhape of perfect animals, birds, beafts, or fifties; which, upon their death, are preferred into human bodies) and, in the next (cage, Into beings of a higher and more perfect kind. This man we considered at firft as a fort of heretic; becaufe his fcherne feemed not to confift with our fundamental tenet, the mortality of the foul: But he juftified the notion to be innocent, in af much as it included nothing of reward or punifhment, and was not proved by any argument, which fuppofed or implied either incorporeal fpirit, or Providence, being only inferred, by way of analogy, from what he had obferved in human affairs, the court, the church, and.the army; wherein the tendency is always upwards from lower pods to higher. According to this fyftem, the fifhes are thofe men who fwim in pleafure, fuch as petit s maitres, bons vivans, and honed fellows. The beafts are dry, drudging, covetous, rapacious folk, and all thofe adi£ted to care and bufmefs like oxen, and other dry land animals, which fpend their lives in labor and fatigue. The birds are airy, notional men, enthufiafts, projectors, poets, philofophers, and i'uch like. In each fpecies every individual retaining a tincture of his former ftate, which conftitutes what is called genius. If you afk me which fpecies of mankind I like beft, I anfwer, the flying fifh: that is, a man of animal enjoyment, with a mixture of whim. Thus you fee we have our creeds and our fyftems, as well as graver folks: with this difference, that they are not ftrait-laced, but fit eafy, to be flipped ofT or on, as humour or occafion ferves. And now I can, with the greateft equinimity imaginable, hear my opinions argued againft, or confuted.
XXXIV. Alc. — It were to be wimed all men were of that mind. But you (hall find a fort of men, whom I need not name, that cannot bear with the leaft temper, to have their opinions examined, or their faults cenfured. — They are againft reafon, becaufe reafon is againft them. Tor our pnrts, we are all for liberty of confcien.ce. If our tenets are abfurd, we allow them to be freely argued and infpecfced: and, by a parity of reafon, we might hope to be allowed the fame privilege, with refpeft to the opinions of other men.
Cri.— - O Alclphron! "Wares that will not bear the light are juftly to be fufpecled. Whatever, therefore, moves you to make this complaint, take my word, I never will: But as hitherto I have allowed your reafon its full fcope, fo for the future I always fhall. And, though I cannot approve of railing or declaiming, not even in myfelf, whenever you have fhewed me the way to it: yet this I will anfwer for, that you fhall ever be allowed to reafon as clofely and as itrenuoufly as you can. But, for the love of truth, be candid, and do not fpend your itrength, and our time, in points of no fignificancy, or foreign to the purpofe, or agreed between us. We allow that tyranny and flavery are bad things: but why iliould we apprehend them from the clergy at this time? Rites and ceremonies, we own, are not points of chief moment in religion: but why fhould we ridicule things, in their own nature, at leaft indifferent, and which bear the ftamp of fupreme authority? That men, in divinity, as well as other fubje£ts, are perplexed with ufelefs disputes, and are like to be fo as long as the world lafts, I freely acknowledge: But why mufl all the human weaknefs and miftakes of clergymen be imputed to wicked deigns? Why indifcriminately abufe their character and tenets? Is this like candor, love of truth, free-thinking?
It is granted there may be found, now and then, fpleen and ill-breeding in the clergy: But are not the fame faults incident to Englijh laymen, of a retired education and country life? I grant there is infinite futility in the fchoolmen: But I deny that a volume of that doth fo much mifchief, as a page of Minute Philofophy. That weak or wicked men fhould, by favor of the world, creep [Dial. V.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 24c into power and high flations in the church, is nothing wonderful: and that, in fuch ftations, they mould behave like themfelves, is natural to fuppofe. But all the while it is evident, that not the gofpel, but the world; not the fpirit, but the flefti; not God, but the devil, puts them upon their unworthy achievements. We make no difficulty to grant, that nothing is more infamous than vice and ignorance in a clergyman; nothing more bafe than a hypocrite, more frivolous than a pedant, more cruel than an inquintor. But it muft alfo be granted by you, gentlemen, that nothing is more ridiculous and abfurd, than for pedantic, ignorant and corrupt men, to call the firft ftone, at every fhadow of their own defects and vices in other men.
XXXV. Alc— When I confider the deteftable flate of flavery and fuperftition, I feel my heart dilate and expand itfelf to grafp that ineftimable blefling of independent liberty. This is the facred and high prerogative, the very life and health of our Englijb conftitution. You muft not, therefore, think it flrange, if with a vigilant and curious eye, we guard it againft the minuteft appearance of evil. You muft even fuffer us to cut round about, and very deep, and make ufe of the magnifying glafs, the better to view and extirpate every the leaft fpeck, which fhall difcover itfelf in what we are careful and jealous to preferve, as the apple of our eye.
Cri. — As for unbounded liberty, I leave it to favages, among whom alone I believe it is to be found: But, for the reafonable legal liberty of our conftitution, I moft heartily and fincerely wifh it may for ever fubfift and flourilh among us. You and all other Rnglifimen cannot be too vigilant, or too earned, to preferve this goodly frame, or to curb and difappoint the wicked ambition of whoever, layman or ecclefiaftic, fhall attempt to change our free and gentle government into a flavifh or fevere one. But what pretext can this afford for your attempts againft religion, or indeed, how can it be confident with them? Is not the proteftant religion a main part of our legal conftitution? I remember to have heard a foreigner remark, that we of this ifland were very good proteftants, but no chriftians. But whatever Minute Philofophers may wifh, or foreigners fay, it is certain our laws fpeak a different language.
Alc. — This puts me in mind of the wife reafoning of a certain fage magistrate, who, being preffed by the raillery and arguments of an ingenious man, had nothing to fay for his religion, but that ten millions of people, inhabiting the fame ifland, might, whether right or wrong, if they thought good, eftablifh laws for the worfliipping of God in their temples, and appealing to him in their courts of juftice. And that in cafe ten thoufand ingenious men fhould publicly deride and trample on thofe laws, it might be juft and lawful for the faid ten millions to expel the faid ten thoufand ingenious men out of their faid ifland.
Euph.— And pray, what anfwer would you make to this remark of the fage magiftrate?
Alc. — The anfwer is plain. By the law of nature, which is fuperior to all pofitive inftitutions, wit and knowledge have a right to command folly and ignorance. I fay, ingenious men have, by natural right, a dominion over fools.
Euph, — What dominion over the laws and people of Great Britain, Minute Philofophers may be in titled to by nature, I (hall not difpute, but leave to be confidered by the public.
Alc — This doftrine, it muft be owned, was never thoroughly underftood before our own times. In the lafl age, Hobbes and his followers, though other wife very great men, declared for the religion of the magiftrate j Probably becaufe they were afraid of the magiftrate: But times are changed, and the magiftrate may now be afraid cf us.
Cri. — I allow the magiftrate may well be afraid of you in one fenfe, I mean afraid to truft you. This brings to my thoughts a paffage on the trial of Leander for a capital offence. That gentleman having picked out and excluded from his jury, by peremptory " exception, all but fome men of fafhion and pleafure, humbly moved, when Dorcon was going to kifs the book, that he might be required to declare upon honour, whether he believed either God or gofpel. Dorcon, rather than hazard his reputation as a man of honour and free-thinker, openly avowed, that he believed in neither. Upon which, the court declared him unfit to ferve on a jury. By the fame reafon, fo many were fet afide, as made it neceffary to put off the trial. We are very eafy, replied Alciphron, about being trufted to ferve on juries, if we can be admitted to ferve in lucrative employments.
Cri. — But what if the government mould injoin, that every one, before he is fworn into office, fhould make the fame declaration which Dorcon was required to make?
Alc. — God forbid! I hope there is no fuch defign on foot.
Cri. — Whatever defigns may be on foot, thus much is certain; the chriftian reformed religion is a principal part and corner-ftone of our free conftitution; and I verily think, the only thing that makes us deferving of freedom, or capable of enjoying it. Freedom is either a bleffing or a cure, as men ufe it. And to me it feems, that if our religion were once deftroyed from among us, and thofe notions, which pafs for prejudices of a chriftian education, erafed from the minds of Britons, thebeft thing that could befal us would be the lofs of our freedom. — Surely a people wherein there is fuch reftlefs ambition, fuch high fpirits, fuch animofity of faction, fo great imerefts in conteft, fuch unbounded licence of fpeech and prefs, amidft fo much wealth and°luxury, nothing but thofe veteres avia, which you pretend to extirpate, could have hitherto kept from ruin.
a48 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. V.]
XXXVI. Under the chriftian religion this nation hath been greatly improved. From a fort of favages we have grown civil, polite, and learned. We have made a decent and noble figure, both at home and abroad. And, as our religion decreafeth, I am afraid we (hall be found to have declined. Why then mould we perfift in the dangerous experiment?
Alc— One would think, Crito, you had forgot the many calamities occafioned by churchmen and religion.
Cri. — And one would think, you had forgot what was anfwered this very day to that objection. But not to repeat eternally the fame things, I (hall obferve in the firft place, that if we reflect on the pafl ftate of chriftendom, and of our own country in particular, with our feuds and factions fubfifting, while we were all of the fame religion, for inftance, that of the white and red rofes, fo violent and bloody, and of fuch long continuance; we can have no aflurance that thofe ill humors, which have fince ftiewn themfelves under the mafk of religion, would not have broke out with fome other pretext, if this had been wanting. I obferve in the fecond place, that it will not follow, from any obfervations you can make on our hiftory, that the evils, accidentally occafioned by religion, bear any proportion either to the good effects it hath really produced, or the evils it hath prevented. Laftly, I obferve, that the beft things may, by accident, be the occafion of evil; which accidental effect is not, to fpeak properly and truly, produced by the good thing itfelf, but by fome evil thing, which, being neither part, property, nor effect of it, happens to be joined with it. But I mould be afhamed to infifl; and enlarge on fo plain a point. Certainly whatever evils this nation might have formerly fuftained from fuperftition, no man of common fenfe will fay, the evils felt, or apprehended at prefent, are from that quarter.
Pr left craft is not the reigning diftemper at this day. And it will be owned, that a wife man, who takes upon him to be vigilant for the public weal, mould touch proper things at proper times, and not prefcribe for a furfeit when the diftemper is a confumption.
Alc. — I think we have fufficiently difcufied the fubje£r. of this day's conference. And now, let Lv fides take it as he will, I muft, in regard to my own character, as a fair impartial adverfary, acknowledge there is fomething in what Crito hath faid, upon the ufefulnefs of the chriftian religion. I will even own to you that fome of our feet are for allowing it a toleration. I remember, at a meeting of feveral ingenious men, after much debate we came fucceffively to divers refolutions. The firft was, that no religion ought to be tolerated in the ftate: But this, on more mature thought, was judged impracticable. The fecond was, that all religions fhould be tolerated, but none countepanced except atheifm: But it was apprehended, that this might breed contentions among the lower fort of people. We came, therefore, to conclude, in the third place, that fome religion or other fhould be eftab-Hfhed for the ufe of the vulgar. And after a long difpute what this religion fhould be, Lyfis, a brifk young man, perceiving no figns of agreement, propofed, that the prefent religion might be tolerated, till a better was found. But allowing it to be expedient, I can never think it true, fo long as there lie unanfwerable objections againft its which, if you pleafe, I fhall take the liberty to propofe at our next meeting. To which we all agreed.
Points agreed. II. Sundry Pretences to Revelation. III. Uncertainty of Tradition. IV. Object and Ground of Faith. V. Some Books difputed, others evidently fpurious. VI. Stile and Gompofition of Holy Scripture. VII. Difficulties occurring therein. VIII. Obfcurity not always a Defect. IX. Infpiration neither impoffible nor abfurd. X. Objections from the Form and Matter of Divine Revelation, confidered. XI. Infidelity an Efifecl of Narrownefs and Prejudice. XII. Articles of Chrifiian Faith not unreajonable. XIII. Guilt the natural Parent of Fear, XIV. Things unknown, reduced to the Standard of what Men know. XV. Prejudices againfi the Incarnation of the Son of God. XVI. Ignorance of the divine Economy, a Source of Difficulties. XVII. Wifdom of God, Foolifimefs to Man. XVIII. Reafon, no blind Guide. XIX. Uffulnefs of Divine Revelation. XX. Prophecies, whence ebjeure. XXI. Eafierh Accounts of time elder than the Mofaic. XXII. The Humor of Egyptians, AfTyrians, Chaldeans, and other Nations extending their Antiquity beyond Truth, accounted for. XXIII. Reafons confirming the Mofaic Account. XXIV. Profane Hiflorians inconfijlent. XXV. Celfus, Prophyry, and Julian. XXVI. The tefiimony of Jofephus confidered.
XXVII. Attefiation of Jews and Gentiles to Chrifiianity.
XXVIII. Forgeries and Herefies. XXIX. Judgment and Attention of Minute Philofopher s. XXX. Faith and Miracles. XXXI. Probable Arguments a fujficient Ground of Faith. XXXII. The Chrijlian Religion able to fiand the Tcfi of rational Inquiry.
JL HE following day being Sunday, our philofophers lay long in bed, while the relt of us went to church in the neighboring town, where we dined at Eiiphranor's, and after evening fervice returned to the two philofophers, whom we found in the library. They told us, that, if there was a God, he was prefent every where, as well as at church; and that if we had been ferving him one way, they did not neglect to do as much another; inafmuch as a free exercife of reafon muft be allowed the mod acceptable fervice and worfhip, that a rational creature can offer to its Creator. However, faid Aldphron^ if you, gentlemen, can but folve the difficulties which I {hall propofe to-morrow morning, I promife to go to church next Sunday. After forne general converfation of this kind, we fat down to a light fupper, and the next morning affembled at the fame place, as the day before: Where being all feated, I obferved, that the foregoing week our conferences had been carried on for a longer time, and with lefs interruption than I had ever known, or well could be, in town: Where men's hours are fo broken by vifits, bulinefs, and amufements, that whoever is content to form his notions from converfation only, muft needs have them very mattered and imperfect. And what have we got, replied Alciphron, by all thefe continued conferences? For my part, I think myfelf jufl where I was, with refpe£t to the main point that divides us, the truth of the chriftian religion. I anfwered: That fo many points had been examined^ difcufTed, and agreed between him and his adverfaries, that I hoped to fee them come to an intire agreement in the end, For, in the firft place, laid I, |dhe principles and opinions of thofe who are called free-thinkers, or Minute Philofophers, have been pretty clearly explained. It hath been alfo agreed, that vice is not of that benefit to the nation, which fome men imagine: That virtue is highly ufeful to mankind: But that the beauty of virtue is not alone fumcientto engage them in the pra£tife of it: That therefore the belief of a God and Providence ought to be encouraged in the ftate, and tolerated in good company, as an ufeful notion. Further, it hath been proved that there is a God: That it is reafonable to worfhip him: And that the worfhip, faith, and principles prefcribed by the chriflian religion have an ufeful tendency. Admit, replied Alciphron, addreffing himfelf to \Crito, all that Didn faith to be true, yet this doth not hinder my being juft where I was, with refpecl: to the main point. Since there is nothing in all this that proves the truth of the chriftian religion: Though each of thofe particulars enumerated, may, perhaps, prejudice in its favor. I am therefore to fufpeel; myfelf at prefent for a prejudiced perfon; prejudiced, I fay, in favor of chriftianity. This, as I am a lover of truth, puts me upon my guard againft deception. I muft therefore look fharp, and well confider every ftep I take.
II. Cri. — You may remember, Alciphron, you propo-{td for the fubjeel: of our prefent conference the consideration of certain difficulties and objections, which you had to offer againft the chriftian religion. We are now ready to hear and confider whatever you fhali think fit to produce of that kind. Atheifm, and a wrong notion of chriftianity, as of fomething hurtful to mankind, are great prejudices; the removal of which may difpofe a man to argue with candor, and fubmit to reafonable proof: But the removing prejudices againft an opinion, is not to be reckoned prejudicing in its favor. It may be hoped therefore, that you will be able to do juftice to your" caufe, ■Without being fond of it.
Alc— O Onto! That man may thnak his ftars to whom nature hath given a fublime fou^, who can raife himfelf above popular opinions, and, looking down on the herd of mankind, behold them Scattered over the furface of the whole earth, divided and fubdivided into numberlefs nations and tribes, differing in notions and tenets, as in language, manners, and drefs. The man who takes a general view of the world and its inhabitants, from this lofty ftand, above the reach of prejudice, feems to breathe a purer air, and to fee by a clearer light: But how to impart this clear and extenfive view to thofe who are wandering beneath in the narrow dark paths of error. This indeed is a hard talk: Yet hard as it is, I fhall try if by any means, Clara tux pojfim prapandere lumina menti. Lucret.
Know then, that all the various cafts or feels of the fons of men have each their faith, and their religious fyftem, germinating and fprouting forth from that common grain of enthufiafm, which is an original ingredient in the composition of human nature. They fhall each tell of intercourfe with the invihble world, revelations from Heaven, divine oracles, and the like. All which pretentions, when I regard with an impartial eye, it is impoflible I fhould affent to all, and I find within myfelf fomething that withholds me from affenting to any of them. For although I may be willing to follow, fo far as common fenfe and the light of nature lead; yet the fame reafon, that bids me yield to rational proof, forbids me to admit opinions without proof. This holds in general againft all revelations whatfoever. And be this my firft obje&ion againft the chriftian in particular. - Cri. — As this objection fuppofes there is no proof or reafon for believing the chriltian revelation, if good reafon can be afligncd for fuch belief, it comes to nothing. Now I prefume you will grant, the authority of the reporter is a true and proper reafon for believing reports: And the better this authority, the jufter claim it hath to our aflent: But the authority of God, is, on all accounts, the beft: "Whatever, therefore, comes from God, it is moft reafonable to believe.
III. Alc. — This I grant, but then it muft be proved to come from God.
Cri. — And are not miracles, and the accomplimments of prophecies, joined with the excellency of its doctrines, a fufhcient proof that the chriftian religion came from God?
Alc. — Miracles, indeed, would prove fomething; but what proof have we of thefe miracles?
Cri. — Proof of the fame kind that we have, or can have, of any fa£ts done a great way off, and a long time ago. We have authentic accounts tranfmitted down to us from eye-witnefles, whom we cannot conceive tempted to impofe upon us by any human motive whatfoever: inafmuch as they acted therein contrary to their interefts, their prejudices, and the very principles in which they had been nurfed and educated. Thefe accounts were confirmed by the unparalleled fubverfion of the city of jerufalem, and the difperfion of the Jeivijh nation, which is a {landing teftimony to the truth of the gofpel, particularly of the predictions of our blened Saviour. Thefe accounts, within lefs then a century, were fpread throughout the world, and believed by great numbers of people. Thefe fame accounts were committed to writing, tranflated into feveral languages, and handed down with the fame refpecl and confent of chrifhians in the moft diftant churches. Do you not fee, faid Alciphron> flaring full at Crito> that all this hangs by tradition? And tradition, take my word for it, gives but a weak hold: It is a chain, whereof the firft links may be flronger than fteel, and yet the laft weak as wax, and brittle as glafs. Imagine a picture copied fucceffively by an hundred painters, one from another; how like muft the laft copy be to the original! How lively and diftin£r. will an image be, after an hundred reflexions between two parallel mirrours! Thus like, and thus lively, do I think a faint vaniftiing tradition, at the end of fixteen or feventeen hundred years. Some men have a* falfe heart, others a wrong head: and where both are true, the memory may be treacherous. Hence there is ftill fomething added, fomething omitted, and fomething varied from the truth: And the fum of many fuch additions, deductions and alterations, accumulated for feveral ages, doth, at the foot of the account, make quite another thing.
Cri. — Ancient fafts we may know by tradition, oral or written: And this latter we may divide into two kinds, private and public, as writings are kept in the hands of particular men, or recorded in public archives. Now all thefe three forts of tradition, for ought I can fee, concur to atteft the genuine antiquity of the gofpels. And they arc ftrengthened by collateral evidence from rites inftituted, feftivals obferved, and monuments erected by ancient chriftians, fuch as churches, baptifteries, and fepulchres. Now, allowing your objection holds againft oral tradition, fingly taken, yet I can think it no fuch difficult thing to tranfcribe faithfully. And things once committed to writing, are fecure from flips of memory, and may with common care be preferved intire fo long as the manufcriptlafts: And this, experience fhews, may be above a thoufand years. The Alexandrine manufcript is allowed to be above twelve hundred yeras old: and it is highly probable there were then extant copies four hundred years old. A tradition, therefore, of above fixteen hundred year*, need have only two or three links in its chain.— And thefe links, notwith (landing that great length of 2$6 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VL] time, may be very found and intire. Since no reafonable man will deny, that an ancient manufcript may be of much the fame credit now, as when it was firft written. We have it on good authority, and it feems probable that the primitive chriftians were careful to tranfcribe copies of the gofpels and epiftles for their private ufe: and that other copies were preferved as public records, in the feveral churches throughout the world: and that portions thereof were conftantly read in their afiemblies. Can more be faid to prove the writings of claflic authors, or ancient records of any kind, authentic? Alciphrony addreffing his difcourfe to Euphranor, faid, it is one thing to filence an adverfary, and another to convince him. — What do you think, Euphranor r Euph. — Doubtlefs it is.
Alc — But what I want is, to be convinced.
Euph. — That point is not fo clear.
Alc. — But if a man had ever fo much mind, he cannot be convinced by probable arguments againft demonftration.
Euph. — I grant he cannot.