they should prove to be on each side equal, the balance ought still to be in favour of religion. But let us imagine, that there is only one probable reason in favour of piety, against ten for unbelief; still prudence persuades us to take the part of relgion, because the blessings,which she proposes, are infinitely more considerable than the pleasures to be abandoned in exchange for her gifts. For what in reality does he renounce, who quits sin for the sake of holiness? He gives up, it is true, many criminal indulgences; he quits those excesses, which only injured his health; and he renounces the idle vanities and lying pleasures of the world, which brought him no solid happiness. Surely the advantage of this conduct is in itself considerable enough; however small the hope or the probability of a happiness beyond the grave might be. Who would not cast away a worthless burden, that he might seek diligently for a concealed treasure! who would not readily sacrifice an inconsiderable sum, for the possibility of obtaining innumerable riches! Let us carry the idea yet further. False pleasures, the pleasures of sin, leave a deep and lasting sting behind them: they have, almost inevitably, a sorrowful termination; they often destroy health and shorten life. If the amazing number of those could be known whom dissipation has laid in the tomb, it would readily be acknowledged that pain is the inseparable companion of

crime. Another sure and lamentable consequence of sin is the remorse of conscience, which it eventually brings on its followers.--It may perhaps be answered, that these fears originate in the slavish prejudices, towhichreligion gives birth; and that they would vanish, as soon as she should be altogether abandoned. I reply, that this is in the highest degree a false and groundless supposition. Before the mind can be entirely delivered from the remorse of conscience, it must be fully and clearly proved, that there is no God; consequently since this has not been done, nor can it be done, this remorse is just, reasonable, and well-founded.

The infidel, who audaciously boasts of his belief that there is no God, would become instantly motionless and pale with terror, if he were compelled to draw for a ticket, on which death was written; even though there were in the same depositary twenty others, which he had an equal chance of obtaining. Here then are twenty arguments to combat the existence of God, with one only to establish the fact; but that one would be found powerful enough to silence every assertion of the Atheist.

What then is the infidel? Have we not already described what he is; generally a man who gives the rein to his corrupt passions, and consumes his days in criminality, holding himself up to the contempt of others in this life; and, when the hour

of death approaches, yielding to the remorse of conscience, and the secret terror of his soul. Of what value then are his past pleasures, his boasted days of fatal enjoyment? Where is now his rejection of all that is holy?

If there are other persons celebrated for their talents, their learning, their proficiency in elegant literature, or abstruse sciences, who are without religion; their proceeding is not the less contrary to good sense, because they appear to have superior understandings. In their rejection of piety, they are carried away by false notions and sinful pride, which lead them to despise what in their opinion is too trifling and too like superstition for minds so enlightened, as in vain conceit they imagine their own to be, to have any concern in. Thus they abandon religion without possessing any better reasons than those of the libertine for so doing; and considering themselves degraded by being placed on a footing with others in the exercises of devotion, they sacrifice every right feeling to the idea of obtaining a reputation for wit and knowledge beyond the rest of mankind!—Another reason for impiety is, that too frequently the manners of the world make the disregard of religion fashionable; and this perhaps is the strongest of all the pretended demonstrations of the infidel, or, at least, the one which acts with the most effect.

Having followed the libertine in his wanderings,

the philosopher in his pride, and the worldling in his vanity, it is now time to return to the question and pursue our subject regularly. It is important first to consider, whether the system of Atheism can be compared with that of Religion, either in evident proofs or in convincing arguments, in conjectures, in probabilities, or in truths. We have already

said on which side we ought to determine, should the proofs for and against religion be equal; and right reason decrees most absolutely, that we should not hesitate to decide in favour of religion, when she opens to us so many advantages, even if we were to suppose for a moment, that impiety is more clearly established than religion; for tranquillity of mind, inseparable from virtue, is of itself sufficiently valuable to induce people to renounce unbelief and libertinism, which will inevitably lead to so much danger and shame; and because the hope of everlasting happiness is too important to be abandoned while we can discover even the smallest ground for its truth. It is sufficient, that this happiness should not be altogether impossible, to lead us diligently to seek it. A great prospective advantage, though the hope of obtaining it may be small, will keep reasonable people constantly on the watch, especially when they run no hazard by so doing, and when an opposite conduct might lead to an irreparable loss. But there can be no excuse for the mind to be in any degree equally

suspended between religion and impiety. Reason is entirely on the side of religion: every light, which she discovers to us, is ranged against infidelity: authority, demonstration metaphysical and moral; argument, both solid and convincing; conjectures and probabilities, all, all are arrayed on the side of religion.

Shall we be guided by authority? Is it then the authority of numberless libertines, little more instructed on these subjects than the beasts that perish? Or shall we be led by some individuals, gifted with great and extraordinary talents perhaps, though at the same time blinded by the pride of human attainments, who have no more than a superficial knowledge of that religion, which they presume to condemn? Shall the authority of such as these be preferred to that of multitudes of learned and pious writers, of devout and holy martyrs, who have in every age been the advocates of true religion? these men, who have meditated on its proofs, and borne afflictions, privations, and sufferings, and even death itself, to set their seal upon its truth! Assuredly neither sense nor justice will suffer us to hesitate one moment.

As to conjectures and probable arguments, it is true, that if each of these were considered separately, no one of them might be sufficient to convince us; but when they all encompass the same truth, as around a centre, every one acts as a brilliant ray: and when