before we affign him the reasons why we cannot comply with his requeft, to acquaint him what the grounds and principles of that religion which he would have us abandon are.

Our forefathers were under a ftrong perfuafion (as we are) that those that act well in this life, will be rewarded in the next, according to the degree of their virtue. And on the other hand, those who behave wickedly here will undergo fuch punishments hereafter, as are proportioned to the crimes they are guilty of. This has been conftantly and invariably received and acknowledged for a truth through every fucceeding generation of our ancestors. It could not then have taken its rife from fables. Human fiction, however, artfully and plaufibly contriv ed, can never gain credit long amongst the people, where free enquiry is allowed, which was never denied by our ancestors, who on the contrary, thought it the facred, inviolable, natural right of every man, to examine and judge for himself, therefore, we think it evident that our notion concerning future rewards and punishments was either revealed immediately from heaven to fome of our forefathers, and from them defcended to us; or that it was implanted in each of us at our creation, by the creator of all things. Whatever the method might have been, whereby God has been pleafed to make known his will, and give us a knowledge of our duty; it is ftill, in our fenfe, a divine revelation. Now we defire to propofe to him fome queions. Does he believe that our forefathers, men eminent for their piety, conftant and warm in the purfuit of virtue, hoping thereby to merit eternal happiness, were all damned? Does he think, that we, who are their zealous imitators in good works, and influenced by the fame motives, earnestly endeavouring with the greateft circumfpection, to tread the paths of integrity, are in a ftate of damnation? If thefe be his fentiments they are furely as impious as they are bold and daring. In the next place, we beg that he would explain himself more particularly, concerning the revelation he talks of, if he admits of no other than what is contained

in his written book, the contrary is evident from what has been fhewn before. But if he fays, that God has revealed himself to us, but not fufficient for our falvation. Then we ask, to what purpofe fhould he have revealed himself to us in any wife? It is clear, that a revelation infufficient to fave, cannot put us in a better condition, than we fhould be in without any revelation at all. We cannot conceive that God would point out to us the end we ought to aim at, without opening to us the way to arrive at that end.

But fuppofing our understandings to be fo far illuminated as to know it to be our duty to pleafe God; who yet has left us under an incapacity of doing it. Will this Miffionary, therefore, conclude, that we fhall be eternally damned? Will he take upon himfelf to pronounce damnation against us for those things which he himself acknowledges were impoffible by us to be done? It is our opinion, that every man is poffeffed with fufficient knowledge for his own falvation. The Almighty, for what we know, may have communicated himfelf to dif ferent races of people, in a different manner. Some fay they have the will of God in writing; be it fo.-Their revelation has no advantage above ours, fince both must be equally fufficient to fave, or the end of a revelation would be fruftrated. Befides, if they be both true, they must be the fame in fubftance, and the difference can only be in the mode of the communication.-He tells us, there are many precepts in' his written revelation, which we are entirely ignorant of; but thofe written commands could only be defigned for thofe who have the writings, they cannot poffibly regard us.

Had the Almighty thought fo much knowledge necef fary for our falvation, his goodness would not have fo long deferred the communication of it to us, and to fay that in a matter fo neceffary he could not at one and the fame time reveal him felf to all mankind, is nothing lefs than an abfolute denial of his omnipotence. Without doubt he can make his will manifeft, with, or without the

help of any book, or the affiftance of any brutish man whatever.

We fball, in the next place, confider the arguments which arife from a confideration of Providence. If we be the work of God, which we prefume will not be denied, it follows thence, that we are under the care and protection of God, for it cannot be fuppofed that the Deity would abandon his own creatures, and be utterly regard. lefs of their welfare. Then to fay the Almighty has permitted us to remain in a fatal error through fo many ages is to reprefent him as a tyrant.

How is it confiftent with his juftice to force life upon a race of mortals without their confent, and then to damn them eternally, without opening to them a door of falva. tion: Our conceptions of the gracious God are more noble; and we think that thofe that teach otherwife, do little lefs than blafpheme. Again, it is through the care and goodness of the Almighty, that from the beginning of time, through many generations to this day, our names have been unblotted out by our enemies, un., reduced to nothing, by the fame care we now enjoy our lives, are furnished with the neceffary means of preferving thofe lives; but all thofe things are trifling compared with our falvation. Therefore, fince God has been fo careful of us in matters of little confequence, it would be abfurd to think that he has neglected us in cafes of the greatest importance: admit that he has forfaken us, yet it could not have been without a juft caufe.

Let us fuppofe that a heinous crime was committed by one of our ancestors, like to that which happened among another fort of people, in fuch a cafe God would certainly have punifhed the criminal, but would never al involve us, who are innocent, in his guilt; thofe whonet think otherwife, muft make the Almighty a very whim fical, ill natured being.

Once more; are the Chriftians more virtuous, orat rather, are they not more vicious than we are? If fools how comes it to pafs that they are objects of God's beneficence, while we are neglected? Does the Deity con

fer his favours without reafon, and with fo much partiality? In a word, we find the Chriftians much more depraved in their morals than ourfelves; and we judge of their doctrine by the badnefs of their lives.

Profession of Faith from Rousseau, continued.

But do you think that in places where they might write and fpeak fecurely, we fhould have fo much the advantage of them? Among the doctors of the Sorbonne, it is as clear as day-light, that the predictions concerning the Meffiah relate to Jefus Chrift. Among the Rabbins at Amfterdam, it is juft as evident they have no relation to him. I fhall never believe that I have acquired a fufficient acquaintance with the arguments of the Jew, till they compofe a free and independent ftate, and have their fchools and univerfities, where they may talk and dif courfe with freedom and impunity. Till then, we can never truly know what they have to say.

At Conftantinople, the Turks make known their reafons, and we durft not publish ours: there it is our turn to fubmit. If the Turks require of us to pay to Mahomet, in whom we do not believe, the fame refpe&t which we require the Jews to pay Jefus Chrift, in whom they believe as little; can the Turks be in the wrong, and we in the right? On what principles of equity can we refolve that queftion, in our own favour?

Two thirds of mankind are neither Jew, Mahometans nor Chriftians; how many millions of men, therefore, who never heard of Mofes, of Jefus Chrift, or of Mahomet! Will this be denied? Will it be faid that our miffionaries are difperfed over the face of the whole earth? This indeed is eafily affirmed; but are there any of them in the interior of Africa, where no European had ever yet penetrated? Do they travel through the inland parts of Tartary, or follow on horfeback the wandering Hords, whom no ftranger ever approaches, and

who, fo far from having heard of the Pope, hardly know any thing of their own Grand Lama? De our miffionaries traverse the immenfe continent of America, where there are whole nations fill ignorant that the people of another world have fet foot on theirs? Are there any of them in Japan, from whence their ill-behaviour hath banished them for ever, and where the fame of their predeceffors is tranfmitted to fucceeding generations, as that of artful knaves, who, under cover of a religious zeal, wanted to make themfelves imperceptibly mafters of the empire? Do they penetrate into the harams of the Afiatic princes, to preach the gofpel to, millions of wretched flaves? What will become of the women, in that part of the world, for want of a miffionary to preach the gofpel to them? Muft every one of them go to hell for being a reclufe?

But were it true that the gofpel is preached in every part of the earth, the difficulty is not removed. On the eve preceding the arrival of the firft miffionary in any country, fome one perfon of that country expired without hearing the glad tidings. Now what must we do with this one perfon? Is there but a fingle individual in the whole univerfe, to whom the gospel of Chrift is not made known, the objection which prefents itfelf, on account of this one perfon, is as cogent as if it included a fourth part of the human race.

Again, fuppofing the minifters of the gospel actually present and preaching in thofe diftant nations, how can they reasonably expect to be believed on their own word, and that their hearers will not fcrupuloufly require a confirmation of what they teach? Might not any one of the latter very reafonably fay to them, "You tell me of a God who was born and put to death near two thoufand years ago, at the other end of the world, and in I know not what obfcure town; affuring me that all thofe who do not believe in this myfterious tale are damned. Thefe are things too ftrange to be credited on the fole authority of a man, who is himself a perfect firanger.