to attribute it for, however quick their hearing, how fagacious foever their inftinct,-it would be vain to attempt inftructing them in the beauty of order,-the rules of justice,-the rights of fociety,-the origin of the world,-the love of their Maker, -the terrors of the last judgment, the pains of hell,-the ineffable joys of a future ftate. Whoever doubts me, let him try the experiment.

It is not fo with the favage or child. They are capable of instruction in all those points; and fufceptible of the impreffions arising from the notions of moral good or moral evil.

Hence, neither from the fagacity of brutes,nor the experience of mankind,-nor the obfervations of philofophers,-can arguments be adduced in fupport of a doctrine tending to overthrow the fpirituality and immortality of the foul. And, when you attribute the doctrine of the foul's immortality to the fubtilty of fchoolmen, and when Helvetius fixes its first introduction in Nero's time, when the gospel was preached at Rome *,-we cannot arraign either you or him for ignorance, as both are well read but we charge you with wilful impofition, which is worse.

:

Scattered sparks of the foul's immortality are to be found in the old Teftament. Refurrec

*Helvetius, livre de l'Efprit.

tion,

tion, judgment, the rewards and punishments of a future life, are mentioned by the inspired writers, long before the introduction of the gofpel, or Hefiod's theogony. Pythagoras taught the metempfychofis, or tranfmigration of fouls, long before Seneca taught Nero to declaim. Even ancient errors fhew how ancient was the belief of the foul's immortality; and demonstrate, that it is to be ranked amongst the first. traditions of mankind. Did not almost all men facrifice to the manes, that is, to the fouls, of the dead? From one extremity of the world to the other, people of different humours, countries, worship, intereft, agree in this important article of immortality. It is no collufion : for a general affociation of mankind could never be formed. Nor a prejudice of education : for manners, customs, and education, are different, in different nations. This notion of immortality is common to all. Remote ifles and foreign nations figured to themselves, fhades and climates, through which the roving spirit was to travel, after its feparation from the body. Hence, the custom of killing wives and officers, at the death of their kings; left the royal ghoft fhould travel without attendants. This several nations practised: and the Indians, diftinguished by pagan authors, amongst the first afferters of the immortality of the foul, were also the first that introduced thofe horrid murders upon

earth,

which they practise to this very day. Nature, then, taught the foul's immortality, without a monitor or rather, the Almighty has stamped its notion on our existence and favage people, in forgetting God, could not forget themselves.

:

There are still some religious, as well as philofophical paradoxes in your writings, befides the capital errors already mentioned. I have not leifure to examine them all.

You fay, that," from the continual waste of "mould, washed away by the rain, the animal "world will become extinct, for want of vege"table food." This, I fuppofe, is advanced with a design to invalidate the oracles which foretel the world's diffolution by fire. A prodigious quantity of the liquid element is wasted in watering fields, woods, &c. Doctor Halley is of opinion, that the Mediterranean lofes in vapour, five thousand five hundred and eighty millions of tons, in a day; and receives but one thoufand eight hundred and twentyfeven, from rivers: fo that it would foon be drained, unless a great quantity returned in dew and rain upon it.

It seems, then, to me, that the animal world will be extinct, for want of drink. But a greater prophet than either of us, foretold the world's dissolution by fervent heat.

You

You argue against the Chinese antiquities, from the waste of mould. By the fame rule, you can argue against Mofes' account of the creation. But, to argue against the antiquities of any nation, from the waste of mould, is nothing better than waste of time. The European miffionaries convinced the Chinese of their error, by reckoning the eclipfes of the fun, in a conference with their learned men, when the emperor of Tartary became master of China. It was the fureft method, and that by which Callifthenes baffled the pretended antiquity of the Babylonians, when Alexander took their city.

If Mofes be an allegorical writer, it is hard, "from the wafte of mould," to determine when the Alp emerged from the chaos.

You are of opinion, that, before the deluge, "none but giants inhabited the earth." Before the deluge, the world had its Davids and Goliabs, its Fionnmacools and Ufbions. Mofes talks of giants, as rarities: "In them days, there "were giants on the earth." A rarity is an exception to the general rule, and supposes a more extenfive clafs of beings.

The longevity of the antediluvians can be afcribed to two causes: the one fupernatural,in order to perpetuate religion, and give the aged patriarchs time to inftil it into the minds

of

of their spreading generations: the other natural, viz. their fobriety, the fimplicity of their diet, the falubrity of the air, not corrupted by the noxious vapours which rose from the earth, after the flood, the fertility of the foil, &c. You know the state of the world, before the deluge, fo well, that you fix "the

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age of puberty at the age of fixty-five." I believe that procreation began, before the deluge, as early as at prefent. Or elfe, they muft have been monftrous babes that were at the breast, and fed with spoon-meat, at the age of twenty. By the rules of analogy, we may judge of their nubile ftate, by the tall Pruffian, and low Laplander. The fize is difproportionate : but the age for marrying is the fame in both.

You deny any confufion of tongues at the difperfion because what has been tranflated language, fignifies lip, in Hebrew. Sometimes it does: but the addition of Speech fignifies fomething more. "And the whole earth was "of one language, and of one speech." And what is here tranflated Speech, signifies words, in the original Hebrew.

You deny that there were any propitiatory facrifices. There are fin-offerings, notwithstanding, mentioned in the fcriptures: "For the "bodies of those beafts, whose blood for fin is