to attribute it: for, however quick their hearing, how fagacious foever their instinct,-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 laft 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 inftruction in all thofe points; and fufceptible of the impreffions arifing 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 philosophers,—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 schoolmen, 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 fparks of the foul's immortality are to be found in the old Teftament.

Helvetias, livre de l'Efprit.

Refurrec

tion, judgment, the rewards and punishments. of a future life, are mentioned by the infpired 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 demonftrate, that it is to be ranked amongst the firft 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, coun- ́ tries, 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, cuftoms, and education, are different, in different nations. This notion of immortality is common to all. Remote illes and foreign nations figured to themselves, fhades and climates, through which the roving spirit was to travel, after its separation from the body. Hence, the custom of killing wives and officers, at the death of their kings; left the royal ghost fhould travel without attendants. This feveral nations practiced; and the Indians, diftinguished by pagan authors, amongst the first affertors of the immortality of the foul, were also the first that introduced thofe horrid murders upon

earth,

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 exiftence: and favage people, in forgetting God, could not forget them felves.

There are still fome 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 defign to invalidate the oracles which foretel the world's diffolution by fire. A prodigious quantity of the liquid element is wafted 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 diffolution 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 missionaries convinced the Chinese of their error, by reckoning the eclipses of the fun, in a conference with their learned men, when the emperor of Tartary became mafter of China. It was the fureft method, and that by which Callifthenes baffled the pretended antiquity of the Babylonians, when Alexander took their city.

1

If Mofes be an allegorical writer, it is hard, "from the wafte of mould," to determine when the Alps 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 Ubions. 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 fuppofes a more extenfive class of beings.

The longevity of the antediluvians can be afcribed to two caufes: 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 sobriety, the fimplicity of their diet, the falubrity of the air, not corrupted by the noxious vapours which role from the earth, after the flood, the fertility of the foil, &c. You know the ftate of the world, before the deluge, fo well, that you fix "the 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 must have been monftrous babes that were at the breaft, and fed with fpoon-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 translated 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, fignifies 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, whofe blood for fin is "brought

Genefis, chap. ii..