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understood: The Author, against his own exprefs Words, against the plain Sense of his System, has been conceived to mean, That all Governments and all Religions were, as to their Forms and Objects, indifferent. But as this wrong Judgment proceeded from Ignorance of the Reafon of the Reproof, as explained above, that Explanation is alone fufficient to rectify the Mistake.

However, not to leave him under the leaft Sufpicion, in a Matter of fo much Importance, I fhall juftify the Sense here given to this Paffage more at large. First by confidering the Words themselves: And then by comparing this mistaken Sense with the Context.

The Poet, we must observe, is here speaking, not of civil Society at large, but of a just legitimate Policy,

Th'according Mufic of a WELL-MIX'D State.

Now thefe are of feveral Kinds; in fome of which the Democratic, in others the Aristocratic, and in others the Monarchic FORM prevails. Now as each of these mix'd Forms is equally legitimate, as being founded on the Principles of natural Liberty, that Man is guilty of the highest Folly, who chufes rather to employ himself in a speculative Contest for the fuperior Excellence of one of thefe Forms to the reft, than in promoting the good Adminiftration of that settled Form to which he is fubject. And yet all our warm Disputes about Government have been of this kind. Again, if,

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by Forms of Government, muft needs be meant legitimate Government, because that is the Subject under Debate, then by Modes of Faith, which is the correspondent Idea, muft needs be meant the Modes or Explanations of the true Faith, because the Author is here too on the Subject of true Religion:

Relum'd her ancient Light, not kindled new. Befides, the very Expreffion (than which nothing can be more precife) confines us to understand, by Modes of Faith, thofe human Explanations of Christian Mysteries, in contefting which, Zeal and Ignorance have fo perpetually violated Charity.

Secondly, If we confider the Context; to fuppofe him to mean, that all Forms of Government are indifferent, is making him directly contradict the preceding Paragraph; where he extols the Patriot for discriminating the true from the false Modes of Government. He, fays the Poet,

Taught Pow'r's due Use to People and to Kings,
Taught not to flack, nor strain its tender Strings;
The less and greater set so justly true,

That touching one muft ftrike the other too;
'Till jarring Int'refts of themselves create
Th' according Mufic of a well-mix'd State.

Here he recommends the true Form of Government, which is the mixt. In another Place he as strongly condemns the falfe, or the abfolute Jure Divino Form:

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For Nature knew no Right Divine in Men. 1.237.

To fuppofe him to mean, that all Religions are indifferent, is an equally wrong as well as uncharitable Sufpicion. Mr. Pope, tho' his Subject in this Effay on Man confines him to natural Religion (his Purpose being to vindicate God's natural Difpenfations to Mankind against the Atheist) yet gives frequent Intimations of a more fublime Dif pensation, and even of the Neceffity of it; particularly in his Second Epiftle [1. 139] where he fpeaks of the Weakness and Infufficiency of human, Reafon°.

Again, in his fourth Epistle [1. 331] speaking of the good Man, the Favourite of Heaven, he says, For him alone, Hope leads from Gole to Gole, And opens ftill, and opens on his Soul; Till lengthen'd on to Faith, and unconfin'd, It pours the Bliss that fills up all the Mind. But natural Religion never lengthened Hope on to Faith; nor did any Religion, but the Christian, ever conceive that Faith could fill the Mind with Happiness.

Lastly, The Poet, in this very Epistle, and in this very Place, fpeaking of the great Reftorers of the Religion of Nature, intimates that they could only draw God's Shadow, not his Image:

Relum'd her ancient Light, not kindled new,
If not God's Image, yet his Shadow drew.

See the fecond Letter, p. 88.

As

As reverencing that Truth, which tells us that this Discovery was referv'd for the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the IMAGE OF GOD.

Having thus largely confidered Man in his social Capacity, the Poet, in order to fix a momentous Truth in the Mind of his Reader, concludes the Epiftle in recapitulating the two Principles which concur to the Support of this Part of his Character, namely, Self-love and focial; and fhewing that they are only two different Motions of the Appetite, to Good, by which the Author of Nature has enabled Man to find his

own Happinefs in the Happiness of the Whole. This the Poet illuftrates with a Thought as fublime as is that general Harmony he describes :

On their own Axis as the Planets run,

Yet make at once their Circle round the Sun; So two confiftent Motions act the Soul, And one regards itfelf, and one the Whole. Thus God and Nature link'd the gen'ral Frame, And bad Self-love and focial be the fame. For he hath the Art of converting Poetical Ornaments into Philofophic Reasoning; and of improving a Simile into an Analogical Argument. But of this Art, more in our Next.

P 2 Cor. iv. 4.

LETTER

LETTER IV.

HE Poet, in the two foregoing Epistles having confidered MAN with regard to the MEANS (that is, in all his Relations, whether as an Individual, or a Member of Society) comes now, in this last, to confider him with regard to the END, that is, HAPPINESS.

It opens with an Invocation to Happiness, in the Manner of the ancient Poets, who, when deftitute of a Patron God, applied to the Mufe, and, if she was engaged, took up with any fimple Virtue, next at hand, to inspire and profper their Designs. This was the ancient Invocation, which few modern Poets have had the Art to imitate with any degree of Spirit or Decorum; while our Author, not content to heighten this poetic Ornament with the Graces of the Antique, hath alfo contrived to make it fubfervient to the Method and Reasoning of his philofophic Compofition. I will endeavour to explain fo uncommon a Beauty.

It is to be observed that the Pagan Deities had each their feveral Names and Places of Abode, with fome of which they were fuppofed to be

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