In Faith and Hope the world will disagree, NOTES. The poet, we may observe, is here speaking, not of civil Society at large, but of a just legitimate Policy : However, not to leave him | then, by comparing this mifunder the least suspicion in a taken fense with the context. matter of fo much importance, I fhall juftify the fenfe here given to this paffage more at large: First, by confidering the words themselves; and Th'according mufic of a well-mix'd State. Now mix'd States are of feveral kinds; in fome of which the Democratic, in others the Ariftocratic, 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 chuseth rather to employ himfelf in a speculative contest for the fuperior excellence of one of these Forms to the reft, than in promoting the good admi Relum'd her ancient light, Befides, the very expreffion (than which nothing can be · more precife) confineth us to understand, by Modes of Faith, thofe human explanations of Chriftian Myfteries, in contesting which, Zeal and Ignorance have fo perpetually violated Charity. Secondly, If we consider the niftration of that fettled Form to which he is fubject. And yet all our warm disputes about Government have been of this kind. Again, if by Forms of Government must needs be meant Legitimate Government, because that is the subject under debate; then by Modes of Faith, which is the correspondent idea, must needs be meant the modes or explanations of the True Faith, because the author is here too on the subject of true Religion: not kindled new. context; to fuppose him to mean, that all Forms of Government are indifferent, is making him directly contradict the preceding paragraph; where he extols the Patriot for difcriminating the true from the falfe modes of Govern ment. He, fays the poet, All must be false that thwart this One great End; And all of God, that bless Mankind or mend. 310 NOTES. Taught Pow'r's due ufe to People and to Kings, Here he recommendeth the For Nature knew no right But the Reader will not be difpleased to see the Poet's own apology, as I find it written in the year 1740, in his own hand, in the margin of a book, where he found thefe two celebrated lines mifapplied. "The author of thefe lines "was far from meaning that "no one form of Govern"ment is, in itself, better than "another (as, that mixed or "limited Monarchy, for ex"ample, is not preferable to "abfolute) but that no form "of Government, however "excellent or preferable, in "itself, can be fufficient to "make a people happy, un"lefs it be administered with "integrity. On the contrary, "the best fort of Govern"ment, when the form of it "is preferved, and the ad ther place he as ftrongly condemneth the false, or the abfolute jure divine Form: divine in Men. "ministration corrupt, is most "dangerous. Again, to fuppofe the Poet to mean, that all Religions are indifferent, is an equally wrong as well as uncharitable fufpicion. Mr. Pope, though his fubject in this Effay on Man confineth him to Natural religion (his purpose being to vindicate God's natural difpenfations to Mankind against the Atheist) yet giveth frequent intimations of a more fublime difpenfation, and even of the neceffity of it; particularly in his fecond epiftle ( 149, &c.) where he confeffeth the weaknefs and infufficiency of human Reason. And in his fourth epistle, where, fpeaking of the good Man, the favourite of Heaven, he fayeth, Man, like the gen'rous vine, fupported lives; The strength he gains is from th'embrace he gives. COMMENTARY. VER. 311. Man, like the gen'rous vine, &c.] Having thus largely confidered Man in his focial capacity, the poet, in order to fix a momentous truth in the mind of his reader, concludes the Epistle in recapitulating the two Principles which concur to the support of this part of his character, namely, Self-love and NOTES. For him alone Hope leads from goal to goal, And opens ftill, and opens on his foul; 'Till, lengthen'd on to Faith, and unconfin'd, It pours the blifs that fills up all the Mind. But Natural Religion never lengthened Hope on to Faith; nor did any Religion, but the Chriftian, ever conceive that Faith could fill the Mind with Happiness. Laftly, In this very epistle, and in this very place, fpeaking of the great Reftorers of the religion of Nature, he intimates that they could only draw God's fhadow, not his image: Re-lum'd her ancient light, not kindled new, as reverencing that truth, I of fo benevolent and wife an which telleth us, this difcovery was reserved for the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Cor. iv. 4. VER. 305. For Modes of Faith let graceless zealots fight;] Thefe latter Ages have feen fo many fcandalous contentions for modes of Faith, to the violation of Chriftian Charity, and difhonour of facred Scripture, that it is not at all ftrange they fhould become the object Author's refentment. But that which he here feemed to have more particularly in his eye was the long and mifchievous fquabble between W-d and JACKSON, on a point confeffedly above Reafon, and amongst those adorable mysteries which it is the honour of our Religion to find unfathomable. In this, by the weight of answers and replies, redoubled upon one another without mercy, they On their own Axis as the Planets run, Yet make at once their circle round the Sun; COMMENTARY. Social; and fhewing that they are only two different motions of the appetite to Good; by which the Author of Nature hath enabled Man to find his own happiness in the happiness of the Whole. This he illuftrates with a thought as fublime as that general harmony he defcribes : On their own Axis as the Planets run, Yet make at once their circle round the Sun; Thus God and Ñature link'd the gen'ral frame, And bade Self-love and Social be the fame, For he hath the art of converting poetical ornament into philo fophic reasoning; and of improving a fimile into an analogical argument; of which more in our next. NOTES. made fo profound a progrefs, that the One proved, nothing hindered, in Nature, but that the Son might have been the Father; and the Other, that nothing hindered, in Grace, but that the Son may be a mere Creature. In a word, they made all things difputable but their own dullness; and this they left unquestioned; and it was the only thing they did leave, of which their readers could be certain. But if, inftead of throwing fo many Greek Fathers at one another's heads, they had but chanced to reflect on the sense of one Greek word, AITEIPIA, that it fignifies both INFINITY and IGNORANCE, this fingle equivocation might have faved them ten thousand, which they expended in carrying on the controverfy. However thofe Mifts that magnified the Scene, enlarged the Character of the Combatants and no body expecting common sense on a subject where we have no ideas, the defects of dulnefs difappeared, and its advantages (for, advantages it has) were all provided for. The worst is, fuch kind of Writers feldom know when to have done. For writing themselves up into the fame delufion with their Readers, they are apt to venture out 315 So two confiftent motions act the Soul; meras. Yet they would needs venture out. What they got by it was only to be once well laughed at, and then forgotten. But one odd circumftance deferves to be remembered; tho' they wrote not, you may be fure, in concert, yet each attacked his Adverfary at the fame time, faftened upon him in the fame place, and mumbled him juft in the fame manner. But the ill fuccefs of this escape foon brought made a fruitless effort to revive the old game, in a difcourse on The importance of the Doctrine of the Trinity; and the Other has been ever fince, till very lately, rambling in which must have always fomething to amufe it, was now in good time grown weary of its play-things, and catched at a new object that promised them more agreeable entertainment. Tindal, a kind of Baftard-them to themselves. The One Socrates, had brought our fpeculations from Heaven to Earth: and, under the pretence of advancing the Antiquity of Christianity, laboured to undermine its original. This was a controverfy that. required another management. Clear sense, severe reasoning, a thorough knowledge of prophane and facred Antiquity, and an intimate acquaintance with human Nature, were the qualities to determine upon this Question. A very unpromifing adventure for these metaphyfical nurflings, bred up under the fhade of chi SPACE. This short history, as infignificant as the subjects of it are, may not be altogether unuseful to pofterity. Divines may learn by these examples to avoid the mifchiefs done to Religion and Literature thro' the affectation of being wife above what is written, and knowing beyond what can be understood. |