offenses, it shows that his mind is planted above injuries, so that he cannot be shot: if he be thankful for small benefits, it shows that he weighs men's minds, and not their trash: but, above all, if he have St. Paul's perfection, that he would wish to be an anathema from Christ for the salvation of his brethren, it shows much of a divine nature, and a kind of conformity with Christ himself.

OF ATHEISM.

I had rather believe all the fables in the Legend,* and the Talmud, † and the Alcoran, than that this universal frame is without a mind; and, therefore, God never wrought miracles to convince atheism, because His ordinary works convince it. It is true, that a little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion; for while the mind of man looketh upon second causes scattered, it may sometimes rest in them, and go no further; but when it beholdeth the chain of them confederate, and linked together, it must needs fly to Providence and Deity: nay, even that school which is most accused of atheism doth most demonstrate religion; that is the school of Leucippus, ‡ and Democritus, and Epicurus, for it is a thousand times 'more credible that four mutable elements, and one immutable fifth essence, duly and eternally placed, need no God, than that an army of infinite small portions, or seeds unplaced, should have produced this order or beauty without a divine marshal. The Scripture saith, "The fool hath said in his heart, there

*A collection of miraculous stories.

† A book composed of Jewish traditions and Rabbinical commentaries.

Leucippus, a philosopher of Abdera, author of the atomic theory, which was adopted and taught by his disciples, Democ ritus and Epicurus.

is no God; "it is not said, "The fool hath thought in his heart; so as he rather saith it by rote to himself, as that he would have, than that he can thoroughly believe it, or be persuaded of it; for none deny there is a God, but those for whom it maketh* that there were no God. It appeareth

* Maketh, i. e. it is profitable; e. g. a popular lecturer who receives so much a night for saying with his tongue, "There is no God," who, like Shelley, "robs the wretched of a hope which, even if false, is worth all this world's best truths."

"For myself," says Byron, "I would not give up the poetry of religion for all the wisest results that philosophy has ever arrived at."- Moore's "Life of Byron," Vol. II., 412.

"A sceptike in religion is one that hangs in the balance with all sorts of opinions, whereof not one but stirres him and none swayes him,—a man guiltier of credulity than he is taken to bee, for it is out of his beleefe of everything that hee fully beleeves nothing. Hee would be wholy a Christian but that he is something of an atheist, and wholy an atheist but that he is partly a Christian; and a perfect heretic, but that there are so many to distract him. He finds reason in all opinions, truth in none; indeed, the least reason perplexes him and the best will not satisfy him. His learning is too much for his brayne, and his judgment too little for his learning, and his own opinion of both spoyls all. He cannot think so many wise men should be in error, nor so many honest men out of the way, and his wonder is doubled when he sees these oppose one another. His whole life is a question, and his salvation a greater, which death only concludes, and then he is resolved."—John Earle's "Micro-Cosmographic."

"There is more faith in honest doubt,
Believe me, than in half the creeds."

-Tennyson.

The fact that we have reason and apply it to the examination of our world and ourselves, and reach certain results which we call conclusive, makes us turn this mental microscope upon infinity of time, space, power, mercy, justice and wisdom; and because we, by unassisted reason, cannot reach certain results, we deny the possibility of conclusions.

in nothing more, that atheism is rather in the lip than in the heart of man, than by this, that atheists will ever be talking of that their opinion, as if they fainted in it within themselves, and would be glad to be strengthened by the consent of others: nay more, you shall have atheists strive to get disciples, as it fareth with other sects; and, which is most of all, you shall have of them that will suffer for atheism, and not recant; whereas, if they did truly think that there were no such thing as God, why should they trouble themselves? Epicurus is charged, that he did but dissemble for his credit's sake, when he affirmed there were blessed natures, but such as enjoyed themselves without having respect to the government of the world; wherein they say he did temporize, though in secret he thought there was no God: but certainly he is traduced, for his words are noble and divine: "Non Deos vulgi negare profanum; sed vulgi opiniones Diis applicare profanum.”* Plato could have said no more; and, although he had the confidence to deny the administration, he had not the power to deny the nature. The Indians of the West have names for their particular gods, though they have no name for God: as if the heathens

"Dim as the beam of moon and stars,

To lonely, weary travellers, is reason
To the soul."

-Dryden's Religio-Laici.

But reason, which is like a proud, unbridled steed, roaming through every field, constantly demands for faith similar proofs that it demands for physical phenomena; hence doubt follows faith as one's shadow follows,

"And like the shadow, proves the substance true.”

For the exclamation of the father in St. Mark is ever on the honest lips of the sincere believer who cannot see with his understanding into the mystery of Creator, creation, death and the life to come, and so exclaims: "I believe; help thou my unbelief."

"It is not profane to deny the gods of the multitude; but to apply to the gods the opinions of the multitude is profane."

should have had the names Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, etc., but not the word Deus, which shows that even those barbarous people have the notion, though they have not the latitude and extent of it: so that against atheists the very savages take part with the very subtilest philosophers. The contemplative atheist is rare, a Diagoras, a Bion, a Lucian perhaps, and some others; and yet they seem to be more than they are; for that all that impugn a received religion, or superstition, are, by the adverse part, branded with the name of atheists: but the great atheists indeed are hypocrites, which are ever handling holy things, but without feeling; so as they must needs be cauterized in the end.

The causes of atheism are, divisions in religion, if there be many; for any one main division addeth zeal to both sides, but many divisions introduce atheism: another is, scandal of priests, when it is come to that which St. Bernard saith, "Non est Jam dicere, ut populus, sic sacerdos; quia nec sic populus, ut sacerdos:"* a third is, custom of profane scoffing in holy matters, which doth by little and little deface the reverence of religion; and, lastly, learned times, especially with peace and prosperity; for troubles and adversities do more bow men's minds to religion. They that deny a God destroy man's nobility; for certainly man is of kin to the beasts by his body; and, if he be not of kin to God by his spirit, he is a base and ignoble creature. It destroys likewise magnanimity, and the raising of human nature; for take an example of a dog, and mark what a generosity and courage he will put on when he finds himself maintained by man, who to him is instead of a God, or "melior natura;"† which courage is manifestly such as that creature, without that confidence of a better nature than his own, could never attain. So man, when he resteth and assureth himself upon divine protection and favour, gathereth a force and faith,

"It cannot now be said 'Like priest, like people,' because the people are not like the priest."

† Superior nature.

which human nature in itself could not obtain; therefore, as atheism is in all respects hateful, so in this, that it depriveth human nature of the means to exalt itself above human frailty. * As it is in particular persons, so it is in nations: never was there such a State for magnanimity as Rome; of this State hear what Cicero saith, “Quam volumus, licet, Patres conscripti, nos amemus, tamen nec numero Hispanos, nec robore Gallos, nec calliditate Panos, nec artibus Græcos, nec denique hoc ipso hujus gentis et terræ domestico nativoque sensu Italos ipso et Latinos; sed pietate, ac religione, atque hac una sapientia, quod Deorum immortalium numine omnia regi, gubernarique perspeximus omnes, gentes nationesque superavimus.” †

OF SUPERSTITION.

It were better to have no opinion of God at all, than such an opinion as is unworthy of Him; for the one is unbelief, the other is contumely: and certainly superstition is the reproach of the Deity. Plutarch saith well to that purpose: "Surely," said he, “I had rather a great deal men should say there was no such man at all as Plutarch, than that they should say that there was one Plutarch that would eat his children as soon as they were born; as the poets speak of Saturn: and, as the contumely is greater towards God, so

* "If it is a dream let me enjoy it, since it makes me both a happier and a better man." -Addison, Spectator, No. 186.

† Let us be ever so self-complacent, conscript fathers, still we have not surpassed the Spaniards in number, nor the Gauls in strength, nor the Carthagenians in cunning, nor, finally, the Latins and Italians of this nation and land in natural intelligence about home affairs; but we have excelled all nations and people in piety and religion, and this one wisdom of fully recognizing that all things are ordered and governed by the power of the immortal gods.