_A curious Conversation between the Author, the Judge, and the
Priest of the Village concerning Religion._
After the Governor was gone, the Judge who had not forgot our
Conversation, was impatient to hear me talk of my Religion, and
that he might have the fairer Opportunity, he invited the Priest
next Day to Dinner for the Purpose, and sent for me and my
Comrade to be of the Party.
The first thing that gave occasion to the Priest to open the
Discourse, was our saying Grace before Meat. As I knew his
Opinion, and had before talk'd of it to my Landlord, I only told
him, that the Notion I had of God as a Being sovereignly
powerful, and perfectly good, inclin'd me to implore his Blessing
on the Food which he gave me for the Nourishment of my Body,
being convinced both from Reason and Experience, that his Word
was infinitely more satisfying than Bread. He talk'd on this
Subject much after the same Manner as the Judge did, and
pretended to evade the Stress of my Argument by instancing in his
Countrymen, and even most Animals who are as much nourish'd with
what they eat, as we who perform this Ceremony: So that the Drift
of what he said was the absolute abolishing of Prayer. Let us not
trouble our Heads to dispute about it, said I, 'tis a Question
that will resolve itself soon, and only depends on some other
Truths which I shall clearly demonstrate to you.
In the Conversation I had t'other Day with the Judge, he himself
own'd to me, that you unanimously confess the Existence of a God
of all Perfection, which is a Truth that might be very easily
prov'd to you by several undeniable Arguments, and especially by
that ascrib'd to one St. _Thomas_, which he calls _causalitas
causæ efficientis_, because by it we infallibly trace Effects to
one first, intelligent, and necessary Cause of the Production of
all Things.
I know it, said the Priest, and a Man must be quite devoid of
Reason so much as to doubt of it. Well then, reply'd I, 'tis
clear that 'twas this same God, and no other who has created the
Universe, that is to say, Heaven, Earth, and in general every
thing that exists, out of nothing. As for that, said the Judge, I
don't well understand it, out of Nothing there comes Nothing. You
are right, said I, with regard to us; but as to God the Case is
quite otherwise; there is no supposing of Matter coexistent with
God, without a direct Contradiction; for then there would be two
Infinite, two independent Beings, which 'tis presum'd cannot be
reconcil'd. But to have done with infinite Things which are out
of our Reach, I think it sufficient in the main to know that God
has made all Things and not puzzle ourselves as to the Matter,
Manner, and Time.
We have a Book, I added, which tells us all this. _Moses_ assures
us that God made every thing by his Word, about 6000 Years ago;
and that after he had imploy'd Six Days in it, he rested from his
Labour. What did he do the first Day, reply'd the Judge? After
having created the Heaven and the Earth, he said, _Let there be
Light, and there was Light_, &c. On the Sixth Day he created Man
out of Clay, and breath'd into his Nostrils the Breath of Life, _&c._
When he had endow'd him with Discernment, it was very just
that he should live in a Dependance upon him, and own him for the
only Lord of the Universe. He gave him Power over all things on
the Earth, and only forbad him not to touch one single Tree that
was planted in the midst of the delightful Garden in which
Providence had plac'd him. The Submission he ow'd to his Creator,
would no doubt have constrain'd him from contravening his Orders;
but the Woman which he gave him for a Companion, being the weaker
Vessel, and more inquisitive than he was, indulg'd her
Curiousity, took the admirable Fruit of this Tree into her Hand,
tasted it, and found it so excellent, that she gave it to her
Husband, who was so unfortunate as to eat of it, and by
consequence incurr'd the Penalty that was impos'd on him of dying
an everlasting Death, that is to say, of suffering eternal Pains
after his Death; a Punishment very harsh, and indeed cruel,
considering the Offence, and the Person that committed it, but
nevertheless very just, in consideration of the Majesty of the
Being that was offended.
Having ran over the History of the Creation, the Deluge, the
Patriarch, of _Moses_ and his brother _Aaron_, and of the
Miracles by which the Truth of this History was confirm'd, I
entertain'd them with an Account of the Prophets and their
Predictions, especially with regard to the Messiah; of our
Saviour's coming into the World, how he was the Son of God, and
by what means he redeem'd us from the Punishment we had deserv'd
in the Person of the First Man, our Father. I show'd them the
Necessity of Prayer, as well from the Dictates of Nature, as from
the Documents of holy Men, and in particular of Jesus Christ.
And, to conclude, I talk'd to them of the Resurrection of the
Body, and its being repossess'd by the Son, and of an everlasting
happy Life which the Son of God purchas'd for us, by suffering
the ignominious Death of the Cross.
I must own they heard me with a great deal of Patience, nay, they
seem'd to be pleas'd, and to acquiesce in the greatest part of
what I said. But I was very much surpris'd when the Priest ask'd
me, with a very serious Countenance, whether I believ'd it all.
Verily, said I, I believe every Tittle of it. Those who
question'd the Law of _Moses_, dy'd without Mercy; and the
Apostles assure us, that we cannot doubt of the Truth of Christ's
Words, and the whole Oeconomy of Salvation, without danger of
everlasting Punishment. But that which is the Motive to my
Belief, is not Force, but Evidence itself. What would you think
of me, continu'd I, if I told you exactly not only your most
secret Transactions past, but what you will do hereafter, and
what must happen to your Country? If I should cure the Sick,
raise the Dead to Life, pass the Seas dryshod, cleave the Rocks
with a Rod, and bring Water enough out of them to quench the
Thirst of a whole Nation, and if I work'd a thousand more such
Miracles? Would you not say, either that I was a God, of at least
an Instrument in the Hand of God, to work so many different
Miracles, since all this is above the Power of Mortals? And yet,
continu'd I, 'tis no more than what was done by the Prophets, the
Apostles, and especially by Jesus Christ, as I just now hinted;
so that we have no reason to doubt of the Truth of what they have
left us upon Record.
Your Consequence is not just, said the Priest. Pray, did you see
all those fine things? I own I did not, said I; but the Sight of
a Thing is not always necessary to the Belief of it. You never
saw _Europe_, its Kingdoms, Wars, Religions, and Customs, yet you
believe what we relate to you about it, because you take us for
honest Men, and because two or three other Travellers before us
inform'd your Ancestors almost the same things. When a Fact is
supported by the Testimony of several Persons of Probity, there's
no longer any Reason to call it in question. Now the Facts of
which I speak to you, are not only confirm'd by a sufficient
Number of wise and good Men, but by Clouds of Witnesses, by
intire Nations, which we cannot possibly suspect, because the
Worship of some of them is quite different from ours, and they
are our mortal Enemies into the Bargain: Even the _Jews_ know
after what manner God appear'd to our Fathers, one while in
Dreams, another while in a Burning Bush, and that at other times
he conducted them in the Form of a Cloud by Day, and a Pillar of
Fire by Night, and stopp'd where they were to encamp in the
Deserts[1], when he himself led them to the great Country, of
which he had promis'd them the Possession. Surely, after such
strong Evidence, I think we should be very much in the wrong to
be Unbelievers.
To be ingenuous with you, said the Judge, there's something in
all this which is surprising, and which, tho' supernatural, yet
appears very probable. Not so probable as you imagine, reply'd
the Priest; you know how our Ancestors were bubbled, much after
the same manner, by the Craft and Violence of our former Kings.
There's Parchment to write upon at all times, and the Punishments
inflicted on those who don't subscribe to pretended Facts which
are given out as Truths, force People to be silent, who would
otherwise take a Pride in talking big. The Creation you was just
now speaking of, continued he, looking on me willfully, is a meer
Allegory, which I think very gross of its kind, and form'd by an
Author altogether ignorant of the Nature of things, insomuch that
he makes Effects precede the Cause; for, according to what you
have said, Light was created on the very first Day, and the
Luminaries from whence that Light comes to us, not till the
fourth. Besides, 'tis certain that the Idea of a God who labours,
and rests from his Labour, is what cannot be digested by any, but
very stupid ignorant People, such as dare not say their Souls are
their own, and over whom this _Moses_ you speak of, aim'd to be
temporal Lord, while his Brother _Aaron_ domineer'd without Mercy
over their Consciences.
[Footnote 1: _I have heard of a learned_ English _gentleman, who
lately publish'd a Dissertation to prove that there's nothing
miraculous, nor even extraordinary, in this Pillar of Fire, by
which the_ Israelites _were conducted into the Wilderness; and to
shew them from the best Authors, ancient and modern, that it was
always the Custom in Deserts of this kind; to make use of a Fire
to direct Armies or Multitudes of People in their March, by
causing it to be carry'd before them in such a manner that the
whole Company might see the Smoke by Day, and the Flame by Night.
He pretends that the Person who had the Direction of this Fire,
and serv'd as a Guide to the_ Israelites, _was only_ Hobab, _the
Father-in-law of_ Moses; _which he endeavours to prove from the
29th and 30th Verses of the Tenth Chapter of Numbers, and from
many other Passages of the sacred Scriptures_.]
I dare not tell you after what manner he treated Jesus Christ and
his Mother: But as to the Soul, that Spiritual Substance in us,
of which they said they had no Notion, I can't help observing to
you an Objection that was started by the Priest, when we talk'd
about the Resurrection of the Dead. 'Tis certain, said he, that
the Earth is compos'd of innumerable small Particles whose
Figures are extremely different, as appears from the variety of
Things which this same Earth produces. Certain Parcels of Earth
which are proper to form one sort of Fruit, would not be at all
proper for the Production of some others. What is good to make
Copper, is worth nothing for Iron. From hence it comes, that if
Wheat be sow'd for several Years together in one and the same
Field, it appears at last that all the Parts of Matter which were
proper to yield us Wheat, being spent, and no more of it left,
the Earth will absolutely bear no more Wheat till 'tis dung'd.
We'll apply this Example to Man: The Particles which are proper
for the Composition of Human Flesh, are not more infinite than
those of Corn; and undoubtedly in this Kingdom there are no more
than what will form a certain determinate Number of Persons. Now
make this Number as great as you please, I don't think 'tis equal
to that of all the Men that have liv'd since the Beginning of the
World. Nay, said he, I know not if there be not reason to
question whether there are enough of these Parts here for the
People that have been born in it for only ten Centuries. They who
have studied the Nature of Beings ever so little, know, that as
the Hair and Nails grow, wear away, and fall off, the external
Parts of the Fibres of our Body wear in like manner, while the
Blood has its Pulsation, and augments the internal Parts. 'Tis
incredible what a Dissipation is occasion'd every Day by that
thing only which is call'd Perspiration; but then there is this
Advantage, that the Loss of the Parts one way is supply'd
another. So that if all that we lose were to be transported into
another Country, without any Return to ours, 'tis probable that a
Famine and Mortality wou'd happen among us every now and then, to
the end that the Parts of those who dy'd might serve for the
Increase of the others, till in short there be no more left. From
hence, said he, I infer, that if we were to rise again, it is
impossible that of the Parts proper for the Construction of Man,
there would be enough left to distribute to all that have liv'd
so much as is absolutely necessary for forming a Body of a
middling Stature; and God knows whether there would be enough of
the other Parts, because if all that have dy'd for the several
thousands of Years past which the World has subsisted, were laid
together in a Heap, 'tis probable that the Bulk would even exceed
that of the Earth, from whence they deriv'd their Origin.
We will illustrate this Paradox by a general Calculation, as
follows. We have in this Country 41600 Villages, and computing
Twenty-two Families in each Village, at the rate of nine Persons
in every Family, one with another, every Village will contain
near 200 Inhabitants; so that throughout the Kingdom we may
suppose 8323000. Now we'll allow to every Humane Body, consider'd
under the Form of a Parallelopepid of five Foot high, and half a
Foot broad and thick, one with another (you see I take it at the
least Computation) it will appear on the Day of Resurrection that
8323000 Bodies will contain about 10400000 Cubic Feet of Flesh.
Suppose again, that this Number of Men be renew'd every fifty
Years, then there must be 208 Millions of Cubic Feet of Flesh,
for the People that have liv'd in the Space of only 1000 Years,
and 2080 Millions for the People within 10000 Years. Continue
this Multiplication, and consider what a vast Length it will run;
but, said he, with a great Exclamation, what would it not amount
to, if the Opinion of some learned Men be true, which, as you
told your Landlord, passes for certain, that the very Seed of
most, if not of all Animals, is compounded of innumerable
Animalcules which have Life and Motion, so that in a Body no
bigger than a Grain of Millet, there are thousands which, small
as they are, yet are Individuals of the same Species as the
Animals by which they were engender'd, and must consequently
partake of the same Advantages as the others, tho' they surpass
them as much in Bigness, as the highest Mountain does a Grain of
Sand; in which Case 'tis manifest that your Opinion is
ridiculous, and a palpable Contradiction.
You talk of thousands of Years, _said I_, as if they were but so
many Minutes, and according to you, the World must be much more
ancient than it is. I make use of a definite Term, _said he_, to
denote an indefinite Number; there's no Necessity for being so
very strict. Be the World ancient or not, that does not alter the
Nature of Things; 'tis certain that we believe it to have
subsisted, Time out of mind, which we cannot express either by
Words or Figures. You are not the only People, _I reply'd_, that
have been deceiv'd in this Matter. The _Chinese_ have
Chronologies for above 40000 Years, and the _Ægyptians_ carry
theirs at least as far back. That ancient Philosopher, _Plato_,
introduces an _Ægyptian_ Priest, who, in a Discourse with
_Solon_, tells him that 'twas 9000 Years since _Minerva_ built
_Sais_. _Diodorus_ reckons 23000 Years from _Osiris_ and _Isis_,
to the time of _Alexander the Great_. _Laertius_ speaks of a Term
of 49000 Years, during which they had calculated all the
Eclipses. They pretended, according to a Remark by St. _Austin_,
to have observ'd the Stars for 100000 Years; and by the Report of
_Cicero_, they had done it for 570000 Years. But all this is
advanced without any Foundation, and from a Principle of Vanity
to challenge a Superiority over the other Nations of the Earth.
As for us, we adhere to _Moses_'s Account, who assures us that
the World has not subsisted above 6000 Years. And really, if we
give our selves the trouble to reflect: upon this Matter ever so
little, there is no room to question the Truth of his Assertion.
One undeniable Proof that the World is not very ancient, is that
we have no Histories which go above 4000 Years back. The Arts are
also very modern. We don't find that above 500 Years ago they had
any Knowledge of the Mariner's Compass, of the printing of Books,
of Gunpowder, Fire-Arms, Perspectives, Microscopes, and other
fine Inventions. 'Tis certain likewise that the Use of Money was
unknown to the ancient Writers. Clocks, Watches, Glass, Paper,
temper'd Steel, and abundance of other things, are of a very
modern Date. I infer therefore, that in this, as well as in other
Matters, 'tis absolutely necessary to be guided by the Word of
God.
I told you before, said the Priest, that none of us pretends to
determine the Age of the World. We are persuaded that it had a
Beginning, but we know not when, and all that I can say is, that
it was a vast while ago. The first Man has not remark'd it, nor
have we any thing like a Register of the Time; all that we know
of it is by Tradition. Most of the Arts that you have now
mention'd are unknown to us, and yet for all this, our Part of
the World is as old as yours: We may be here a Million of Years
without knowing them, because we have no need of them, and 'tis
not impossible but others may do without them a long time, as
well as we. Necessity, or the like Causes, have been the Mother
of Inventions within 100 Years, which were unthought of before
in as many Ages. But all this is not conclusive. What I know is,
that from Father to Son we always hand it down, that the Years
which we have continu'd are not to be number'd: And it is
certain, that notwithstanding the vast Quantity Of Wood which we
burn, the Mountains of Coal which we have already levell'd are so
considerable, that if we were to compute them, this alone would
be sufficient to confirm us in our Opinions. But the most
remarkable thing of all is that about 7000 Years ago, as the Men
were digging in one of those Mountains, they found within 30 Foot
of the Top, a double Hook of Iron of above 1500 Weight, which we
still keep, and which the Foreigners that have been here from
time to time, affirm is one of those Instruments that are us'd at
Sea to stop great Ships; from whence one would think that the
Ocean was in possession of this fine Country before us, and that
perhaps our highest Mountains only serv'd then to break its
Billows.
Besides this, who knows but those Arts, of which you pretend to
the Invention, were not known to your Predecessors? I plainly
observe here that the Sciences are upon the Decay. My Great
Grandfather was much better skill'd than my Father in Astronomy:
I know even less of it than both; and by what I learn from them,
the Knowledge they had of it was very obscure in comparison of
what their Ancestors knew. 'Tis the very same in all other
Families. There are Sciences which are cultivated at certain
times, in complaisance to the Mode that then prevails, but are
intirely neglected at others; and 'tis possible they may be so
far bury'd in Oblivion, that those who are born afterwards,
seeing no Trace of them, imagine when they come to the Exercise
of 'em, that they are the first Inventors.
That may be, I reply'd, in your Country, where you have no
Communication with other Parts of the World; but with us, if the
Sciences decay in one Place by Wars and Conflagrations, or by the
Indolence and Indifference of some People, of which we have
several Instances, yet they are advanc'd else where to a higher
Degree of Perfection thro' the Diligence of others; and I
question whether any considerable Part of former Inventions is
lost; whereas on the contrary, every Day produces some Discovery
or other that is curious and advantageous to Society.
I would have explain'd to him that which he thought a
Contradiction in _Genesis_, with regard to the Luminaries, and to
Light; and have shewn how far he was mistaken concerning the
Resurrection; but he laugh'd at me, and all my Arguments: Indeed
he was for admitting the Omnipotence of God, but then in this
Case he did not think it necessary. For why, said he, should
there be a Resurrection after this Life? What Necessity for
exterminating the Race of Man, to bring them to Life again
hereafter? If Christ was God, could not he have exempted Man from
that Death, as well as from the other? And besides, if we were
all to be living at one time, which way should we subsist? There
would not be Provision enough for a Breakfast thro' the whole
Country. But, said I, our Bodies will be of another Nature; we
shall neither eat, nor drink, nor be subject: to any natural
Infirmity; and moreover, God will translate us into the Heaven of
Heavens, where we shall be fill'd with his Glory.
What! are you to be mounted above the Sky? Pray, Friend, what
Notion have you then, continued he, of Heaven? As for our parts,
we believe that the Air we breathe is infinitely more gross than
that which is above, and that the higher we are from the Earth,
Matter is more subtil. This being so, the Heaven of the Blessed
must be like a Vacuum, in comparison with the lower Heavens, as
to the Matter which fills it. Farewell then to the Lungs, because
there will be no more Breathing; farewell to the Use of the
Larynx for Speech; farewell to the Intestines, and in a Word, to
the whole Body, which the Blood, for want of being cool'd, will
throw into a burning Fever that will soon consume it. But suppose
that all this be retain'd as a very useless Load, what is it to
rest upon? What is it will sustain such material heavy Bodies?
They will be sustain'd, said I, by the Almighty Power of God. I
am weary to hear you talk so much, reply'd he, of the Power of
God. I plainly perceive that you practise the very same thing in
your Religion, that we observe in our Mysteries of Nature; when
we are at a Loss to give a Reason for a Thing, we say that 'tis
the Effect of some latent Power. I say it again, I make no manner
of question of God's Power; but I don't see the Necessity of
inventing Chimeras in order to have recourse to it. If yours
indeed were a Paradise of Pleasures, well and good; but a Place
intirely devoid of every thing, where the Body shall absolutely
enjoy no Pleasure, where there shall be no Object to affect the
Senses, no Odours to please the Sense of Smelling, no Viands to
stimulate the Palate, no Instrument of Music to tickle the Ear,
nothing to divert the Eye; surely this is miraculous. Certainly
you must be extremely sensual, because notwithstanding the
Eternity you attribute to your Souls, which you believe to be
capable of subsisting independently from the Body, you choose
rather to embarras the Soul again, and to clog it with a terrible
Weight, which, by the way, according to you, is to have no Basis
to rest on, rather than leave it at full Scope, and abandon this
Lump of Flesh to that Corruption from which it cannot possibly be
exempt.
'Tis not the Soul alone, I reply'd, that does Good or Evil. The
Body and the Mind both contribute to it, and they must equally
partake of the Rewards or the Punishments which the Sovereign
Judge of the World shall think them worthy of. All this, said he,
is not enough to convince me. Our Bodies are every Moment
changing, and no Man ever liv'd to Twenty-five Years of Age, that
retain'd any one thing that he brought into the World. The Blood,
Flesh, Skin, Nerves, and Bones, are continually diminishing on
one hand, and increasing on the other, and the whole Machine is
every now and then renew'd. Our Inclinations vary also according
to our Age and Constitution; for we are often great Deboshees at
Thirty Years of Age, and at Sixty extremely devout and retired.
With which of these two Bodies, pray, are we to rise again? With
the old decrepid and weak Body which has liv'd perfectly well,
and whose Actions have been exemplary to the Youth and edifying
to those advanced in Years? Or are we to rise again with that
juvenile, straight, vigorous, handsome Body, which deserv'd
twenty times to be doom'd to the Mines? You see plainly that take
it which way you will, 'tis extremely perplexing, and that 'tis
pretty evident that whoever was the Author of this Opinion, he
did not foresee all those Inconveniences. If I were for the
Resurrection, t'would be a Matter of Indifference to me what
Parts the Body was to be composed of when it rose again, for 'tis
the same thing to the Soul; and I should lay it down for a
certain Maxim, That would be the Condition, and not the Place,
that was to make us happy; but all these things are meer Trifles,
unworthy of a Man of Sense.
But I must own to you, he added, that tho' I don't comprehend
what you mean by a Soul, by a Spiritual Substance destitute of
all Matter, or by a Spirit properly constituted by Thought, and
yet confin'd in a Body, where its Powers are limited to prompt or
make him to act according to its Will, and in a Body too which
'tis not oblig'd at all to for its Existence, yet as the Idea you
form of it is agreeable, in that it gives you hopes of another
Life, I am not surpris'd that there are People who acquiesce in
your Opinion. They are undoubtedly of the common Class of
Understandings, yet nevertheless they are happy; for Felicity,
generally speaking, consists meerly in the Imagination. They who
are full of this Opinion, that Death is but a Passage to a Life
of Glory, cannot be so loth to leave the World as others
(especially where they are so wedded to that Opinion, as I
observe they are in your Parts) and must have some Taste
beforehand of that pretended Eternal Felicity. So that whether it
be true, or not, the Thing is all one to them, neither more nor
less than my Satisfaction would be, supposing I have 10000 _Kalη_
in my Coffer, which I shall never want, and which I firmly
believe to be of the best Metal that is dug out of our Mines,
tho' they are all the while but Iron.
My Comrade, who was a religious Man, was enrag'd to hear this
Pagan call in question the Mysteries of a Worship founded upon
the pure Word of God; he gave me to understand several times,
that he could hardly contain himself, and that he wanted at least
to reprove him by plain Passages out of holy Scripture. But I
always dissuaded him from it, because the other deny'd that they
were divine Writings, and as he also pretended they were but a
Medley of very ill-concerted Fictions, it would have disgusted
him to have talk'd any more to him about it.
I told them, however, with a real Design to alarm them, that I
was not only persuaded of an eternal State of Happiness for those
who did good Works, and had Faith, but that there were also
Torments and a Hell prepar'd for the Wicked and Unbelievers, and
that every one would infallibly be dealt with according to the
Good or Evil that he had done in this Life.
What you have already said, reply'd the Priest, tends to as much;
but this is an Error as gross as the former; for besides that
'tis making God the most cruel of all Beings, to have created Man
in order to damn him everlastingly, on pretence that he infring'd
one of his Commands, and a Command too which was only that he
should not eat an Apple, the very Thought of which really makes
me shrink with Horror; I deny that any body is capable of doing
Good or Evil, with respect to God; and I ask you seriously,
whether you your self believe it? Undoubtedly, I do, said I; and
methinks it is so clear, that one cannot question it without
shocking common Sense.
What, said I, are not Whoredom, Murder, Theft, and Blasphemy,
Crimes of Offence against the Majesty of the Almighty? Not at
all, reply'd the Priest; for in the first Place, if Whoredom was
a Sin, God himself would be the Author of it, and, what is worse,
of Incest it self, because, according to you and your great
_Moses_, as there were at first but one Man and one Woman, their
Descendants must have committed several Acts of Incest before
there were Persons enough living for them to avoid it: And as to
the pretended Necessity of it at that time, I can't bear to hear
it, for God could as easily have created a hundred Persons, as
only one. We are all Children of the first Man. There are Degrees
of Consanguinity among us, but in the Sight of God 'tis not so.
Women and Goods were in common at first, as Air and Water are
now. But Men, who seem to have been form'd for Society, observing
the Disorder which this occasion'd, thought it proper that every
Father of a Family should have one or more Women, a certain
Extent of Ground, and a particular Number of Cattle, at his sole
Disposal. They were also oblig'd afterwards by common Consent, to
make Laws imposing Penalties on those who did not observe them.
So that if any body is offended by the Transgression of those
Laws, 'tis properly the Society, or the Heads that represent it,
and not at all the universal Spirit, who can by no means be
offended by any Person. The same thing may be said of Robbery and
Murder, whereby, properly speaking, no Hurt is done to any Being
but to the Person whose Life or Property is taken away. And as to
Blasphemy, tho' we punish it more severely than other Crimes,
'tis not because we think that God is offended at it; not at all;
it would be a Weakness in him, if he were capable of it; but 'tis
because we cannot tolerate Ingratitude, of which the blackest
Instance that Man can be guilty of, is to affront or not to pay
due Respect to him who is the Author of his Being, and of all the
Benefits he is capable of receiving; besides, that it sets an ill
Example to Children and Inferiors, with regard to their Parents
and Matters.
As much as I dislik'd this Discourse, I was willing to hear him
out; but upon his stopping I reply'd: You yourself acknowledge
that Men seem to have been form'd for Society; and from hence I
argue, that God, who form'd them for this Purpose, must will and
intend, that they should avoid all those Actions which introduce
Disorder and Confusion in Society, as you allow Whoredom, Murder,
Theft, _&c._ to do. Does it not follow then, that God must be
offended by these Actions which are so directly contrary to his
Will and Intention? Give me a Reason why the Society, or Heads
that represent it, should be offended by such Crimes, which will
not hold as strongly for God's being so? Is it because their
Will, express'd by their Laws, is offended and transgress'd? And
is not the Will of God, express'd plainly in his forming us for
Society, equally offended and transgress'd? When we speak of
God's being offended or angry, we do not mean that he suffers
what Men suffer on those Occasions: Anger is call'd a Passion,
and it would be a Weakness in God (as you say) if that could be
properly apply'd to him: but when we speak of him as angry or
offended by our Actions, we consider his Disposition of Mind, on
such Occasions, only with regard to the Effects of it towards us:
we mean to signify not what he feels inwardly, but what we may
expect to feel as the Punishment of our Crimes. Upon these and
other Considerations, I, for my part, am firmly persuaded, that
God may and must be offended by such Actions as you just now
instanced in.
Do you believe, continued I, that God, who is a God of Order, and
hates Confusion, has prescrib'd Rules to Man, and given him Laws,
by which he is oblig'd to conduct himself and regulate his
Actions? No, said he, in the Sense that you take it, I don't
believe it, nor was it necessary, because he gave him Will and
Understanding whereby to conduct himself, as you see we do. As
there, is no Pride, Vanity, Jealousy or Desire, of Dominion in
the Beasts, so God has not made them subject to any Civil Laws,
nor would there have been any greater Need of such for rational
Creatures, than there is for the Brutes, only as soon as some
endeavour'd to impose upon the Weakness or Good-nature of others,
there was a Necessity of inventing Punishments for those who
transgress'd certain Rules, and these Rules were multiply'd as
fall as the unbridled Licentiousness of some turbulent Spirits
gave occasion for them.
You are very right there, said I, but pardon me if I presume to
say that I deny that God had I no Concern in them. 'Tis
unreasonable to suppose that Providence would bring a rational
Creature into the World, and afterwards leave him intirely to
himself. He is the Father of him, and is also inclin'd to be his
Director and Preserver. Good Sense tells us this, and his Word,
for that is what I always recur to, assures us of it so
positively, that there is no Possibility of doubting it; I wish
to God, cry'd I, that you could but see that Word. It carries
with it so many Marks of the Dictator that you would be the first
to read it with Veneration if it fell into your Hands; and I
don't despair of its being brought to you one Day or other by
some unhappy Wretch, or else by an intire Nation, which shall
come to settle with you by the Appointment of Heaven, in order to
facilitate the Conversion of a People so honest and humane.
I should be glad, said he, to see the Book you speak so much of,
but very sorry that it should be brought to us by a Host of
People, whom your own Laws, as sacred as you think 'em, would
not restrain from tyrannizing over us. We had much rather that
things should continue as they are. Be you but content with your
Lot, as you see we are with ours, and you'll be more happy than
you really are. But no more of this; methinks, said he, 'tis time
to have done. I retire. Adieu.
After our Priest was gone, we convers'd a few Moments longer
concerning the Immortality of the Soul, the Resurrection of the
Dead, and Life Eternal, because the Judge took a Liking to the
Discourse; and by the Notice I took, if I am not deceiv'd, it
would be easy to bring those People into a good Opinion of our
Religion.
Before we parted, my Landlord ask'd me if I did not see the
Burning Mountain when I was at the Mines. I did not so much as
hear any mention of it, said I. Probably, said he, it did not
burn at that time, for otherwise you would infallibly have
observ'd it. I should have been glad to have seen it, said I to
him, but this is no Rarity in our Country. There's _Hecla_ in
_Iceland_, _Ætna_ in _Sicily_, _Vesuvius_ in _Naples_, and
several other such Mountains elsewhere, which burn also at times;
but there's no approaching very near them, even when they don't
burn, because of the Sulphureous Exhalations that arise out of
them, the prodigious Quantity of Ashes that encompasses them, and
the Danger there is of sinking into the Ground in several Places,
where it is soft, trembling, or hollow.
Perhaps, said he, the _Europeans_ who have been here before you,
related the same thing to our Ancestors, and that the People
came by that means to be undeceiv'd in the mistaken Notion they
had entertain'd of the Cause of this Prodigy. For 'tis certain
that the simple Vulgar were always of Opinion, that when God
created the World, and determin'd to make certain Beings which
should have Life and Motion, he erected a Laboratory under the
burning Mountain, with an Oven, and a monstrous large Crucible in
it, at the Mouth of which was a Bar that divided it into two
equal Parts, and to this Bar there belong'd a Lamp. This great
Workman, said they, every now and then fill'd this Vessel with
Earth, which he took up behind him, in the Place of which there
is now a great Lake, and when this Earth was become liquid by the
Force of the Fire, he took out a small Portion of it, by means of
a hollow Tube that he made use of for the purpose, at one end of
which he only blew, and there immediately appear'd at the other
an Animal, which he sent into the wide World. He had made but a
small Number of them, when he observ'd his Lamp set Fire to the
Mountain under which it hung. This unexpected Inconvenience soon
made him change his Post, for fear of burning the whole Earth. He
had not fought long, ere he found a deep Pit betwixt two
Mountains, which he thought fit to fill with Water, to the end
that the Fire might not spread, while he work'd underneath it.
Mean time, as this Water soon attain'd to a very considerable
Degree of Heat, which would have presently chang'd it into a
Vapour, he pierc'd a neighbouring Mountain, in order that a
Stream of fresh Water might issue from it to cool the Heat of
the boiling Lake, which is undoubtedly the same that you tell me
you saw, and which still retains the same Qualities.
There was an Addition to this Story, that under that very Place
God form'd all other living Creatures in the same manner, except
Man, who deriv'd his Origin elsewhere, as I may perhaps shew you
another time, when I am more at leisure. Lastly, it was pretended
that the Matter which was in the Crucible, being in a violent
Agitation, the Sulphur, Mercury, and other mineral and metallic
Parts, which evaporated in Smoke, were carry'd with Rapidity
under the Arch of the neighbouring Mountains, into which they
penetrated, and in some form'd Coal, and in others, Iron, or the
Minerals and Metals that we find there.
This Fable, as gross as it is, and invented no doubt in honour to
the Gentlemen Chymists, gave me occasion to think that Glass was
not always unknown to them, and that formerly they had Blowers
among them. Be this as it will, there the Conversation ended,
because it grew late, and every one seem'd desirous to go to
rest.
Some Days after this Discourse, the Priest was resolv'd to make
an Entertainment for our Landlord, and we too were of the Party.
Then he made an Apology for having been so outrageous against our
Opinions; and to make us Amends, desired _La Foret_, who had read
both the _Old_ and _New Testament_ more than I had done, to give
him the most circumstantial Account he could remember of the
Contents of the Bible. My Comrade did so, and he thank'd him,
seeming to be very well satisfy'd with it, tho' I know full well
that he only made a Jest of it; whereas I thought the Judge
extremely edify'd with it: So that Affairs would have gone on
very well, if we had always continued together; but to my great
Sorrow, it was not the Will of Heaven it should be so.