"Since you are generated, you are mortal, but you shall not die; for my will is strong enough "to repair the defects of your nature," fays the Supreme Being to the younger gods, the gods born of gods, in the Timaeus; and it is the least abfurd thing PLATO makes him fay or do on that occafion. The neglect of this paffage may be imputed to some theological purposes that seem to be better served by the hypothefis of immaterial fouls, than by any other. But the vanity of the human heart, which has been flattered by divines in all ages, was to be flattered on. What ferved best to this purpose was taken from PLATO: and how it was improved we need look no further than the Tufculan juft now quoted, to find. There TULLY, after a ridiculous panegyric on the human mind, which, improved by philosophy, he thinks able to discover all things in heaven and on earth, all that exifts, in it's beginning, progreffion, and end, runs a very profane parallel between the divine and human mind. If the first "be air or fire, fuch is the laft. If there be a "fifth element, that new nature which ARIS"TOTLE first introduced, it must be common to "both. Whatever has fenfe, intelligence, will, " and the principles of life, is celestial and divine, " and therefore neceffarily eternal." This is the nature of man: and "God himself cannot be "conceived any other way," than by analogy to it. That we frame our conceptions of the divine intelligence as well as we can, by analogy to our own, is true. We have no other way of framing

them.

them. But it will not follow that his nature is analogous to ours, nor that ours is like his, "mens foluta quaedam et libera, fegregata ab " omni concretione mortali, omnia fentiens et

movens, ipfaque praedita motu fempiterno." Thus abfurdly however did the difciples of PLATO flatter human nature: and, finding in the bible that we are made after the image of God, our divines have interpreted the paffage according to these prejudices. They will not fay directly, I fuppofe, that our fouls are a portion of the divine effence: but what they fay fometimes means this or nothing; and what they fay always, is but little different from it. Strange vanity! as they affume themselves to be exposed to eternal damnation, and the rest of mankind to be almost entirely damned, rather than not affume that their fouls are immortal; so this immortality would not have charms fufficient for them, if it was not afferted to be effential to the nature of their fouls.

THUS, I believe, our plain man would leave the matter: and thus I leave it too; having faid, I hope, enough to fhew that the fondness philofophers have to raise hypotheses, that cannot be raised on real ideas, fuch as have a known foundation in nature, that is, a known conformity with existence, is a principal occafion, on which the mind exercises it's artifice in framing fuch ideas and notions as are merely phantastical. That the mind exercises the fame feveral other ways, and in fome lefs obviously than in this, as it has VOL. I. T been

been hinted above, I know full well. But, enough having been faid to fhew that human knowledge is imperfect and precarious in it's original, as well as flow and confined in it's progrefs; and, by one great example, which may ferve inftar omnium, that they, who pretend to guide the reafon of mankind and to improve human knowledge, do nothing better in matters of the first philofophy, than fubftitute that which is imaginary in the place of that which is real, or in addition to it, in favor of their prejudices, their paffions, and their interests; enough has been faid for an effay concerning the nature, extent, and reality of human knowledge.

ESSAY THE SECOND.

SOME

CONTAINING

REFLECTIONS

On the folly and prefumption of PHILOSOPHERS, efpecially in matters of the FIRST PHILOSOPHY;

On the rife and progrefs of their boasted SCIENCE;

On the propagation of ERROR and SUPERSTITION; and,

On the partial attempts that have been made to reform the abufes of HUMAN REASON.

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