Your Comprehenfion, can be no Law to You fince it is impoffible that God fhould impofe any Law upon his Creatures, and make the Terms of it at the fame Time unintelligible to them; and little less than Blafphemy to fuppofe, that the Righteous Judge fhould try Us by a Rule, which he has not given Us Capacities either to find Out, or to Understand. If indeed any Person imagines, that, by fuperior Degrees of Knowledge acquired by the immediate Impulse and Illumination of the Spirit, (which fome lay Claim to) he has difcovered new and more exalted Rules of Chriftian Duty, with Refpect either to Belief, or Practice, They may in Truth become obligatory upon Him, to whom they fhould thus appear in the Light of Duties. But let not that Man pretend to impofe his Perfuafions. upon the Confciences of Others, till he can produce his Credentials from God to preach a different Gospel from that which You have received; Or, in other Words, till he can give You that Proof of his particular Inspiration, which you have a Right to require, by working Miracles, as Our Saviour, and his Apostles did. for F I An Occafional Paper. TUESDAY February 8, 1757. T. Dii Patrii fervate Domum: Servate Nepotes! Have heard it obferved, with great Concern, by fome Serious People, as One of the worst Symptoms of our National Malady, that Nothing Grave, and Religious from the Prefs is favourably received by the Publick; That if an Author would fuit his Productions to the Taft of the Town, He must employ his Pen in Popular Declamations, or Libels upon Government; That an Immoral Libertine Book will recommend itself; But if You would inculcate the Dutys of Piety and Virtue, You must steal Them, as it were, upon your Readers, under the favourite Drefs of a Novel, giving to Morality the fame Sort of Affiftance from Fiction, as Charity receives from Mufick. E 2 I do I do indeed remember to have heard, fome Years fince, that a creditable Bookfeller of this City, being under the Examination of a Magiftrate upon Account of a very obfcene, and infamous Pamphlet set to Sale in his Shop, and being asked, whether He fhould like that his own Sons, and Daughters, and Servants fhould be entertained with.fuch a pernicious Amusement; His Anfwer was (a very melancholy One, if the Fact were true) that "Nothing else would fell." But This was in a Time of Plenty, Peace, and Publick Security; When no general Calamitys threatned Us with Ruin; No Sickness, or Rot amongst our Cattle; No Scarcity, nor extravagant Price of Corn; No Enemy in Poffeffion of any of our Outworks, nor encamping almoft at our Gates. Alia Tempora-Alii Mores. It is faid of the Ifraelites that, when They abounded most in Temporal Bleffings, “They forfook the God, that made Them. Is there no Caufe to apply the fame Reproach to the People of thefe Nations? I doubt it cannot be faid, There is None." But is it poffible that the fame Levity, and Thoughtleffhefs, the fame vitiated Taft, and Appetite, the fame Profligacy, and Irreligion hould fill continue, and that when "God's Judgments are fo visibly in the Land, the People fhould learn no Righteousness ?" Can Can a Man in the utmost Danger of his Life, - Diftrictus Enfis Cui fuper impiâ pollute his laft Moments with Debauchery, or amufe them with Trifles? I can never reconcile myself to fuch an abfurd Suppofition. A Perfon in Health may ridicule both Phyfician, and Phyfick: Let him be fuddenly feized with fome threatning Diftemper; He is the first to apply to them for Relief. You may fquander the best Days of your Life upon Romantick Adventures, Poems, and Plays; -You may choose perhaps to take your poor Country into your Protection, and to qualify yourself for it by conning over Political Dreams, useless Disputes, and Unchristian Inveftives; Tefts, Contests, Monitors; - Or, You may delight in Something ftill lefs innocent, in feeding the Flame of Vicious Inclination with the Fuel of Vicious Writers, Be it fo. Yet I will venture to fortell, that, upon your Death Bed, if you have any Sense left, You will call for your Prayer Book, and Bible. In the great Danger of our present Situation, when our Whole feems to be at Stake; Our Liberty; Our Property; Our Religion; Whilft Every One is accufing his Neighbour, and charging perhaps the Judgments of God upon the Ignorance, Folly, Cowardice, or Corruption of Man; -To remind You of a very probable Caufe of our Misfortunes, and of a true Remedy for our Epidemical Illness, cannot furely be a thanklefs, or unacceptable Office. Will a Mariner or Paffenger in this shattered Veffel reject any Hint or Admonition, which may tend to it's Prefervation? Will even Those at the Helm, if they fhould find their Skill and Experience baffled, refufe to look up to that great Pilot, who steers the very Earth, and the Seas? Της τε και αλμυράς Θαλαττης Αγριον Μοχλευταν. The Pious Difcourfes of a very venerable and worthy Prelate now living, his affectionate Exhortations to Virtue, his free Reproofs of Sin and Infidelity, and above all his Unanfwered, and Unanswerable Defence of Divine Revelation, have been received even by this Age, with uncommon Applause. No Book in our Times has had a larger Sale. Are We to attribute This Publick Testimony to the Judgment, or to the Religion of thefe Nations For my own Part, I cannot but regard it as an Aufpicium Melioris vi, and indulge Myfelf in the Pleafure of thinking, that Such a declared Approbation of Mankind in Favour of Such a Book, has been owing, as much to the eminent Piety, which adorns the Writings of that great Chriftian Teacher, as |