himself in that great conference which was managed between the most learned among the Protestants and Papists in the reign of Queen Mary. This venerable old man knowing how his abilities were impaired by age, and that it was impossible for 5 him to recollect all those reasons which had directed him in the choice of his religion, left his companions who were in the full possession of their parts and learning, to baffle and confound their antagonists by the force of reason. As for himself he only 10 repeated to his adversaries the articles in which he firmly believed, and in the profession of which he was determined to die. It is in this manner that the mathematician proceeds upon propositions which he has once demonstrated; and though the 15 demonstration may have slipped out of his memory, he builds upon the truth, because he knows it was demonstrated. This rule is absolutely necessary for weaker minds, and in some measure for men of the greatest abilities; but to these last I 20 would propose, in the second place, that they should lay up in their memories, and always keep by them in a readiness, those arguments which appear to them of the greatest strength, and which can not be got over by all the doubts and cavils of infidelity. 25 But, in the third place, there is nothing which strengthens faith more than morality. Faith and morality naturally produce each other. A man is quickly convinced of the truth of religion, who finds it is not against his interest that it should be 30 true. The pleasure he receives at present, and the happiness which he promises himself from it hereafter, will both dispose him very powerfully to give credit to it, according to the ordinary observation that we are easy to believe what we wish. It is very certain, that a man of sound reason can not forbear closing with religion upon an impartial ex5 amination of it; but at the same time it is as certain, that faith is kept alive in us, and gathers strength from practice more than from speculation. There is still another method which is more persuasive than any of the former, and that is an Io habitual adoration of the Supreme Being, as well in constant acts of mental worship, as in outward forms. The devout man does not only believe but feels there is a deity. He has actual sensations of Him; his experience concurs with his reason; 15 he sees him more and more in all his intercourses with him, and even in this life almost loses his faith in conviction. 5 The last method which I shall mention for the giving life to man's faith, is frequent retirement 20 from the world, accompanied with religious meditation. When a man thinks of any thing in the darkness of the night, whatever deep impressions it may make in his mind, they are apt to vanish as soon as the day breaks about him. The light 25 and noise of the day, which are perpetually soliciting his senses, and calling off his attention, wear out of his mind the thoughts that imprinted themselves in it, with so much strength, during the silence and darkness of the night. A man finds the 30 same difference as to himself in a crowd and in a solitude; the mind is stunned and dazzled amidst 5 1712, to a man's. 61712, difference in himself. that variety of objects which press upon her in a great city she can not apply herself to the considerations of those things which are of the utmost concern to her. The cares or pleasures of the world strike in with every thought, and a multitude of 5 vicious examples give a kind of justification to our folly. In our retirements, every thing disposes us to be serious. In courts and cities we are entertained with the works of men, in the country with those of God. One is the province of art, the other 10 of nature. Faith and devotion naturally grow in the mind of every reasonable man, who sees the impressions of divine power and wisdom in every object, on which he casts his eye. The Supreme Being has made the best arguments for his own 15 existence, in the formation of the heavens and the earth, and these are arguments which a man of sense cannot forbear attending to, who is out of the noise and hurry of human affairs. Aristotle says, that should a man live under ground, and there 20 converse with the works of art and mechanism, and should afterwards be brought up into the open day, and see the several glories of the heaven and earth, he would immediately pronounce them the works of such a being as we define God to be. The 25 Psalmist has very beautiful strokes of poetry to this purpose, in that exalted strain, The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament showeth his handywork. One day telleth another and one night certifieth another. There is neither speech 30 nor language: but their voices are heard among 8 7 1712, objects that. 1712, as a multitude. . . gives us a kind of justification in our folly. them. Their sound is gone into all lands: and their words into the ends of the world." As such a bold and sublime manner of thinking furnishes 10 very noble matter for an ode, the reader may see 5 it wrought into the following one. 470. FRIDAY, AUGUST 29. [1712.] Turpe est difficilet habere nugas, Et stultus est labor ineptiarum.-MART. I HAVE been very often disappointed of late years, when upon examining the new edition of a classic author, I have found above half the volume taken up with various readings. When I have expected to meet with a learned note upon a 5 doubtful passage in a Latin poet, I have been 2 only informed, that such or such ancient manuscripts for an et write an ac, or of some other notable discovery of the like importance. Indeed, when a different reading gives us a different sense, or a 10 new elegance in an author, the editor does very well in taking notice of it; but when he only entertains us with the several ways of spelling the same word, and gathers together the various blunders and mistakes of twenty or thirty different tran- 15 scribers, they only take up the time of the learned reader, and puzzle the minds of the ignorant. I have often fancied with myself how enraged an old Latin author would be, should he see the several absurdities in sense and grammar, which are 20 imputed to him by some or other of these various readings. In one he speaks nonsense; in another makes use of a word that was never heard of; and indeed there is scarce a solecism in writing which the best author is not guilty of, if we may be at 25 1712, expected to find a. 2 |