Surely there is some other remedy for the infirmities of the soul, than what is frequently worse than the disease itself. The use of true religion is to regulate our manners and actions; there is no place so secret where we can be free from her inspection and jurisdiction, and those are her truest disciples who abide by her laws. ESSAY 23. Man should judge foberly of Divine Ordinances. Concealed things are true subjects for imposture; in the first place, they derive credit from their very concealment, and by not being subject to our usual discussion, we can neither question or controvert them. For which reafon, says Plato, it is much more easy to satisfy the audience, in discoursing of supernatural beings, than when we speak of mortals; because their ignorance offers a large career, and free liberty to discuss such topics. Hence nothing is so firmly believed as what we least know, nor any persons so confident as those who entertain us with fabulous stories, such as alchymists, judicial astrologers, fortune-tellers, and all declaimers of this species; to whom I would willingly add, if I dared, a sort of people who presume to interpret and controul the designs of God himself, who who assign motives for, or explain the causes of, each event, and attempt to unveil the incomprehensible works of his supreme power. And although, from the variety and continual discordance of events, they are tossed from north to south, and from east to west, still they persist in their vain inquiries, and with the tune pencil paint black and white. A commendable custom prevails among some of the Indian nations: when they experience any misfortune, or great defeat, they publicly beg pardon of the Sun, which is their God, as if they Had committed an unjust action; always submissively relinquishing their own judgment and reason, and imputing their good or evil fortune to divine justice. It is sufficient for a christian to believe that every thing is ordained by God, to acknowledge his divine and inscrutable wisdom, and thankfully to receive his dispensations, under whatever semblance they may be presented *. But I must disapprove of the practice, too prevalent * "For now we fee through a glass darkly, but then face to face: now I know in part, but then shall & know, even as alfo I am known." ́ in our days, of endeavouring to ascertain the truth of our religion by the profperity of our enterprizes. Our belief has fufficient founda tion, without attempting to fupport it by fluctuating events. The people, accustomed to thefe plausible arguments, will, on the reverfe of military fortune, ftagger alfo in their belief. In the war wherein we are now engaged on account of religion, many perfons afferted, that the advantage we obtained at Roche L'Aleille, was an infallible proof that our cause was juft: but when they were afterwards obliged to excuse our defeats at Jarnac, and at Moncontourt, they acknowledged that they were defigned as paternal corrections. Thus, if they cannot make the people think just as they please, it plainly appears that they take different forts of grift from the fame fack, or A great skirmish, which nearly produced a general engagement between the troops of Admiral Coligni, and thofe of the Duke of Anjou, in May, 1569. + Battles gained by the Duke of Anjou in March and October, 1599. that that they blow hot and cold with the fame breath. It would be far more eligible to impress the vulgar with the folid and real foundations of truth. An important naval victory was gained, a few months fince, against the Turks, under the command of John of Auftria; it has alfo pleafed God, at other times, to let us witnefs as great a victory at our own expence In fine, it is impoffible to reduce divine ordinances to our own balance. Thofe who declare that Arius and Pope Leo, the principal leaders of the Arian herefy, were vifited at feparate times with a fimilar and extraordinary kind of death, and aggravate the divine vengeance, by faying that they were feized with this disorder in confequence of their carrying on a warm difputation in the court, might as well add, that Heliogabulus experienced a fimilar fate, without being engaged in a fimilar controverfy. God has been pleased to inform us, that the righteous have fomething else to hope for, and the wicked fomething else to fear, than the benefits or miffortunes of this world; and while he iffues |