offer it felf from Paffages in this Family, to fupply my Readers with diverting, and perhaps ufeful Notices for their Conduct in all the Incidents of Human Life. Placing Mony on Mortgages in the Funds, upon Bottomery, and almost all other ways of improving the Fortune of a Family, are practifed by my Lady Lizard with the best Skill and Advice. THE Members of this Family, their Cares, Paffions; Interefts and Diverfions fhall be represented from time to time, as News from the Tea Table of fo accomplished a Woman as the intelligent and difcreet Lady Lizard. No 3. Saturday, March 14. Quidquid eft illud, quod fentit, quod fapit, quod vult, quod viget, calefte & divinum eft, ob eamque rem aternum fit neceffe eft. I Tull. Am diverted from the Account I was giving the Town of my particular Concerns, by cafting my Eye upon a Treatife, which I could not overlook without an inexcufable Negligence, and want of Concern for all the Civil, as well as Religious Interefts of Mankind. This Piece has for its Title, A Difcourfe of Freethinking occafioned by the Rife and Growth of a Sect called Free-thinkers. The Author very Methodically enters upon his Argument, and fays, By Free thinking I mean the use of the Understanding in endeavouring to find out the Meaning of any Propofition whatsoever, in confidering the Nature of the Evidence for, or against, and in judging of it according to the feeming Force or Weakness of the Evidence. As foon as he has deliver'd this Definition, from which one would expect he did not defign to fhew a particular Inclination for or against any thing before he had confider'd it, he gives up all Title to the Character of a Free-thinker, with the moft apparent Prejudice against a Body of Men, whomof all other a good Man would be most careful B S. not not to violate, I mean Men in Holy Orders. Persons who have devoted themselves to the Service of God, are venerable to all who fear Him; and it is a certain CharaEteriftick of a diffolute and ungovern'd Mind, to rail or fpeak difrefpectfully of them in general. It is certain, that in fo great a Crowd of Men fome will intrude, who are of Tempers very unbecoming their Function; but because Ambition and Avarice are fometimes lodged in that Bofom, which ought to be the Dwelling of Sanctity and Devotion, muft this unreasonable Author vilifie the whole Order? He has not taken the leaft Care to dif guife his being an Enemy to the Perfons against whom he writes, nor any where granted that the Inftitution of, Religious Men to ferve at the Altar, and inftruct fuch who are not as wife as himself, is at all neceffary or de firable; but proceeds without the leaft Apology, to undermine their Credit and fruftrate their Labours; Whatever Clergy-men, in Difputes against each other, have unguardedly uttered, is here recorded in fuch a manner as to affect Religion it felf, by wrefting Conceffions to its Difadvantage from its own Teachers. If this be true, as fure any Man-that reads the Difcourfe must allow it is; and if Religion is the ftrongest Tye of Human Society, in what Manner are we to treat this our common Enemy, who promotes the Growth of fuch a Sect as he calls Free-thinkers? He that fhould burn a Houfe, and júfifie the Action by afferting he is a Free Agent, would be more excufable than this Author in uttering what he has from the Right of a Free thinker: But there are a Set of Dry, Joylefs, Dull Fellows, who want Capacities and Talents to make a Figure amongst Mankind upon benevolent and generous Principles, that think to furmount their own Natural Meannefs, by laying Offences in the way of fuch as make it their Endeavour to excel upon the received Maxims and honeft Arts of Life. If it were poffible to laugh at fo melancholy an Affair as what hazards Salvation, it would be no unpleasant Enquiry to ask what Satisfactions they reap, what extraordinary Gratification of Senfe, or what delicious Libertinifm this Sect of Free-thinkers enjoy, after getting loofe of the Laws which confine the Paffions of other Men? Would it not be be a Matter of Mirth to find, after all, that the Heads of this growing Sect are Sober Wretches, who prate whole Evenings over Coffee, and have not themselves Fire enough to be any further Debauchees, than merely in Principle? Thefe Sages of Iniquity are, it seems, themselves only fpeculatively wicked, and are contented that all the ra bandoned Young Men of the Age are kept fafe from Reflection by dabbling in their Rhapsodies, without tafting the Pleasures for which their Doctrines leave them unaccountable. Thus do heavy Mortals, only to gratifie a dry Pride of Heart, give up the Interefts of another World, without enlarging their Gratifications in this; but it is certain there are a fort of Men that can puzzle Truth, but cannot enjoy the Satisfaction of it. This fame Free thinker is a Creature unacquainted with the Emotions which poffefs great Minds when they are turned for Religion, and it is apparent that he is un-* touched with any fuch Senfation as the Rapture of De→ votion. What-ever one of these Scorners may think, they certainly want Parts to be Devout; and a Senfe of Piety towards Heaven, as well as the Senfe of any thing elfe, is lively and warm in proportion to the Faculties of the Head and Heart. This Gentleman may be affured he has not a Tafte for what he pretends to defcry, and the Poor Man is certainly more a Blockhead than an Atheist. I must repeat, that he wants Capacity to relifh what true Piety is; and he is as capable of writing an Heroick Poem, as making a fervent Prayer. When Men are thus low and narrow in their Apprehenfions of things, and at the same time vain, they are naturally led to think every thing they do not understand not to be understood.. Their Contradiction to what is urged by others is a neceffary Confequence of their Incapacity to receive it. The Atheistical Fellows who appeared the laft Age did not ferve the Devil for nought, but revell'd in Exceffes fuitable to their Principles, while in thefe unhappy Days Mischief is done for Mischief's fake. Thefe Free thinkers, who lead the Lives of Reclufe Students for no other pur pofe but to difturb the Sentiments of other Men, put met in Mind of the monstrous Recreation of thofe late wild Youths, who, without Provocation, had a Wantonnefs in ftabbing L ftabbing and defacing thofe they met with. When fuch Writers as this, who has no Spirit but that of Malice, pretend to inform the Age, Mobocks and Cut-throats may well fet up for Wits and Men of Pleasure. IT will be perhaps expected, that I fhould produce fome Inftances of the ill Intention of this Free thinker, to fupport the Treatment I here give him. In his 52d Page he fays, 2dly. The Priefts throughout the World differ about Scriptures, and the Authority of Scriptures. The Bramins have a Book of Scripture call'd the Shafter. The Perfees have cheir Zundavaflaw. The Bonzes of China have Books written by the Difciples of Fo-he, whom they call the God and Saviour of the World, who was born to teach the Way of Salvation, and to give Satisfa• &tion for all Mens Sins. The Talapoins of Siam have a Book of Scripture written by Sommanecodem, who, the Siamefe fay, was born of a Virgin, and was the God expected by the Universe. The Dervizes have their. Alchoran. I believe there is no one will difpute the Author's great Impartiality in fetting down the Accounts of thefe different Religions. And I think it is pretty evident he delivers the matter with an Air, that betrays, the Hiftory of one born of a Virgin, has as much Authority with him from St. Sommonocodom as from St. Matthew. Thus he treats Revelation. Then as to Philofophy, he tells you, P. 136. Cicero produces this as an Inftance of a probable O-1 pinion, that they who ftudy Philofophy do not believe there are any Gods; and then, from confideration of various Notions, he affirms Tully concludes, That there can be nothing after Death AS to what he mifreprefents of Tully, the fhort Sentence on the Head of this Paper is enough to oppose; › but who can have Patience to reflect upon the Affemblage of Impoftures, among which our Author places the Religion of his Country? As for my part, I cannot fee any poffible Interpretation to give this Work, but a Design. to fubvert and ridicule the Authority of Scripture. The Peace and Tranquility of the Nation, and Regards even above thofe, are fo much concerned in this Matter, that it is difficult to exprefs fufficient Sorrow for the Offen der, der, or Indignation againft him. But if ever Man deferved to be denied the common Benefits of Air and Water, it is the Author of a Difcourfe of Free-thinking. N° 4. TH Monday, March 16. It matters not how false or farc't, Hudibras. HOUGH moft Things which are wrong in their own Nature are at once confessed and abfolved in that fingle Word the Custom; yet there are fome, which as they have a dangerous Tendency, a thinking Man will the lefs excufe on that very Account. Among thefe L cannot but reckon the common Practice of Dedications, which is of fo much the worse Confequence, as 'tis generally used by People of Politeness, and whom a Learned Education for the moft part ought to have infpired with nobler and jufter Sentiments. This Prostitution of Praise is not only a Deceit upon the Grofs of Mankind, who take their Notion of Characters from the Learned; but alfo the better Sort muft by this means lofe fome part at leaft of that Defire of Fame which is the Incentive to ge nerous Actions, when they find it promifcuoufly bestowed on the Meritorious and Undeferving: Nay, the Author himself, let him be fuppofed to have ever fo true a Value for the Patron, can find no Terms to express it, but what have been already ufed, and rendered fufpected by Flatterers. Even Truth it felf in a Dedication is like an Honeft Man in a Difguife or Vizor-Mafque, and will appear a Cheat by being dreft fo like one. Tho' the Merit of the Perfon is beyond Difpute, I fee no reason that becaufe |