the crime of him who' would dethrone, and of him who would debafe his prince, however they may differ in a political, differ but little in a moral view: nay, the ill effects of the traitor's crime may, to the prince at least, be bounded by time, while the confequences of the flatterer's may extend to eternity.

CHAP.

CHAP. XVIII.

Religion neceffary to the well-being of States. THE royal pupil fhould be informed, that

there are fome half Chriftians, and half philofophers, who with, without incurring the difcredit of renouncing religion, to strip it of its value, by lowering its usefulness. They have been at much pains to produce a perfuafion, that however beneficial Chriftianity may be to individuals, and however properly it may be taken as the rule of their conduct, it cannot be fafely brought into action in political concerns; that the intervention of its spirit will rarely advance the public good, but, on the contrary, will often neceffarily obstruct it; and in particular, that the glory and elevation of states must be unavoidably attended with fome violation even of thofe laws of morality, which, they allow, ought to be observed in other cafes *.

It were to be wifhed that Cromwell had been the only ruler who held, that the rules of morality must be difpenfed with on great political occafions.

1

Thefe

These affertions, refpecting the political difadvantages of religion, have not been urged merely by the avowed enemies of Christian principle, the Bolingbrokes, the Hobbes's, and the Gibbons: but there is a more fober clafs of fceptics, ranged under the banners of a very learned and ingenious fophift*, who have not fcrupuled to maintain, that the author of Chriftianity has actually forbidden us to improve the condition of this world, to take any vigorous fteps for preventing its mifery, or advancing its glory. Another writer; an elegant wit, but whimsical and fuperficial, though doubtless, fincere Chriftiant, who would be fhocked at the excefs to which impiety has carried the pofition, has yet afforded some countenance to it, by intimating, that God has given to men a religion which is

• Mr. Bayle.

+ Soame Jenyns. It is true, he puts the remark in the mouth of "refined and fpeculative obfervers." But he afterwards affirms in his own perfon-That fuch is indeed the Chriftian Revelation.

incompatible with the whole economy of that world which he has created, and in which he has thought proper to place them. He allows, that "government is effential to men, and yet afferts, that it cannot be managed without certain degrees of violence, corruption, and impofition, which yet Christianity strictly forbids. That per petual patience under injuries must every day provoke new infults, and injuries, yet is this, fays he, enjoined."

The fame pofitions are alfo repeatedly affirmed, by a later, more folid, and moft admirable writer, whofe very able defence of the divine authority of Christianity and the Holy Scriptures, naturally obtains credit for any opinions which are honoured with his fupport.

*

It

may be expected, that those who ad vance fuch propofitions, fhould at least produce proofs from hiftory, that those ftates, in the government of which Christian principles have been moft confpicuous, other circumstances being equal, have either

failed through error, or funk through impotence; or in fome other way have fuffered, from introducing principles into tranfactions to which they were inapplicable.

But how little the avowed fceptic, or even the paradoxical Chriftian, feems to understand the genius of our religion; and how erroneous is their conception of the true elementary principles of political prof perity, we learn from one, who was as able as either to determine on the cafe. He who was not only a politician but a king, and eminently acquainted with the duties. of both characters, has affured us, that RIGHTEOUSNESS EXALTETH A NATION. And does not every inftinct of the unfophifticated heart, and every clear refult of difpaffionate and enlarged obfervation, unite in adopting as a moral axiom this divinely-recorded aphorifm?

It would, indeed, be ftrange, if the great Author of all things had admitted fuch an anomaly in his moral government; if in