an excess.

The learned Dr. Sykes, indeed, will not allow this. But all that he offers to the contrary only shows, that it was looked upon as having a turpitude in it for women to prostitute themselves:* but he has produced no testimony to prove that it was accounted a sin in the men to make use of such prostitutes; or that the philosophers, before the coming of our Saviour, prohibited or condemned it as a vicious practice, and contrary to good morals, except when it was carried to It is not, therefore, so much to be wondered at, that all manner of impurity abounded so much in the Pagan world, since even their wisest men were so loose in their notions as well as in their practice. To convince men of the evil of that impurity which so greatly prevailed, was one noble design of the gospel, as St. Paul signifies to the Christian converts, in that excellent passage, 1 Thess. iv. 3, 4, 5. "This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye "should abstain from fornication: that every one of you "should possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in "the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know "not God."

Several learned writers on the law of nature, and among others Puffendorf, have produced good arguments to prove, that the conjunction of men and women out of marriage, and a vague and licentious commerce between the sexes, is contrary to the law of nature and reason. There is also a remarkable passage to the same purpose, from M. de Montesquieu, which the reader may find above, p. 40.† Το which may be added, another passage from the same celebrated author, where he observes, that "there are so many "evils attending the loss of virtue in a woman, the whole "soul is so degraded by it, and so many other faults follow "upon it, that in a popular state, public incontinence may be regarded as the greatest of misfortunes, and a sure prog

* Dr. Sykes' Principles and Connections of Natural and Revealed Religion, p. 412.

+ See L'Esprit des Loix, vol. I. livre xvi.chap. 12.

"nostic of a change in the constitution."* And yet if this matter had been left merely to the judgment of philosophers, there was no likelihood of their determining the point: and there was great need of an express divine law and authority, to ascertain our duty in this respect, and enforce it upon us by the most powerful sanctions.

From the instances which have been produced it sufficiently appears, that as to that part of moral duty which relates to the government of the sensual appetites and passions, the philosopher, even those of them that said the noblest things concerning virtue in general, and the necessity of keeping the fleshly a petite in a due subjection to reason, were greatly deficient, ard not to be depended upon as proper guides to mankind. The same may be observed concerning those among the moderns, who show the greatest zeal for the absolute clearness and sufficiency of the law of nature, independent of all divine revelation.

It is to be feared, that if left merely to themselves, and to what they would call the dictates of nature and reason, they would prove very loose interpreters of that law, in that part of it which relates to the restraining and governing the carnal appetites. Some of them, in the accounts they give of natural religion and law, make it to consist in worshipping God, and being just to men, and loving one's country; but scarce take any notice at all of temperance and purity; † or at least they allow much greater indulgence in this respect, than is consistent with that purity of heart and life which Christianity requires. Dr. Tindal seems to lay no other restraint on the fleshly concupiscence, than that it be gratified in such a manner, that the species may be propagated, and

* L'Esprit des Loix, livre vii. chap. 8. See also, vol. II. livre xxiii. chap. 2. This seems to be the scheme of the famous M. de Voltaire, in his poem on natural religion. See Abbé Gauchet's Lettres Critiques, tome IV. lettre 37. And, indeed, if we may judge from many passages in the works of that very ingenious author, chastity and purity, and the exercising a due government over the sensual passions, does not seem to make a necessary part of his scheme of religion and morals.

the happiness of the persons promoted: and of this, according to his scheme, every man must be a judge for himself, according to the circumstances he is in.* Lord Bolingbroke has no great notion of the virtue or obligation of chastity, which he resolves into a vanity inherent in our nature of appearing to be superior to other animals. He says, that "the shame of modesty is artificial, and has been inspired by "human laws, by prejudice, and the like causes;" and thinks "the law of nature does not forbid incest, except it be perhaps "that of the highest kind." He concludes, tha "increase "and multiply is the law of nature. The manner in which "this practice shall be executed with the greatest advantage to "society, is the law of man."+ Here this matter is left wholly to political considerations and human laws, without any divine law to restrain or regulate it. And what scandalous liberties this way have been countenanced and encouraged by the laws of many nations, I have before had occasion to show. The author of the famous book De l'Esprit has given a large account of them, and seems himself to be for allowing an almost boundless indulgence to the fleshly concupiscence. And it may be observed concerning many of the foreign writers, who profess to be admirers of natural religion, and are thought to be no friends to revelation, that they have written in a very loose manner: they abound in lascivious anecdotes, and stories of gallantry; and paint impure scenes and pleasures in a very alluring style, at the same time intermixing strokes against religion. But surely authors who are so loose in their writings are not very proper to be guides in matters of religion and morality. It looks a little odd, that men who set up for delivering mankind from superstition, and leading them in the paths of reason and virtue, should, instead of endeavouring to correct and restrain the prevailing licentiousness of manners, open a wide door to libertinism and impurity.

* See Answer to Christianity as Old as the Creation, vol. I. p. 203. 2d edit. + Bolingbroke's Works, vol. V. p. 172. et seq. edit. 4to.

CHAP. IX.

The Stoics the most eminent teachers of morals in the Pagan world. Mightily admired and extolled both by ancients and moderns. Observations on the Stoical maxims and precepts with regard to piety towards God. Their scheme tended to take away, or very much weaken, the fear of God as a punisher of sin. It tended also to raise men to a state of self-sufficiency and independency inconsistent with a due veneration for the supreme Being. Extravagant strains of pride and arrogance in some of the principal Stoics. Confession of sin in their addresses to the Deity made no part of their religion.

If the people had been to depend upon any one sect of philosophers, for leading them into right notions of moral duty, the Stoics seem to have bid the fairest for it, as they made the highest pretences to a pure and sublime morality. Many admirable precepts and moral instructions are to be found in their writings, and the main principle which lay at the foundation of their whole system was this, that virtue is the chief, the only good.

expresses his

A celebrated author, M. de Montesquieu, admiration of the Stoics in very high terms. He says, that "of all the sects of philosophers among the ancients, there was none whose principles were more worthy of man, or "better fitted to make men good, than that of the Stoics; " and that if he could abstract a moment from the consider"ation of his being a Christian, he could not help regarding "the extinction of the sect of Zeno as a misfortune to the "human race: that if it were chargeable with carrying things "too far, it was only with respect to those things which had "a certain grandeur in them, the contempt of pleasures and "of pain; that whilst they regarded riches and honours, 66 pains and pleasures, as vain things, they were wholly em"ployed in labouring for the happiness of mankind, and "in exercising the duties of society, for the good of which "they looked upon themselves to be born and destined: and "this without looking for any other rewards than what were "within themselves; as if being happy in their philosophy

"alone, nothing but the happiness of others was capable of "augmenting their own." I would observe by the way, that this ingenious writer seems here not to be quite exact. For, according to the Stoic principles, the happiness of a wise man is complete in himself, absolutely independent on that of others, and incapable of receiving any addition from it. This excellent author adds, that " it looked as if the Stoics re"garded that sacred spirit, which they believed to be in "them, as a kind of favourable providence, which watched 66 over the human race. And that this sect alone knew how "to make good citizens, great men, and good emperors."*

There is also a fine encomium on the principles of the Stoic philosophy, in the learned Gataker's Præloquium or Preliminary Discourse prefixed to his excellent translation and commentary on Antoninus' Meditations. He there gives a summary of the Stoical maxims and principles, both with respect to the duties of piety towards God, and those we owe to man, or the social duties and affections.+ The passages he produces to this purpose are almost all taken from Epictetus and Antoninus: both of whom lived after Christianity had made some progress, and had spread among many of the people the knowledge of God, and of a pure morality. These two excellent philosophers seem to have carried the doctrine of morals to a greater degree of perfection than any of the more ancient Stoics. And any one that would form a judgment of the Stoical system, merely from the summary which that learned man gives out of their writings, must needs have a very advantageous notion of it, as having a near affinity to the rules laid down in the Gospel. I am far from denying to the Stoics their just praises. But, in order to our forming a right and impartial judgment, it is proper to take their whole system together, and not the fair side of it only. Several instances may be mentioned, some of them of consider

* L'Esprit des Loix, vol. II. liv. xxiv. chap. 10. p. 157, 158. edit. Edinb. †The reader may see this part of Gataker's Preliminary Discourse translated, with the references to the several passages, and some additional notes at the end of the Glasgow translation of Antoninus' Meditations.