" Principle, and interwove it with the effential "Frame of human Nature, that would immedi"ately dictate Right and Wrong, in all capital " Instances, without an intervening progressive " Train of Reasoning; by which Mens Temp"tations to Vice are immediately repelled, or " their Extravagancies, at least, restrain'd and "limited; and a Seed of Reformation and fu"ture Virtue is lodged in the Mind, scarce pof" sible to be extirpated. Were Mankind left to " deduce their Duty in an exact Course of Ar" gumentation, the Confequence would be, from "the present Inexertion of Reafon, and Afcen"dancy of Paffion, a general Confufion of Right " and Wrong. But the universal Principle of " moral Sense and Confcience is both an expedi" tious and vigorous Principle."

I thank the Doctor for condescending to come out of the Clouds, where he has dwelt a long time, and where I durft not attempt to follow him for fear of beclouding myself and the Reader: But I prefume the dark Divines, nay the dulleft of the Mystics, know quite as much of the Attributes of the Deity as our Author. All that I know about them, is, that there is but little to be known concerning them; and that when Men pretend to talk about them, they only darken Counsel by Words without Knowledge; and if our Author had faid less about them, less of his Vanity had appeared.

In the Citation above, the confummate Wifdom of God appears not more confpicuous, than the confummate Folly of our Author. It is a Paragraph controuled by the common Senfe of all

Mankind, controuled by every Man in Proportion

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to his Acquaintance with the World, the Manners of Mankind, and the Sentiments they have of their own Actions. The moral Sense so much. talked of, is nothing less than immoral Nonsense. For if it be true, that we have this universal Principle, this moral Sense, this exquisite natural Confcience, implanted and interwove with the essential Frame of our Nature. ; if this expeditious and vigorous Principle will immediately dictate Right and Wrong, in all capital Instances; if it will repel Temptations --- limit and restrain Vice --- and be a Seed of Reformation and future Virtue, scarce possible to be extirpated, &c. How comes it to pass that Men act wrong, and what need is there for Reafon, or Revelation? Surely none, unless Reason and Revelation be designed to fet us right in petty Matters; for the moral Sense is quite fufficient in all capital Instances, according to our Author. But further, if the Mind be furnished with this moral Senfe, and Reason too, there cannot be the leaft Pretence for a Revelation: A Man has certainly as much need of three Noftrils, as for a third Means of Instruction, when he has two fufficient ones connatural to him, interwove into, and essential to his Nature. Our Author has, in the Paragraph above, but too plainly shewn his Ignorance of Mankind: Those who know the World and the Manners of Men best, must be the best Judges of the Vigour of the moral Senfe. These must be the Men of Experience, Observation, and common Sense, that have had

to do with all Sorts of Men; all fuch having obtain'd a true Knowledge of Men; all fuch, I believe, by laughing at the moral Senfe, will prevent my laughing at them. Now, whether those who have spent half their Time in their Closets, at their Books, and near the other Half in polite and

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and modish Company, and at the Tea-Table; and perhaps hardly ever appeared there, but under the folemn Air of a Preacher, before whom the far greater Part acted in Masquerade, and put on the Character of Saints, but quitted it as foon as his back was turned: Or, whether those that have seen Mankind unmask'd, acting in their true Characters, and shewing their true Tempers, be like to pass the justest Judgment concerning the moral Senfe, I shall leave the intelligent Reader to judge; and whether a Sparrow taken unfledged from the Neft, and shut up in a Cage, and by-andby indulged the Liberty of the Parlour, be not as fit to teach the Eagle to fly, as fuch a Man to judge of the moral Senfe ?

If the barbarous Manners of the barbarous Nations, cited in the foregoing Parts of this Pamphlet, be not fufficient to convince our Author that the moral Senfe, backed by all the Power of Reason is too weak to effect the wonderful Things he ascribes to it, we will come a little nearer Home, and, to pefect our Inquiry, we need but

f go to the Court of ; &c. to the Cabinet, the Camp, the Compting-House, the Shop, &c. If this be not enough, we will go to the Beargarden, the Gaming-table, and beat the Rounds of Drury; we will visit the Goals, and infpect the damnable Cruelties there; the Temper of the Guilty, the Debtor, the Innocent, together with that of Profecutors, and Keepers. Let us go to the Courts of Justice, and observe the Claims of the Plaintiff, the Shifts of the Defendant, the Perjury of their Witnesses, and the Manners of their Advocates on both Sides: We will go to the Inquifition, the Bastile, &c. and fee the Tortures inflicted on the Innocent; to the Monasteries, the Nunneries, the Seraglio; and attend to the Tricks, the Debaucheries, and Murders committed there, without Remorse. I might mention Abundance of more interefting Things than these, but it would be saying too much.

Upon what has been mention'd, I ask our Author, where is, or what is become of the moral Sense in these Instances ? Since he affirms, it is fcarce possible to be extirpated; for furely, either it never had Existence, or, in the Instances above, it is extirpated.

Once more, the moral Sense (if moral Sense there be) must be most vigorous, when our own Offspring are concerned; here is Instinct, here is Nature (if any where) here is Affection, the hardest to be extirpated of any in the human Nature; yet, we have many Instances of Men (if they must be called so) who have deferted their own Offspring, abused the deluded Mother, left her to starve, beg in Ignominy and Want, and her Children too, in a hopeless, hapless, helpless, and forlorn Condition, to wander with hungry Bellies, and distressed Minds, to groan under the Tyrant's Rod, the Task-master's Whip; to be made Hewers of Wood, Drawers of Water, in invincible Ignorance and Slavery : Thus they have acted in one Country, gone to another, and done the fame; left a Baftard here, and a Bastard there, with their abused Mothers; and, at last, come Home and vaunted themselves for being Bravoes. Without doubt, the moral Sense in these.Men, + was very exquifite and vigorous.

Our Author has given us nothing but his bare Word for the Existence of this moral Sense; and,

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to say the Truth, I don't chuse to take it, till he can shew his Authority from Scripture, which I know he never can; for that was written to pull down fuch idle Imaginations, such strong Holds of Satan as those. But tho', by the Gofpel, such Bricks are fallen, such Sycamores cut down, our Author is determined to repair the ture; to build with hewn Stone, and plant Cedars; to fet up his Post by God's Poft. If it be faid, I am angry or mad, furely! Surely no; I am in perfect even Temper, and the Regularity of my Pulse bears Witness that I am fo. I only treat my Fellow-creatures in this, as an honest Mariner would his Brethren on a Lee-Shore, cry Rock! Put your Helm a-Lee, or you will be stranded.

I shall observe further, Mr. Lock in his Treatife of human Understanding, has irrefragably proved there are in the Soul no innate Ideas, fo no innate Principles, fo no innate natural Confcience, fo no implanted moral Senfe, no connatural Rule for Right and Wrong: Now, if we have none of these Things, that is, no true Principles concerning divine Things, none but what we have by Inftructions, or Education, it is of the last Importance that those Instructions relating to, and especially fixing first Principles, should be true, clear, and indubitable, and, I think, founded on Revelation; and then we shall be in no Danger of Imaginations, or reasoning wrong; because here we have an infallible Correlate to the Conscience, we cannot be fecure of upon any other Principles; for it is idle for Men to talk of reafoning right upon wrong Principles; nor will the thinking Part of Mankind believe them, till they can make it appear that one may travel right in a wrong