philosophy, meant to depreciate true learn ing, which they themselves possessed in so eminent a degree: they merely wished to guard us against those foolish speculations, those silly inquiries, those "aniles fabulas," which lead to nothing but doubt, uncertainty, and disquietude; it never once entered into their heads, that any people would ever be so stupid as to imagine that they denounced war against literature and science, while they expand the mind, enlarge the capability of goodness, and lead the inquirer

"Thro' all Nature up to Nature's GOD."

"For it is an assured truth, and a conclusion of experience, that a little or superficial knowledge of philosophy may incline the mind of man to atheism, but a farther proceeding therein doth bring the mind back again to religion; for, in the entrance of philosophy, when the second causes, which are next unto the senses, do offer themselves unto the mind of man, if it dwell and stay there, it may induce some oblivion of the highest cause; but when a man passeth on farther, and seeth the dependence of

causes, and the works of providence, then, according to the allegory of the poets, he

will easily believe that the highest link of Nature's chain must be tied to the foot of Jupiter's chain." In proof of the foregoing assertion, let us call in the names of Locke, of Milton, of Boyle, and of Newton, of which last it is credibly reported, that he began in infidelity, and ended in Christianity. Nothing in knowledge itself leads to sorrow, or to atheism. Many learned men have been sorrowful, and have been atheists: what then? Many a bank of England note has been misapplied in its use, has been made subservient to the purposes of bribery, of sedition, of assassination. Is therefore a bank of England note of no use? Are we, because learning has been abused by some misguided individuals, to do away and to annihilate that, which in prosperity is our highest consolation and ornament, in adversity our greatest refuge and strong hold of defence; which restrains, and tempers, and mitigates, and polishes youth; which soothes, and adds respectability to age? Let learning be testimonied by her bringings

forth; and let any man lay his hand upon his heart, and tell me that he ever found the true and genuine consequences of knowledge to be trouble, and vexation, and sorrow; let him declare, that the immediate and eventual effects were not tranquillity, and complacency, and joy, and gaiety, and elevation of soul, and I will believe that no all-ruling hand directs the planets in their course, stills the raging of the sea, or guides the motion of the universe. The objection, that the first disciples, the apostles of Christianity, were unlearned, and therefore it behoves us not to seek after knowledge, is as rational, and just, and logical, as it is consoling and instructive. Some things are above, others below reasoning; certainly this does not belong to the first class. Hear now, how well this mode of arguing may applied to prove the absolute necessity of any one absurdity whatever; Matthew was a publican, Peter a fisherman, Luke a painter, Paul a doctor of laws, therefore ought we all to be publicans, and fishermen, and painters, and lawyers; "risum teneatis antiei!" But a truce to this trifling; such

be

nonsense deserves not a serious considera. tion. Why is man superior to brutes? because he knows more. Why is one man higher in the scale of nature than another? because his intellectual faculties are more enlarged. Think you, that the peasant bending over, and knowing but little more than the sod which he ploughs up, is capable of the quantity of felicity, or goodness, which is in the power of the philosopher to obtain? Has the worm the march of the elephant; or can the bat soar as does the eagle? Why are the angels happier than mortals? because they are more intellectual. Why is the blessed God himself infinitely happy, but because he is infinitely wise? Shall then the folly, the presumption, the audacity, the tyranny of man presume to prescribe limits to, and impose bounds on knowledge? Shall he dare to dishonour God his creator, by not employing those talents which he has graciously given him; by endeavouring to shroud himself and his fellow-creatures in the dun pall of ignorance, in the darksome gloom of Gothic stupidity, when su

perstition was religion, idolatry adoration, insolence piety, and blood-guiltiness sacrifice to the God of peace, of mercy, of benevolence, and of long suffering?

ESSAY XV.

LITERATURE VINDICATED.

IN my last I took notice of the hindrances to the advancement of learning, which are raised by piously inclined, but weakly-pated people; it remains to consider the obstacles which politicians have thrown in the way of its progression towards improvement. The statesmen say, "that learning softens men's minds, and renders them unfit for the honour and exercise of arms; that it incapacitates them for matters of government and policy, by making them too curious and irresolute by variety of reasoning, or too peremptory and positive by strictness of rules and axioms; that it diverts men from labour and business, and in