Whilft all the stars that round her burn, And all the planets in their turn, Confirm the tidings as they roll,

And Spread the truth from pole to pole.

III.

What though, in folemn filence, all
Move round the dark terreftrial ball!
What tho' nor real voice nor found
Amid their radiant orbs be found?
In reafon's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice,
For ever finging as they shine,
"The Hand that made us is Divine. C

SECT. IX.

Against the modern FREE-THINKERS.

SIR,

T

HERE arrived in this neighbourhood two days ago one of your gay gentlemen of the town, who being attended at his entry with a ⚫ fervant of his own, befides a country< man he had taken up for a guide, excited the curiofity of the village to learn whence and what he might be. The countryman (to whom they applied as most easy of access) knew little more than that the gentleman came from London to travel and fee fashions, and was, as he heard fay, a Freethinker: What religion that might be, he could not tell; and for his own part, if they had not told him the man was a Free-thinker, he fhould have gueffed by his way of talking, he was

• little

⚫ little better than a Heathen; excepting only that he had been a good gentleman to him, and made him drunk twice in one day, over and above what they • had bargained for.

I do not look upon the fimplicity of this, and feveral odd enquiries with which I fhall trouble you, to be wondered at, much lefs can I think that our youths of fine wit, and enlarged understandings, have any reason to laugh. There is no neceffity that every fquire in Great-Britain should know what the word Free-thinker ftands for; but it were much to be wifhed, that they who valued themfelves upon that ⚫ conceited title, were a little better inftructed in what it ought to stand for ; and that they would not perfuade themfelves a man is really and truly a Freethinker in any tolerable fenfe, merely by virtue of his being an Atheift, or an • Infidel of any other diftinction. It may be doubted with good reafon, whether there ever was in nature a more abject, flavish, and bigotted generation than the • tribe of Beaux Efprits, at present so • prevailing in this ifland. Their pretenfion to be Free-thinkers, is no other M 3. • than

It

⚫ than rakes have to be free-livers, and

་

favages to be free-men, that is, they can ⚫ think whatever they have a mind to, and give themselves up to whatever conceit the extravagancy of their inclination, or their fancy, fhall fuggeft; they ⚫ can think as wildly as talk and act, and • will not endure that their wit fhould be • controlled by fuch formal things as de

6

cency and common fenfe: Deduction, ⚫ coherence, confiftency, and all the rules of reason they accordingly difdain, as too precife and mechanical for men of a • liberal education.

This, as far as I could ever learn from their writings, or my own obfervation, is a true account of the British Free⚫ thinker. Our vifitant here who gave • occafion to this paper, has brought with him a new system of common fenfe, the particulars of which I am not yet acquainted with, but will lofe no opportunity of informing myself whether it contain any thing worth Mr. SPECT ATOR'S notice. In the mean time, Sir, I cannot but think it would be for the good of mankind, if you would take this fubject into your own confideration, and convince the hopeful youth of our

• nation,

nation, that licentioufnefs is not freedom; or, if fuch a paradox will not be • understood, that a prejudice towards • Atheism is not impartiality.

T

I am, Sir, your most humble Servant,

PHILONOUS.

Quidquid eft illud, quod fentit, quod fapit, quod vult, quod viget, cælefte & divinum eft, ob eamque rem eternum fit neceffe eft.

Tull.

A M 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, Adifcourfe of free-thinking, occafioned by the rife and growth of a fect called free-thinkers. The Author very methodically enters upon his argument, and fays, By free-thinking, I mean the ufe 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 weaknefs of the evidence. As foon as he has M 4

de