This proposition seem"d very miraculous to the Judge, who immediately sent for the Priest to impart it to him. They had heard Talk indeed of our Clocks, but not a Man of "em had ever seen one, and the Idea they had form"d of "em was very confus"d; so that they were very pressing with us, to set about one as soon as we pleas"d, and to spare no Cost, the rather because their way of dividing the Time was extremely troublesome; for, they tie a Piece of Packthread to the Cieling, and at the End of it hang a Ball of Pewter three Foot and two Inches in length, which serves as a Pendulum, and putting it in Motion, they tell the Vibrations to the Number of 7200, which by reason of the length of the Cord, make just as many Seconds, and by consequence the 12th part of a natural Day, or two of our Hours. I shall give an Account by and by, who they make use of to count these Vibrations, and to go and cry the Hour through the Village, as the Watchmen do by Night, in many Parts of _Europe_, and particularly in _England_ and _Holland_, where they hire Men for the Purpose. They furnish"d us therefore with the necessary Materials for our Work. _La Foret_ bespoke some of the Tool that we had need of, and himself made the others. At length we went to work, but we did not hurry ourselves, for "twas above a Year and half before we finish"d our Clock.
When it was done, you can"t imagine with what Admiration every Body star"d at us. They could not conceive how it was possible for this Machine to go by itself, and to sound all the Hours of the Day. Being by this time so perfect in the Language of the Country, that we explain"d ourselves with as much Ease as in the _French_; we told them, that they ought to have a Tower built over the House of the Priest or Judge, after the manner of the Europeans, and so put up the Clock in it that every Body might hear it strike. No sooner said, but done, and all Hands were set to work to follow our Directions, till the Clock was hung up in the Place which we appointed for it.
But to return to the Persons they make use of to take care of the Pendulums, and to give. Notice to the People of the Time of the Day. You must know, that hitherto no Person in this Country was ever sentenc"d to die. Crimes indeed are prohibited, and the Criminals punish"d, but not with Death; for they imagine, that as the Life of Man is in the Power only of G.o.d who gave it, "tis not in Man"s Power to take it away for any Cause whatsoever, not even for the Murder of a Father or Mother. It was in vain to preach to them, that the putting of Criminals to Death for such Capital Offences, was a Maxim, observ"d by almost all Mankind, and expresly commanded by our Law, of which we believe G.o.d himself was the Dictator; all this tended only to exasperate them, and to give them an Abhorrence for People whom they knew not, and whom they thought unworthy to see the Light. "Tis not likely, said they, that a Man who kills another, is in his right Senses, and it would be an Affront to the rest of his Species to suppose it.
But when we meet with Persons so extravagant and cruel, as to deprive their Neighbour of a Life which they never gave him, we ought to leave the Revenge to the _Universal Spirit_ (which is the Name they call G.o.d by) and not to incroach upon his Prerogatives by imitating their Barbarity, under the specious Pretext of observing the Divine Laws, which in the main, say they, are but the Ordonnances of an unnatural Tyrant. In the Formation of Society, every Man may transfer the Right and Authority which Nature has given him over himself to another, as to his Prince or Sovereign, but he cannot give him any Power over his own Life. "Tis G.o.d who thro" the Means of our Parents has made us without our Partic.i.p.ation, and since we have not contributed to our own Existence in any Manner whatsoever, "tis but just and lawful to leave it to that same G.o.d to unmake us, and to content our selves with laying our Hands upon the other Creatures which he seems to have left to our Disposal.
In conformity to these Principles, they only impose upon every Criminal that Punishment which they think most adequate to his Offence. Blasphemy against G.o.d is with them the most enormous Sin, and those who commit it, are without Mercy condemned to hard Labour as long as they live, in the Bottom of a dark Mine where the Light of the Sun cannot enter. Murderers, Adulterers, Fornicators and great Robbers are treated much after the same manner: Some work at the Bottom, others at the Top; some are condemn"d for 10 Years, others for more or less Time according as the Crime is aggravated, and to the Age and Understanding of the Offender. Peccadillos are not punish"d so severely, those who commit them being generally confin"d to the Village. Some are employ"d in fishing, and in making and mending of Nets, in which they have full Employment, because their Rivers abound with Fish, and they eat great Quant.i.ties of them. Some take care of the Trees, and the Walks, and others cleanse the Ca.n.a.ls. The Women and Girls look after the Pendulums, being reliev"d every six Hours, and the Boys go about constantly to cry the Hour of the Day from the Time that the Sun comes to their Meridian to the Time it returns. And when they have done this for a certain Term, they are restor"d to their Liberty.
I said a while ago, that Blasphemy is the Crime they punish with the greatest Severity, which gives me Occasion now to say two Words concerning the poor Man, our Guide to the Mines, who when he fell down, call"d out on the Name of _Christ_, as it were for Help. When I found myself able to speak their Language, I let no Opportunity slip of informing my self of the Things which I desir"d to know. I told our Patron one Day the Circ.u.mstances of the Journey we made to the Mountains, and when I mention"d the venerable Personage, and what he said, I ask"d him, if they knew a _Christ_ among them. He made me Answer, that about 300 or 400 Years ago, there came several People into their Country for much the same Reasons that had brought us thither, that the last who came, was a grave Man dress"d in a long Robe in such a manner, that it was natural for me to think he was a Monk of some mendicant Order. This Man, continued he, had Wit and Learning too; he came to a Canton not far from this, but did not stay here long. As soon as he understood a little of our Language, he often shifted his Village. My Grandfather, as I have heard my Father say, had lodg"d him here several times, and took a great deal of Pleasure in hearing him talk. He was continually preaching up Morality, and discoursing of a Resurrection, and happy Immortality after this Life. Moreover, he affirmed, that G.o.d had a Son ingender"d of his own Substance long before the World had a Being, who manifested himself to Mankind several Ages past, as born from a Virgin, or one who, if you please, had never known Man: That this G.o.d-Man convers"d with Mankind that he suffer"d the Death of a Robber to procure eternal Life for the rest of Men who should be willing to embrace his Religion; and that this Person who was call"d _Christ_, rose from the Dead, and fitteth in Heaven at the Right Hand of G.o.d his Father, with him to govern Heaven and Earth till the End of the World. As this was very soothing Doctrine, the Monk found a great many People who were hugely delighted with what he said, and others took Offence at it, which coming to the King"s Ears, he was sent for to Court, and after having been strictly examin"d, was condemned like the worst of Blasphemers, to spend the rest of his Days in the Bottom of a Mine, where, not long after, he died. And as he had the Name of _Christ_ in his Mouth at every Turn, some that work"d with him, imitated him; and what you have now told me of your Guide, added he, is a certain Proof that the Doctrine has found its way to us.
Tho" this Discourse alarm"d me, I could not help telling him, that I was of the same Belief as that Man; that the Maxims of the Religion I profess"d, led me to it, and that I was surpriz"d to think that Persons of their Wisdom and Humanity could find in their Hearts to be so barbarous to a poor Friar, who no doubt was sent to them by Heaven for their Salvation. Perhaps, said my Landlord, it was owing in a great measure to State Policy.
Princes don"t love great Alterations in Worship, for fear their Persons should suffer by it, or that it should be prejudicial to the Government. And then "tis as sure on the other hand, that your Sentiments are in many Respects contradictory, and that this _Christ_ above all Things excites to Rebellion, and prodigiously embarra.s.ses humane Reason. I own, said I, "tis an incomprehensible Mystery, but we believe it; and we believe it with the more Confidence and Steadiness, because we see it is for our Advantage to believe it, and that "tis interwoven with the Oeconomy of Salvation; besides its being a Truth of which a thousand Eye-Witnesses have given Evidence, and which has been reveal"d to us by G.o.d himself.
To be sure, said the Judge, you were born in very happy Climates, since the Divinity communicates himself there in such a manner to the Inhabitants; or rather, the People of your Country must be very vain and presumptuous to have the Impudence to give it out in publick, that the universal Spirit condescends to become a private Man, and to a Familiarity with a Worm of this Earth. To me it seems intolerable, and if this same G.o.d was the least concern"d for his own Honour, he would not fail to punish your Arrogance with Severity. But, before I engage farther with you in this Discourse, pray tell me, said he, how does this Revelation come? Does G.o.d speak to you directly himself, does he employ Heaven, Earth, or any other Creature in revealing it to you, in what manner doth he do it?
I question, said I, whether "tis worth while to talk with you on this Subject; I perceive you are so wide from our Sentiments, and so little dispos"d to give the least Credit to our Doctrines, that I fear your Incredulity will stir up your Indignation, and bring me into some Trouble. You need fear nothing, reply"d he, I am your Friend, and a Man of Honour, and will allow you to say what you please, only I will not give up the Right of judging for myself. Upon this Condition, said I, I am willing to tell you as much as my Age, Education, and Business have suffer"d me to know of the Matter. But, for fear of rambling too far from the main Point, or lest I should entertain you with what you know better perhaps than I do, tell me if you please, first of all, what are your Sentiments of G.o.d, of the World, of Man, and of his Origin, as well as of his Dependance, and of what he ought to expect after this Life.
You say well, reply"d the old Gentleman, I am ready to satisfy you, as to my own particular, it being impossible that my Confession should be general, because perhaps there are as many Minds as there are Men. I for my part believe an increated Substance, an universal Spirit, sovereignly wise, and perfectly good and just, an independant and unchangeable Being, who made Heaven and Earth, and all Things that are therein, who governs and animates them, but in a Manner so secret, and so far above my Nothingness, that I have but a very imperfect Idea of it. And while we perceive the Necessity of his Existence and our Dependance upon him, we think ourselves under an indispensable Obligation to pay him our Homage and Adoration, never to speak of him but with Respect, nor so much as to think of him but with Trembling, which is one princ.i.p.al Part of our Worship; the other is continually to render him Thanks for all the Favours he has done us, without any Pet.i.tion for Futurity, and much less for any thing beyond the Grave, because then as our Existence will be at an End, we shall have no more need of any thing whatsoever. And "tis for this Purpose that we meet every Morning at the House of our Priest, which you have been Witness of many times since you came among us.
"Tis true, reply"d I, that you are very punctual in giving an Hour of your Devotion every Day in the Year to G.o.d, for which you are certainly very much to be commended; but I think it strange, that you entirely reject Prayer, and make no Distinction of Days; for we employ six Days in our domestick Affairs, and devote the seventh to G.o.d, and the Exercises of our Religion.
We don"t think, reply"d he, that one Day is a Jot better than another. They are undoubtedly all alike, and though we are but one Hour in the Morning in our Churches, yet we don"t fail to devote the rest of the Day to G.o.d, to meditate every Moment upon his Greatness, and to admire his Goodness to all his Creatures.
But as to Prayer, "tis absolutely needless, besides the offering Violence as it were to his Nature, which being immutable, "tis evident that he cannot suffer any Shadow of Change.
Here Word was brought to the Judge, that the _T???_, that is to say, the Intendant or Governor was come to receive the Tribute of the Canton. We have already observ"d, that each Village consists of 22 Families govern"d by a Bailiff. Ten of the Cantons form one Government, the eldest of whose Bailiffs is _T???_, and President of the nine others in the a.s.semblies which are held for exercising Justice, and regulating the Police in those ten Villages. Besides this, there"s the Sovereign Court to which out of the ten Governors one is deputed once a Year to the a.s.sembly which is held for at least twenty Days. The King presides in this ill.u.s.trious and numerous Body, which takes care of the Rights of the Regale, and to which an Appeal may be made from all the other Tribunals, when the Punishment of any capital Crime is the chief thing in question.
The Intendant, who was come to receive the Gift of the People, was perfectly well receiv"d by our Landlord, and a magnificent Entertainment was made for him, to which the Priest and the two a.s.sessors of the Village were also invited. During the Conversation, they did not forget to talk of Messieurs the Clockmakers. The Governor who had the Curiosity to see our Machine, admir"d the Invention of it, and said a thousand fine Things in praise of us; but it had been better for us that he had known nothing of the Matter, because in the Sequel it did not turn out at all to our Advantage, as will be seen in its Place.
CHAP. VII.
_A curious Conversation between the Author, the Judge, and the Priest of the Village concerning Religion._
After the Governor was gone, the Judge who had not forgot our Conversation, was impatient to hear me talk of my Religion, and that he might have the fairer Opportunity, he invited the Priest next Day to Dinner for the Purpose, and sent for me and my Comrade to be of the Party.
The first thing that gave occasion to the Priest to open the Discourse, was our saying Grace before Meat. As I knew his Opinion, and had before talk"d of it to my Landlord, I only told him, that the Notion I had of G.o.d as a Being sovereignly powerful, and perfectly good, inclin"d me to implore his Blessing on the Food which he gave me for the Nourishment of my Body, being convinced both from Reason and Experience, that his Word was infinitely more satisfying than Bread. He talk"d on this Subject much after the same Manner as the Judge did, and pretended to evade the Stress of my Argument by instancing in his Countrymen, and even most Animals who are as much nourish"d with what they eat, as we who perform this Ceremony: So that the Drift of what he said was the absolute abolishing of Prayer. Let us not trouble our Heads to dispute about it, said I, "tis a Question that will resolve itself soon, and only depends on some other Truths which I shall clearly demonstrate to you.
In the Conversation I had t"other Day with the Judge, he himself own"d to me, that you unanimously confess the Existence of a G.o.d of all Perfection, which is a Truth that might be very easily prov"d to you by several undeniable Arguments, and especially by that ascrib"d to one St. _Thomas_, which he calls _causalitas causae efficientis_, because by it we infallibly trace Effects to one first, intelligent, and necessary Cause of the Production of all Things.
I know it, said the Priest, and a Man must be quite devoid of Reason so much as to doubt of it. Well then, reply"d I, "tis clear that "twas this same G.o.d, and no other who has created the Universe, that is to say, Heaven, Earth, and in general every thing that exists, out of nothing. As for that, said the Judge, I don"t well understand it, out of Nothing there comes Nothing. You are right, said I, with regard to us; but as to G.o.d the Case is quite otherwise; there is no supposing of Matter coexistent with G.o.d, without a direct Contradiction; for then there would be two Infinite, two independent Beings, which "tis presum"d cannot be reconcil"d. But to have done with infinite Things which are out of our Reach, I think it sufficient in the main to know that G.o.d has made all Things and not puzzle ourselves as to the Matter, Manner, and Time.
We have a Book, I added, which tells us all this. _Moses_ a.s.sures us that G.o.d made every thing by his Word, about 6000 Years ago; and that after he had imploy"d Six Days in it, he rested from his Labour. What did he do the first Day, reply"d the Judge? After having created the Heaven and the Earth, he said, _Let there be Light, and there was Light_, &c. On the Sixth Day he created Man out of Clay, and breath"d into his Nostrils the Breath of Life, _&c._ When he had endow"d him with Discernment, it was very just that he should live in a Dependance upon him, and own him for the only Lord of the Universe. He gave him Power over all things on the Earth, and only forbad him not to touch one single Tree that was planted in the midst of the delightful Garden in which Providence had plac"d him. The Submission he ow"d to his Creator, would no doubt have constrain"d him from contravening his Orders; but the Woman which he gave him for a Companion, being the weaker Vessel, and more inquisitive than he was, indulg"d her Curiousity, took the admirable Fruit of this Tree into her Hand, tasted it, and found it so excellent, that she gave it to her Husband, who was so unfortunate as to eat of it, and by consequence incurr"d the Penalty that was impos"d on him of dying an everlasting Death, that is to say, of suffering eternal Pains after his Death; a Punishment very harsh, and indeed cruel, considering the Offence, and the Person that committed it, but nevertheless very just, in consideration of the Majesty of the Being that was offended.
Having ran over the History of the Creation, the Deluge, the Patriarch, of _Moses_ and his brother _Aaron_, and of the Miracles by which the Truth of this History was confirm"d, I entertain"d them with an Account of the Prophets and their Predictions, especially with regard to the Messiah; of our Saviour"s coming into the World, how he was the Son of G.o.d, and by what means he redeem"d us from the Punishment we had deserv"d in the Person of the First Man, our Father. I show"d them the Necessity of Prayer, as well from the Dictates of Nature, as from the Doc.u.ments of holy Men, and in particular of Jesus Christ.
And, to conclude, I talk"d to them of the Resurrection of the Body, and its being repossess"d by the Son, and of an everlasting happy Life which the Son of G.o.d purchas"d for us, by suffering the ignominious Death of the Cross.
I must own they heard me with a great deal of Patience, nay, they seem"d to be pleas"d, and to acquiesce in the greatest part of what I said. But I was very much surpris"d when the Priest ask"d me, with a very serious Countenance, whether I believ"d it all.
Verily, said I, I believe every t.i.ttle of it. Those who question"d the Law of _Moses_, dy"d without Mercy; and the Apostles a.s.sure us, that we cannot doubt of the Truth of Christ"s Words, and the whole Oeconomy of Salvation, without danger of everlasting Punishment. But that which is the Motive to my Belief, is not Force, but Evidence itself. What would you think of me, continu"d I, if I told you exactly not only your most secret Transactions past, but what you will do hereafter, and what must happen to your Country? If I should cure the Sick, raise the Dead to Life, pa.s.s the Seas dryshod, cleave the Rocks with a Rod, and bring Water enough out of them to quench the Thirst of a whole Nation, and if I work"d a thousand more such Miracles? Would you not say, either that I was a G.o.d, of at least an Instrument in the Hand of G.o.d, to work so many different Miracles, since all this is above the Power of Mortals? And yet, continu"d I, "tis no more than what was done by the Prophets, the Apostles, and especially by Jesus Christ, as I just now hinted; so that we have no reason to doubt of the Truth of what they have left us upon Record.
Your Consequence is not just, said the Priest. Pray, did you see all those fine things? I own I did not, said I; but the Sight of a Thing is not always necessary to the Belief of it. You never saw _Europe_, its Kingdoms, Wars, Religions, and Customs, yet you believe what we relate to you about it, because you take us for honest Men, and because two or three other Travellers before us inform"d your Ancestors almost the same things. When a Fact is supported by the Testimony of several Persons of Probity, there"s no longer any Reason to call it in question. Now the Facts of which I speak to you, are not only confirm"d by a sufficient Number of wise and good Men, but by Clouds of Witnesses, by intire Nations, which we cannot possibly suspect, because the Worship of some of them is quite different from ours, and they are our mortal Enemies into the Bargain: Even the _Jews_ know after what manner G.o.d appear"d to our Fathers, one while in Dreams, another while in a Burning Bush, and that at other times he conducted them in the Form of a Cloud by Day, and a Pillar of Fire by Night, and stopp"d where they were to encamp in the Deserts[1], when he himself led them to the great Country, of which he had promis"d them the Possession. Surely, after such strong Evidence, I think we should be very much in the wrong to be Unbelievers.
To be ingenuous with you, said the Judge, there"s something in all this which is surprising, and which, tho" supernatural, yet appears very probable. Not so probable as you imagine, reply"d the Priest; you know how our Ancestors were bubbled, much after the same manner, by the Craft and Violence of our former Kings.
There"s Parchment to write upon at all times, and the Punishments inflicted on those who don"t subscribe to pretended Facts which are given out as Truths, force People to be silent, who would otherwise take a Pride in talking big. The Creation you was just now speaking of, continued he, looking on me willfully, is a meer Allegory, which I think very gross of its kind, and form"d by an Author altogether ignorant of the Nature of things, insomuch that he makes Effects precede the Cause; for, according to what you have said, Light was created on the very first Day, and the Luminaries from whence that Light comes to us, not till the fourth. Besides, "tis certain that the Idea of a G.o.d who labours, and rests from his Labour, is what cannot be digested by any, but very stupid ignorant People, such as dare not say their Souls are their own, and over whom this _Moses_ you speak of, aim"d to be temporal Lord, while his Brother _Aaron_ domineer"d without Mercy over their Consciences.
[Footnote 1: _I have heard of a learned_ English _gentleman, who lately publish"d a Dissertation to prove that there"s nothing miraculous, nor even extraordinary, in this Pillar of Fire, by which the_ Israelites _were conducted into the Wilderness; and to shew them from the best Authors, ancient and modern, that it was always the Custom in Deserts of this kind; to make use of a Fire to direct Armies or Mult.i.tudes of People in their March, by causing it to be carry"d before them in such a manner that the whole Company might see the Smoke by Day, and the Flame by Night.
He pretends that the Person who had the Direction of this Fire, and serv"d as a Guide to the_ Israelites, _was only_ Hobab, _the Father-in-law of_ Moses; _which he endeavours to prove from the 29th and 30th Verses of the Tenth Chapter of Numbers, and from many other Pa.s.sages of the sacred Scriptures_.]
I dare not tell you after what manner he treated Jesus Christ and his Mother: But as to the Soul, that Spiritual Substance in us, of which they said they had no Notion, I can"t help observing to you an Objection that was started by the Priest, when we talk"d about the Resurrection of the Dead. "Tis certain, said he, that the Earth is compos"d of innumerable small Particles whose Figures are extremely different, as appears from the variety of Things which this same Earth produces. Certain Parcels of Earth which are proper to form one sort of Fruit, would not be at all proper for the Production of some others. What is good to make Copper, is worth nothing for Iron. From hence it comes, that if Wheat be sow"d for several Years together in one and the same Field, it appears at last that all the Parts of Matter which were proper to yield us Wheat, being spent, and no more of it left, the Earth will absolutely bear no more Wheat till "tis dung"d.
We"ll apply this Example to Man: The Particles which are proper for the Composition of Human Flesh, are not more infinite than those of Corn; and undoubtedly in this Kingdom there are no more than what will form a certain determinate Number of Persons. Now make this Number as great as you please, I don"t think "tis equal to that of all the Men that have liv"d since the Beginning of the World. Nay, said he, I know not if there be not reason to question whether there are enough of these Parts here for the People that have been born in it for only ten Centuries. They who have studied the Nature of Beings ever so little, know, that as the Hair and Nails grow, wear away, and fall off, the external Parts of the Fibres of our Body wear in like manner, while the Blood has its Pulsation, and augments the internal Parts. "Tis incredible what a Dissipation is occasion"d every Day by that thing only which is call"d Perspiration; but then there is this Advantage, that the Loss of the Parts one way is supply"d another. So that if all that we lose were to be transported into another Country, without any Return to ours, "tis probable that a Famine and Mortality wou"d happen among us every now and then, to the end that the Parts of those who dy"d might serve for the Increase of the others, till in short there be no more left. From hence, said he, I infer, that if we were to rise again, it is impossible that of the Parts proper for the Construction of Man, there would be enough left to distribute to all that have liv"d so much as is absolutely necessary for forming a Body of a middling Stature; and G.o.d knows whether there would be enough of the other Parts, because if all that have dy"d for the several thousands of Years past which the World has subsisted, were laid together in a Heap, "tis probable that the Bulk would even exceed that of the Earth, from whence they deriv"d their Origin.
We will ill.u.s.trate this Paradox by a general Calculation, as follows. We have in this Country 41600 Villages, and computing Twenty-two Families in each Village, at the rate of nine Persons in every Family, one with another, every Village will contain near 200 Inhabitants; so that throughout the Kingdom we may suppose 8323000. Now we"ll allow to every Humane Body, consider"d under the Form of a Parallelopepid of five Foot high, and half a Foot broad and thick, one with another (you see I take it at the least Computation) it will appear on the Day of Resurrection that 8323000 Bodies will contain about 10400000 Cubic Feet of Flesh.
Suppose again, that this Number of Men be renew"d every fifty Years, then there must be 208 Millions of Cubic Feet of Flesh, for the People that have liv"d in the s.p.a.ce of only 1000 Years, and 2080 Millions for the People within 10000 Years. Continue this Multiplication, and consider what a vast Length it will run; but, said he, with a great Exclamation, what would it not amount to, if the Opinion of some learned Men be true, which, as you told your Landlord, pa.s.ses for certain, that the very Seed of most, if not of all Animals, is compounded of innumerable Animalcules which have Life and Motion, so that in a Body no bigger than a Grain of Millet, there are thousands which, small as they are, yet are Individuals of the same Species as the Animals by which they were engender"d, and must consequently partake of the same Advantages as the others, tho" they surpa.s.s them as much in Bigness, as the highest Mountain does a Grain of Sand; in which Case "tis manifest that your Opinion is ridiculous, and a palpable Contradiction.
You talk of thousands of Years, _said I_, as if they were but so many Minutes, and according to you, the World must be much more ancient than it is. I make use of a definite Term, _said he_, to denote an indefinite Number; there"s no Necessity for being so very strict. Be the World ancient or not, that does not alter the Nature of Things; "tis certain that we believe it to have subsisted, Time out of mind, which we cannot express either by Words or Figures. You are not the only People, _I reply"d_, that have been deceiv"d in this Matter. The _Chinese_ have Chronologies for above 40000 Years, and the _aegyptians_ carry theirs at least as far back. That ancient Philosopher, _Plato_, introduces an _aegyptian_ Priest, who, in a Discourse with _Solon_, tells him that "twas 9000 Years since _Minerva_ built _Sais_. _Diodorus_ reckons 23000 Years from _Osiris_ and _Isis_, to the time of _Alexander the Great_. _Laertius_ speaks of a Term of 49000 Years, during which they had calculated all the Eclipses. They pretended, according to a Remark by St. _Austin_, to have observ"d the Stars for 100000 Years; and by the Report of _Cicero_, they had done it for 570000 Years. But all this is advanced without any Foundation, and from a Principle of Vanity to challenge a Superiority over the other Nations of the Earth.
As for us, we adhere to _Moses_"s Account, who a.s.sures us that the World has not subsisted above 6000 Years. And really, if we give our selves the trouble to reflect: upon this Matter ever so little, there is no room to question the Truth of his a.s.sertion.
One undeniable Proof that the World is not very ancient, is that we have no Histories which go above 4000 Years back. The Arts are also very modern. We don"t find that above 500 Years ago they had any Knowledge of the Mariner"s Compa.s.s, of the printing of Books, of Gunpowder, Fire-Arms, Perspectives, Microscopes, and other fine Inventions. "Tis certain likewise that the Use of Money was unknown to the ancient Writers. Clocks, Watches, Gla.s.s, Paper, temper"d Steel, and abundance of other things, are of a very modern Date. I infer therefore, that in this, as well as in other Matters, "tis absolutely necessary to be guided by the Word of G.o.d.
I told you before, said the Priest, that none of us pretends to determine the Age of the World. We are persuaded that it had a Beginning, but we know not when, and all that I can say is, that it was a vast while ago. The first Man has not remark"d it, nor have we any thing like a Register of the Time; all that we know of it is by Tradition. Most of the Arts that you have now mention"d are unknown to us, and yet for all this, our Part of the World is as old as yours: We may be here a Million of Years without knowing them, because we have no need of them, and "tis not impossible but others may do without them a long time, as well as we. Necessity, or the like Causes, have been the Mother of Inventions within 100 Years, which were unthought of before in as many Ages. But all this is not conclusive. What I know is, that from Father to Son we always hand it down, that the Years which we have continu"d are not to be number"d: And it is certain, that notwithstanding the vast Quant.i.ty Of Wood which we burn, the Mountains of Coal which we have already levell"d are so considerable, that if we were to compute them, this alone would be sufficient to confirm us in our Opinions. But the most remarkable thing of all is that about 7000 Years ago, as the Men were digging in one of those Mountains, they found within 30 Foot of the Top, a double Hook of Iron of above 1500 Weight, which we still keep, and which the Foreigners that have been here from time to time, affirm is one of those Instruments that are us"d at Sea to stop great Ships; from whence one would think that the Ocean was in possession of this fine Country before us, and that perhaps our highest Mountains only serv"d then to break its Billows.
Besides this, who knows but those Arts, of which you pretend to the Invention, were not known to your Predecessors? I plainly observe here that the Sciences are upon the Decay. My Great Grandfather was much better skill"d than my Father in Astronomy: I know even less of it than both; and by what I learn from them, the Knowledge they had of it was very obscure in comparison of what their Ancestors knew. "Tis the very same in all other Families. There are Sciences which are cultivated at certain times, in complaisance to the Mode that then prevails, but are intirely neglected at others; and "tis possible they may be so far bury"d in Oblivion, that those who are born afterwards, seeing no Trace of them, imagine when they come to the Exercise of "em, that they are the first Inventors.
That may be, I reply"d, in your Country, where you have no Communication with other Parts of the World; but with us, if the Sciences decay in one Place by Wars and Conflagrations, or by the Indolence and Indifference of some People, of which we have several Instances, yet they are advanc"d else where to a higher Degree of Perfection thro" the Diligence of others; and I question whether any considerable Part of former Inventions is lost; whereas on the contrary, every Day produces some Discovery or other that is curious and advantageous to Society.
I would have explain"d to him that which he thought a Contradiction in _Genesis_, with regard to the Luminaries, and to Light; and have shewn how far he was mistaken concerning the Resurrection; but he laugh"d at me, and all my Arguments: Indeed he was for admitting the Omnipotence of G.o.d, but then in this Case he did not think it necessary. For why, said he, should there be a Resurrection after this Life? What Necessity for exterminating the Race of Man, to bring them to Life again hereafter? If Christ was G.o.d, could not he have exempted Man from that Death, as well as from the other? And besides, if we were all to be living at one time, which way should we subsist? There would not be Provision enough for a Breakfast thro" the whole Country. But, said I, our Bodies will be of another Nature; we shall neither eat, nor drink, nor be subject: to any natural Infirmity; and moreover, G.o.d will translate us into the Heaven of Heavens, where we shall be fill"d with his Glory.
What! are you to be mounted above the Sky? Pray, Friend, what Notion have you then, continued he, of Heaven? As for our parts, we believe that the Air we breathe is infinitely more gross than that which is above, and that the higher we are from the Earth, Matter is more subtil. This being so, the Heaven of the Blessed must be like a Vacuum, in comparison with the lower Heavens, as to the Matter which fills it. Farewell then to the Lungs, because there will be no more Breathing; farewell to the Use of the Larynx for Speech; farewell to the Intestines, and in a Word, to the whole Body, which the Blood, for want of being cool"d, will throw into a burning Fever that will soon consume it. But suppose that all this be retain"d as a very useless Load, what is it to rest upon? What is it will sustain such material heavy Bodies?
They will be sustain"d, said I, by the Almighty Power of G.o.d. I am weary to hear you talk so much, reply"d he, of the Power of G.o.d. I plainly perceive that you practise the very same thing in your Religion, that we observe in our Mysteries of Nature; when we are at a Loss to give a Reason for a Thing, we say that "tis the Effect of some latent Power. I say it again, I make no manner of question of G.o.d"s Power; but I don"t see the Necessity of inventing Chimeras in order to have recourse to it. If yours indeed were a Paradise of Pleasures, well and good; but a Place intirely devoid of every thing, where the Body shall absolutely enjoy no Pleasure, where there shall be no Object to affect the Senses, no Odours to please the Sense of Smelling, no Viands to stimulate the Palate, no Instrument of Music to tickle the Ear, nothing to divert the Eye; surely this is miraculous. Certainly you must be extremely sensual, because notwithstanding the Eternity you attribute to your Souls, which you believe to be capable of subsisting independently from the Body, you choose rather to embarras the Soul again, and to clog it with a terrible Weight, which, by the way, according to you, is to have no Basis to rest on, rather than leave it at full Scope, and abandon this Lump of Flesh to that Corruption from which it cannot possibly be exempt.
"Tis not the Soul alone, I reply"d, that does Good or Evil. The Body and the Mind both contribute to it, and they must equally partake of the Rewards or the Punishments which the Sovereign Judge of the World shall think them worthy of. All this, said he, is not enough to convince me. Our Bodies are every Moment changing, and no Man ever liv"d to Twenty-five Years of Age, that retain"d any one thing that he brought into the World. The Blood, Flesh, Skin, Nerves, and Bones, are continually diminishing on one hand, and increasing on the other, and the whole Machine is every now and then renew"d. Our Inclinations vary also according to our Age and Const.i.tution; for we are often great Deboshees at Thirty Years of Age, and at Sixty extremely devout and retired.
With which of these two Bodies, pray, are we to rise again? With the old decrepid and weak Body which has liv"d perfectly well, and whose Actions have been exemplary to the Youth and edifying to those advanced in Years? Or are we to rise again with that juvenile, straight, vigorous, handsome Body, which deserv"d twenty times to be doom"d to the Mines? You see plainly that take it which way you will, "tis extremely perplexing, and that "tis pretty evident that whoever was the Author of this Opinion, he did not foresee all those Inconveniences. If I were for the Resurrection, t"would be a Matter of Indifference to me what Parts the Body was to be composed of when it rose again, for "tis the same thing to the Soul; and I should lay it down for a certain Maxim, That would be the Condition, and not the Place, that was to make us happy; but all these things are meer Trifles, unworthy of a Man of Sense.
But I must own to you, he added, that tho" I don"t comprehend what you mean by a Soul, by a Spiritual Substance dest.i.tute of all Matter, or by a Spirit properly const.i.tuted by Thought, and yet confin"d in a Body, where its Powers are limited to prompt or make him to act according to its Will, and in a Body too which "tis not oblig"d at all to for its Existence, yet as the Idea you form of it is agreeable, in that it gives you hopes of another Life, I am not surpris"d that there are People who acquiesce in your Opinion. They are undoubtedly of the common Cla.s.s of Understandings, yet nevertheless they are happy; for Felicity, generally speaking, consists meerly in the Imagination. They who are full of this Opinion, that Death is but a Pa.s.sage to a Life of Glory, cannot be so loth to leave the World as others (especially where they are so wedded to that Opinion, as I observe they are in your Parts) and must have some Taste beforehand of that pretended Eternal Felicity. So that whether it be true, or not, the Thing is all one to them, neither more nor less than my Satisfaction would be, supposing I have 10000 _Kal?_ in my Coffer, which I shall never want, and which I firmly believe to be of the best Metal that is dug out of our Mines, tho" they are all the while but Iron.
My Comrade, who was a religious Man, was enrag"d to hear this Pagan call in question the Mysteries of a Worship founded upon the pure Word of G.o.d; he gave me to understand several times, that he could hardly contain himself, and that he wanted at least to reprove him by plain Pa.s.sages out of holy Scripture. But I always dissuaded him from it, because the other deny"d that they were divine Writings, and as he also pretended they were but a Medley of very ill-concerted Fictions, it would have disgusted him to have talk"d any more to him about it.
I told them, however, with a real Design to alarm them, that I was not only persuaded of an eternal State of Happiness for those who did good Works, and had Faith, but that there were also Torments and a h.e.l.l prepar"d for the Wicked and Unbelievers, and that every one would infallibly be dealt with according to the Good or Evil that he had done in this Life.
What you have already said, reply"d the Priest, tends to as much; but this is an Error as gross as the former; for besides that "tis making G.o.d the most cruel of all Beings, to have created Man in order to d.a.m.n him everlastingly, on pretence that he infring"d one of his Commands, and a Command too which was only that he should not eat an Apple, the very Thought of which really makes me shrink with Horror; I deny that any body is capable of doing Good or Evil, with respect to G.o.d; and I ask you seriously, whether you your self believe it? Undoubtedly, I do, said I; and methinks it is so clear, that one cannot question it without shocking common Sense.
What, said I, are not Wh.o.r.edom, Murder, Theft, and Blasphemy, Crimes of Offence against the Majesty of the Almighty? Not at all, reply"d the Priest; for in the first Place, if Wh.o.r.edom was a Sin, G.o.d himself would be the Author of it, and, what is worse, of Incest it self, because, according to you and your great _Moses_, as there were at first but one Man and one Woman, their Descendants must have committed several Acts of Incest before there were Persons enough living for them to avoid it: And as to the pretended Necessity of it at that time, I can"t bear to hear it, for G.o.d could as easily have created a hundred Persons, as only one. We are all Children of the first Man. There are Degrees of Consanguinity among us, but in the Sight of G.o.d "tis not so.
Women and Goods were in common at first, as Air and Water are now. But Men, who seem to have been form"d for Society, observing the Disorder which this occasion"d, thought it proper that every Father of a Family should have one or more Women, a certain Extent of Ground, and a particular Number of Cattle, at his sole Disposal. They were also oblig"d afterwards by common Consent, to make Laws imposing Penalties on those who did not observe them.
So that if any body is offended by the Transgression of those Laws, "tis properly the Society, or the Heads that represent it, and not at all the universal Spirit, who can by no means be offended by any Person. The same thing may be said of Robbery and Murder, whereby, properly speaking, no Hurt is done to any Being but to the Person whose Life or Property is taken away. And as to Blasphemy, tho" we punish it more severely than other Crimes, "tis not because we think that G.o.d is offended at it; not at all; it would be a Weakness in him, if he were capable of it; but "tis because we cannot tolerate Ingrat.i.tude, of which the blackest Instance that Man can be guilty of, is to affront or not to pay due Respect to him who is the Author of his Being, and of all the Benefits he is capable of receiving; besides, that it sets an ill Example to Children and Inferiors, with regard to their Parents and Matters.
As much as I dislik"d this Discourse, I was willing to hear him out; but upon his stopping I reply"d: You yourself acknowledge that Men seem to have been form"d for Society; and from hence I argue, that G.o.d, who form"d them for this Purpose, must will and intend, that they should avoid all those Actions which introduce Disorder and Confusion in Society, as you allow Wh.o.r.edom, Murder, Theft, _&c._ to do. Does it not follow then, that G.o.d must be offended by these Actions which are so directly contrary to his Will and Intention? Give me a Reason why the Society, or Heads that represent it, should be offended by such Crimes, which will not hold as strongly for G.o.d"s being so? Is it because their Will, express"d by their Laws, is offended and transgress"d? And is not the Will of G.o.d, express"d plainly in his forming us for Society, equally offended and transgress"d? When we speak of G.o.d"s being offended or angry, we do not mean that he suffers what Men suffer on those Occasions: Anger is call"d a Pa.s.sion, and it would be a Weakness in G.o.d (as you say) if that could be properly apply"d to him: but when we speak of him as angry or offended by our Actions, we consider his Disposition of Mind, on such Occasions, only with regard to the Effects of it towards us: we mean to signify not what he feels inwardly, but what we may expect to feel as the Punishment of our Crimes. Upon these and other Considerations, I, for my part, am firmly persuaded, that G.o.d may and must be offended by such Actions as you just now instanced in.
Do you believe, continued I, that G.o.d, who is a G.o.d of Order, and hates Confusion, has prescrib"d Rules to Man, and given him Laws, by which he is oblig"d to conduct himself and regulate his Actions? No, said he, in the Sense that you take it, I don"t believe it, nor was it necessary, because he gave him Will and Understanding whereby to conduct himself, as you see we do. As there, is no Pride, Vanity, Jealousy or Desire, of Dominion in the Beasts, so G.o.d has not made them subject to any Civil Laws, nor would there have been any greater Need of such for rational Creatures, than there is for the Brutes, only as soon as some endeavour"d to impose upon the Weakness or Good-nature of others, there was a Necessity of inventing Punishments for those who transgress"d certain Rules, and these Rules were multiply"d as fall as the unbridled Licentiousness of some turbulent Spirits gave occasion for them.