Recapitulation.

The foregoing search into the nature and action of those posthumous expectations which unassisted natural religion furnishes, has evinced, I trust conclusively: 1. That in the absence of any authorized directive rule, the class of actions which our best founded inference would suggest as entitling the performer to post-obituary reward, is one not merely useless, but strikingly detrimental, to mankind in the present life; while the class conceived as meriting future page 62 punishment, is one always innocuous, often beneficial, to our fellow creatures on earth. 2. That from the character and properties of posthumous inducements, they infallibly become impotent for the purpose of resisting any temptation whatever, and efficient only in the production of needless and unprofitable misery. 3. That the influence exercised by these inducements is, in most cases, really derived from the popular sanction, which they are enabled to bias and enlist in their favour.

If these conclusions are correct, I think it cannot be denied, that the influence possessed by natural religion over human conduct is, with reference to the present life, injurious to an extent incalculably greater than it is beneficial. For if it ever does produce benefit, this must be owing to casual and peculiar associations in the minds of some few believers, who form an exception to the larger body. It is by no means my design to question the existence of some persons thus happily born or endowed. But it would be most unsafe and perilous to build our general doctrine on a few such instances of rare merit. We can only determine the general operation of these inducements, or the effect which they produce on the greatest number of minds, by analyzing their nature and properties, and by contemplating the result which these properties bring about in other known cases. This is what has been here attempted, and the inquiry has demonstrated that the agency of superhuman motives must in the larger aggregate of instances, produce effects decidedly pernicious to earthly happiness.

Having thus ascertained that the general influence of unaided natural religion is mischievous, with reference to the present life, I shall now proceed to expose the mischief more in detail,—to particularize and classify its various forms.