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Preface.

The following pages present a temperate, and I hope a satisfactory, examination of the temporal good or evil produced by Natural Religion. The topic is of unspeakable importance, and has by no means met with the attention which it deserves. It has indeed scarcely ever been separately considered, and those who have controverted the truth of religion have suffered themselves with but little opposition to be decried as inflicting the deepest injury upon humanity—as corrupting the most effectual source both of rectitude and of consolation—and as robbing mankind of doctrines, which, supposing they were false, ought nevertheless to have been invented and inculcated. Such has been the current opinion on the subject: and it need not be remarked how strong must have been the inclination of an audience so prepossessed, to support that which they regarded as the firmest tie and protection of society.

It is therefore essentially requisite, before the question as to the truth of religion can be brought to a fair and unbiassed decision, to estimate correctly the advantages or disadvantages which result from its adoption. If the estimate of these advantages drawn up by its advocates be really well-founded, we may safely pronounce that no anti-religious writer could possibly make a convert, even though he were armed with demonstration as rigorous as that of Euclid.

Should the following reasonings be deemed conclusive, a clear idea may be formed of the temporal gain or loss accruing from the agency of Natural Religion. Whether the doctrines which this term involves be true or false, is a point on which I do not intend to touch: nor is the question of any import, so far as regards the present discussion. Though these doctrines were false, yet many religionists allege that it would be salutary to deceive mankind into a belief of their truth: And conversely, others might with equal right maintain, that although they were true, it might page 6 perhaps still be pernicious, so far as regards the present life, to receive them as true.

Under the term Natural Religion, I include all religious belief not specially determined and settled by some revelation (or reputed revelation) from the Being to whom the belief relates. The good or bad temporal tendency of any particular alleged revelation, can of course only be ascertained by an inspection of the books in which it is contained, and must therefore form a separate inquiry. To any such inquiry however, the present discussion is an essential preliminary. For if it be discovered that Religion, unassisted by revelation, is the foe and not the benefactor of mankind, we can then ascertain whether the good effects engrafted upon her by any alleged revelation, are sufficient to neutralize the bitterness of her natural fruits. Nor is it possible to measure the benefit or injury derived from Revealed Religion, without first determining the effects of Religion herself without any revelation.

Divines have on many occasions admitted and enlarged upon the defects and bad tendency of Natural Religion. Hence, they infer, the necessity of a revelation. Whoever contends that a revelation was a present highly necessary, and a most signal instance of the benevolence of God, must also contend that the pre-existing religion was, to say the least, productive of a very slender portion of good. And if our present inquiry should demonstrate that Natural Religion has produced a large balance of temporal evil above temporal good, this will evince still more forcibly the necessity of a revelation such as to purge and counteract its bad effects.

To obviate all misconceptions, I wish to declare beforehand, that whenever the general term religion is used in the following treatise I mean it to denote mere Natural Religion, apart from revelation. If I do not constantly annex the qualifying epithet natural, it is from a wish to avoid needless repetition of that which may be indicated once for all in the beginning. In the same manner I wish it to be understood, that whenever the terms, sacerdotal class, or any synonymous phrases, are employed, it is only the ministers of Natural Religion who are designated.