THE AUTHOR's PREFACE. T HE Third Letter, written from the Mountain, contains some very dangerous Paradoxes. They raise Doubts refpecting the Gofpel Miracles, which feem to obfcure the Gospel itself, and of which Infidels will not be wanting to avail themselves; fond of refting their Conduct upon the Sanction and Name of Mr. Rouffeau. Deplorable Effect of a System, whereof he, poffibly, did not foresee the Confequences! In this Letter he attempts its Apology; and in this very Apology condemns it. By endeavouring to prove that his EMILIUS no way attacks the Faith, Does he not unfettle the Faith itself, and use Efforts to pluck from it one of its firmest Foundations?. I wished I wished to offer a Preservative against a Book which its Author's Fame and Eloquence rendered still more dangerous. This Defire gave Birth to the prefent Work: Religion is its only Subject; it has alone. engaged my Attention. I have avoided the juft Complaints of another Kind, which the Book authorized me to prefer; esteeming it incumbent upon me to abftain from all Recrimination, and to guard against what might perhaps have been termed Party-spi rit; I have therefore anfwered this third Letter, as if the others had no Existence. Need I fear that the Moderation which it became me to preserve should be difapproved? Can one be too referved in judgeing of a Writer's fecret Intentions? and especially in attributing to him Confequences which he difavows? If Mr. Rouffeau errs as a Chriftian, I ought to enlighten him, if I can; if not, to bear with, and pity him. I know there are many Perfons who fee nothing more in this Author's System, than Natural Religion in Disguise; if this Judgment is too rigid, it is at least excufeable. We might easily rank Mr. Rouleau in the Class of thofe Deifts, who, under a Pre tence tence of fimplifying Religion, immediately fap its Foundations. One has reduced all Christianity to Moral Precepts; another† has contested the Poffibility of Miracles; a third has endeavoured to turn them into Allegory. Mr. Rouffeau takes a different Method; he neither admits nor rejects them he denies that our Lord employed them as a Proof of his Miffion: he accumulates Difficulties against this Kind of Proof; nay, fometimes he makes use of RAILLERY, that favourite Weapon of the Infidels! Need we, after this, be furprized that many Readers, perfuaded that the Miracles are a Proof effential to Chriftianity, prefume that to give up this Bulwark, is to abandon the main Body to the Enemy? Let us, however, fufpend our Judgement. If we find it difficult to reconcile fuch Doubts with a Persuasion of the Divinity of the Gospel, yet as Mr. Rouffeau has declared himself a Christian, let us not reject his Confeffion; it would be more becoming and confiftent to tax him with Difingenuity. I have followed the Order of his Ideas, without confining myself strictly to them: * Tindal. + Spinofa. + Woolfon. I thought I thought it proper to fet out at firft with fome general Principles upon the Nature of Miracle: What follows is hardly any thing more than the Application. I have made it a Rule always to quote Mr. Rouffeau's own Words, that I may neither weaken his Objections, nor omit any of them. This has made the Work a little longer; but every one knows that it requires more Time to answer an Objection, than to start it. As to the Style, I have studied Ornament lefs than Perfpicuity. The Nature of the Subject did not require Ornament; the Point was, not to dazzle, but to give Light; not to amuse, but to convince. The Solidity of the Reasoning is the only Merit to which I need pretend; happy if my Endeavours shall be useful to my Fellow-Citizens, and to all who love the Truth; and shall inviolably attach them to that holy Religion, upon which the Deity has so strongly impreffed his Seal; which is the fairest Prefent Heaven has made to Earth, and without which the Knowledge of true Happiness is still a Problem to Mankind! TABLE |