STUDY 111. 14^ 



" What, after all, is this virtue, about which 

 ** fuch parade is made ? A combination of his im- 

 "beciliry; a refult of his temperament. With 

 *' what illufions is flie fed ? Abfurd opinions, 

 *' founded merely on the fophifms of defigning 

 ** men, who have acquired a fupreme power by 

 " recommending humility, and immenfe riches 

 *' by preaching up poverty. Every thing expires 

 " with us. From experience of the paft, let us 

 *' form a judgment of the future; we were no- 

 " thing before our birth ; we fhall be nothing after 

 *' death. The hope of our virtues is a mere hu- 

 " man invention, and the inftinâ: of our paffions 

 *' is of divine inftitution. 



" But there is no GOD *. If there were, He 

 " would be unjuft. What being, of unlimited 

 " power and goodnefs, would have expofed, to fo 

 " many ills, the exillence of his creatures j and 

 " laid it down as a law, that the life of fome could 

 " be fupported only by the death of others ? So 

 ** much diforder is a proof that there is no GOD. 

 " It is fear that formed him. How muft the 

 *' World have been aftoniflied at fuch a metaphy- 

 " fical idea, when Man firfb, under the influence 

 '* of terror, thought proper to cry out, that there 



* The reply is in Study VIII. ' 

 VOL. I. L ** was 



