ACCOUNT OF BOOKS. 
bably carried him beyond his natu- 
rai Bent ; but he became a fellow- 
jabourer with the heads of the con- 
ftituent affembly, who, under a fha- 
dow of monarchy, called in the 
mob, whom they acknowledged 
the fole. fovereign; and enforced 
the fuccefs of their revoiviion ‘by 
calumny, terror, and partial mur- 
ders, by the demolition of proper- 
ty, and the confifeation of church- 
Aands. At laft, with every other 
chief of that faction who faved not 
himielf by timely flight, Mr. Bailly 
fella vidiim to more atrocious vil. 
lains who had made wfe of thefe as 
tools, and to the ungovernable fury 
of that populace whofe bloody reign 
they had eftablithed, in order to puil 
down regal authority, arid level with 
the duft the religion and morality of 
their country. Many were, no 
doubt, furprifed to hear of Pagan 
feftivals and rites inftituted by the 
convention, in honour of the fup- 
pofed goddefs of Nature, reprefent- 
ed bya female; but the furprife 
will ceafe when they are informed 
that thefe rites were, thirty years 
ago, fecretly practifed by a fociety 
of philofophers, to whom ‘France 
owes what they have been pleafed 
to ftyle its regeneration. 
“ Warned by the fatal effects thete 
feducers have produced in one great 
kingdom, it is to be hoped that 
thofe who fhall hereafter afpire to 
the refpectable name of Philofo- 
hers, will henceforth abjure thefe 
infidious attacks on the principles 
* of religion ; and that governments 
will be cautious how they counte- 
nance or patronize thofe who fhrall 
thus aim to poifon the trueft fource 
of public and private happinefs. 
‘Without religion, that virtue which 
fophifts with to ifolate from it, is‘a 
mere abftract idea, which ‘has nei- 
489 
‘ther bafe nor real end: without it, 
no curb on vice remains, either 
over fovereigns, or over the head- 
ftrong multitude.. Wifdom itfelf, 
without it, is only egotifm weil un- 
derftood; and for the underftanding 
of it the paflions are the judges. 
Religion will ever be the fole folid 
fupport and ftrength of laws and 
public order; counterpoife ‘to the 
inevitable inequalities amongft men, 
confolation of the poor and weak ; 
it can alore dignify poverty, and. 
fubdue the pride of riches and of 
grandeur. Ever ready to pour its 
healing balm on the wounds of the 
body or of the mind, it is the fureft 
folace of the afflicted, and the laft 
refuge of the culpable. In vain 
would fophifts feek to fap founda- 
tions rooted in the very inmoft re- 
cefles of human natufe; the inti- 
mate fenfe of every rian of recti- 
tude, and the heart of every man 
of fenfibility, will, at times at leaft, 
triumph over their acuteft reafon- 
ings. 
“ Fulminate, ye philofophers (we 
will applaud you) religious perfe- 
cution and reftraint of confciences ; 
with you true religion reprobates 
them. If every predominant fect 
of Chriftians has at fome period in- 
voked their -aid, either under the 
pretext of danger to the ftate, or on 
the {pecious pretence of guarding 
from corruption the weaker part of 
the flock, none has dared to ap- 
prove them in direct terms, becaufe 
they are clearly repugnant to the 
fpirit and dottrines of their divine 
legiflator. As the judicious Dr. Pa- 
ley obferves, the erroneous judg- 
ments of intemperate zeal, almoft 
ever originating in human paffions, 
have too often produced intolerance 
and perfecution, nowife chargeable 
on Chriftianity ; but the unbeliev- 
ing 
