Chap. VI. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 38^ 



in this, or the next world, whatever the cafe of a few philofophe-rs, 

 among them, might have been. A better popular religion, therefore, 

 was of abfolute neceffity for the happinefs of man. Although the popu- 

 lar religion of Egypt, which had come iirft to Greece, and trom thence 

 to the other nations of Europe, ftill continued to be the rehgion of the 

 people of thefe nations, I am perfuaded, however, that the opinions 

 of the philofophers muft have been known to many of them, though 

 they did not apply themi'elves particularly to philofophy, and muit 

 have had an influence upon their minds, fo as to difpofe them to re- 

 ceive a better religion. 



In this ftate was religion when our Saviour appeared on this earth. 

 While men were in the ftate of nature, and wandering about foli- 

 tary, and even when they were aflbciated in herds, they could not, 

 as I have (hown*, have the idea of a God ; nor even in the firft 

 ages of civility could they form any proper idea of the Supreme 

 Being: So that when we find a nation in that fituation, having any 

 inch idea of God, we fhould conclude that it got the idea from Ibme 

 more civilifed nation, with which it had an intercourfe. Such was the 

 cafe of the nations of North Anierica, and of the people of Guiana in 

 South America f. But when arts and fciences had made fome pro- 

 grefs among men, their underftanding was thereby fo much improv- 

 ed, that they formed the idea of beings exifting fuperior to them- 

 felves. But their notions of fuch beings were, as I have fhown, very 

 grofs, and they made them, as was natural, very like to themfelves±. 

 But when they had made farther progrefs in arts and fciences, and 

 had afcended to philofophy, and even to the higheft part of it, the- 

 ology, not only the philofophers would be difpofed to embrace a 

 better religion, but even the vulgar, from what they muft have 

 heard of the opinions ,of the learned among them, would liften to 



Vol. IV. 3 c the 



* See p. 367. of tnis Vol. 

 t Ibid. p. 368. % Page 384. 



