150 ANTIENT M ETx\PH YS ICS. Book III. 



ing Is, that a man muft have the ufe of intcUeft, not the capacity 

 merely, which Vvas all that man had, as I have fhown, in his natu- 

 ral ftate : And, ttierefore, I fay, that a man fuch as the Orang Ou- 

 tang, not having the ufe of intelled, cannot be a Chriftian ; and I 

 further fay, that a man not only mud have the ufe of intelled in 

 the common afTairs of life, but he mud have cultivated it to a certain 

 degree, olherwife he cannot "be capable of receiving fo fublime a 

 religion, and which is truly divine. And it is for that reafon that the 

 favages I have mentioned, fuch as the Greenlanders and the people 

 of Guinea, though they lived in civil fociety, and confequently 

 mufl; have had the ufe of intelledl to a certain degree, could not be 

 converted to the Chriftian religion by the labours of the mifTionarics 

 among them. But, as I have faid in this volume '*, if a man have 

 improved his intelled to a certain degree, and believe that Jefus 

 Chrift was the fon of God, and that he came to this world and took 

 upon him the human form in order to fave man from his fallen 

 date, he is a Chriftian, at leaft in his faith ; and alfo in pradtice, if 

 he obey the precepts of the gofpel. 



The Chriftian religion is not only of the greateft benefit to men,, 

 while they are young and in health, by enabling them to fupport 

 misfortunes and afflictions, from the hopes of being happier in a fu- 

 ture life ; but, when they become old, and are approaching to their 

 end it is the only confolation they can have, and the only thing 

 that can make them die with any eafe or comfort ; for in this world 

 they can then have no comfort. But if they have lived as they ought to 

 have done, they will have the profpedl of being happier in the next 

 life than they covdd be in this with all the enjoyments that youth 

 and wcahh and all the gifts of fortune could furniih them ; and this 

 will make a true Chriftian not only die even a painful death with 

 comfort, if he has lived as he ought to have done, but wifli to die 



whea. 

 *■ P' 53- 



