354 NORTHERN MEMOIRS. 



that invite to exercise and contemplation : whilst 

 the shady forest, and solitary groves advance our 

 speculation to the suburbs of Paradise ; where 

 all the trees stand in such a beautiful order (to 

 admiration) and divinely drest by the royal hand 

 of him that made this stupendous creation, de- 

 notes mortals immortal, and time eternal : which 

 true felicity no man attains to, by the study of 

 morals only, and the beauty of the creation, but 

 a crucified Saviour, and the piety of Christiani- 

 ty ; and then I know not but the streams of 

 Damascus may as effectually cleanse as the pool 

 of Bethesda. 



Theoph. Your discourse seems too intricate, 

 and ambiguous for the vulgar. 



Am. Not at all, for it neither violates huma- 

 nity, nor opposes the piety of Christianity ; it 

 only points to those destitute of devotion, that 

 would, if possible, enervate the mystical ray of 

 discovery, assassinate piety, and silence the ora- 

 cles of truth, to strike truth dumb ; so bury 

 and entomb it in the sepulchre of oblivion. But 

 truth's bright and illustrious star will convince 

 the world of the truth of this hypothesis, that 

 neither envy nor emulation (nor studied art in 

 opposition to truth) though fomented by the 

 sons of Zoilus, shall never darken it so, as to- 

 tally to deface it, but will shine forth a light to 

 discover their shame, with the vice of the times, 



