1797] 
be lawful to propagate error? Judging 
from the genuine principles of reétirude 
in which they have been infruéted, and 
glowing with that hone love of truth, 
which is fo natural to the uncorrupted 
mind, 
—— incoftum genersfo petlus honefto, 
they ftart back with a kind of inftinétive 
horror from every appcarance of deccit, 
and afk, with indignant emotion, Can 
virtue hold alliance with falfehood ? Can 
good come out of evil? 
On the other fide, the fact is indif- 
putable, that many perfons, 1a other 
refpects eminently diftinguifhed for wif- 
dom and virtue, have not f{crupled to 
bend their ordinary language into the 
track of current opinions, and to con- 
form to practices, which they have little 
hefitation in acknowledging to have ori- 
ginated in error. Who has not heard of 
the diftinétion which almoft univerfally 
_ prevailed among the wife men of the 
‘ancient world, between their ¢fteric and 
a 
their exoteric dottrine ? the former con- 
fitting of the pure refult of their mot 
fubtle {peculations, which were induf- 
trioufly kept from the public ear; the 
latter,-of the ordinary precepts of mo- 
rality, mingled with the dogmas and 
tales of a fabulous theology, and the in- 
ftitutes of vulgar fuperftition. Many of 
thofe who have been celebrated, not only 
for purity of moral doétrine, but for their 
pertonal virtues, appear to have thought 
the propagation of error perfeétly right 
and juftifiable, as the only means of im- 
pofing neceffary reftraint upon the minds 
of the multitude. 
It is on this fuppofition alone, that we 
€an account for the general countenance 
which ancient philofophers, who were, 
certainly, not infenfble of the abfurdity 
of the Pagan mythology, gave to fuper- 
ftitious rites and ceremonies, which had 
no other foundation than thefe fables. 
Even the wife and excellent Socrates, 
who taught fo pure and rational a doc- 
trine concerning the Supreme Being, 
laid it down as a maxim, that a wife 
man will worfhip the gods according to 
the inftitutions of the ftate to which he 
belongs; and he adhered to this maxim 
to the lateft hour of his life, whea he 
requeied his friend, Crito, not to neglect 
the offering of a cock, which he had 
vowed, to Efculapius. Pythagoras, con- 
cerning whom, if any thing be certain, 
it is, tnat he was, both in his doétrine 
and prattice, a friend to good morals, 
did not {cruple, in order to give his doce 
Montruty Mac. No. XIV. 
Lhe Enquirer. No. XL 
107 
trine the more powerful fway over the 
multitude, to encourage fuperftitious cre 
dulity, by pretending to fupernatural 
powers. Elis precepts were delivered to 
the people as from the oracle of Apollo ; 
and, on feveral occafions, he profefled 
to perform miracles. The enlightened 
Cicero, who fo completely faw through 
the impofitions which were practifed 
upon the Roman people, as to fay, that 
he wondered how the baru/pices, when 
they looked each other in the face, could 
refrain from laughing ; neverthelefs, did 
not {cruple to lend his affiftance towards 
carrying on the deception. 
Even the facred {chool of Chriftianity 
has furnifhed abundant examples of er- 
ror, defignedly countenanced and propa- 
gated by great and good men. Falfe 
miracles have, through along courfe of 
ages, been exhibited on the ecclefiaftical 
théatre, by Chriftian priefts: and froma 
curious narrative, lately publithed*, it 
appears that they are not yet wholly out 
of vggue. The laity are ftill, in various 
Chriftian churches, both Romith and Pro- 
teftant, taught to embrace tenets, and to 
practife ceremonies, which candour, with 
its utmoft effort, cannot fuppofe to be uni- 
verfally believed and reverenced by the 
clergy. Difcourfes are written, and lec- 
tures are read, toapologize forfubfcription 
to articles of faith, whichare not through 
out, aod in their obvious fenfe, believed. 
Church benefices are retained by men of 
amiable manners, and, in other refpeéts, 
of ftriét probity, who, neverthelefs, do 
not feruple to difavow their belief in 
many parts of the formularies to which 
they have folemn!y declared their affent, 
and thus, inconfiftently enough, fupport 
with one hand that fyftem of error, 
‘real or fuppofed, which they pull down 
with the other. Bifhop Hoadley preach- 
ed a fermon againft church authority, 
which put the whole nation in a ferment, 
and yet continued in his fee. Dr.Clarke 
wrote againft the doétrine of theTrinity, 
and ‘yet continued to read the Litany. 
Dr. Blackburne wrote The Confeffional, 
and yet kept the preferment which he 
held by fub{cription to the Thirty-nine 
Articles. . 
If great and good men have thus con- 
tributed to the ‘upport and propagation 
of error, it muft have been their ferious 
opinion, that there are cafes in which 
error ought to be.fupported and propa- 
gated. An exonlicit dicloration of rhe 
* See Mr. Berrington’s Examination of 
Events termed Miraculons, ang reported in Let~ 
-ters trom Italy, ‘ 
* 
- reafons 
——<—<— ee 
