make man only a higher kind of brute, and LETTER blames those who fuppofe that the foul of man was made to contemplate God, yet at other times finds himself obliged to acknowlege, that man was principally defigned and formed for religion. Thus in the fpecimen he gives of a meditation or foliloquy of a devout Theift, he talks of "feeling the fuperiority of his fpecies;" and adds, " I should rouze in myself a grateful "fense of these advantages above all others, "that I am a creature capable of knowing, of

adoring, and worshipping my Creator, capa "ble of difcovering his will in the law of my nature, and capable of promoting my happiness by obeying it *." And in another paffage, after inveighing, as is usual with him, against the pride and vanity of philofophers and divines in exalting man, and flattering the pride of the human heart, he thinks fit to acknowlege, That man is a religious as well as "focial creature, made to know and adore his "Creator, to difcover and to obey his will. "That greater powers of reason, and means of "improvement, have been measured out to us " than to other animals, that we might be able to fulfil the fuperior purposes of our deftina"tion, whereof religionis undoubtedly the chief. and that in thefe the elevation and pre" eminence of our fpecies over the inferior ani"mals confifts-t." I think it plainly followeth

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* Lord Bolingbroke's works, Vol. V. p. 390, 391. See also to the fame purpose, ib. p. 340. + Ib. p. 470. VOL. III.

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from

LETTER from what Lord Bolingbroke hath here obferved, I. and which seems to be perfectly just and reason

able, that they who live in an habitual neglect of religion, are chargeable with neglecting the chief purpose of their being, and that in which the true glory and pre-eminence of the human nature doth principally confift: and that confequently they are guilty of a very criminal conduct, and which they can by no means approve to the great Author of their exiftence, who gave them their noble powers, and to whom as the wife and righteous Governor of the world they must be accountable for their conduct.

I have been carried farther in my obfervations on this fubject than I intended; but if this may be looked upon as a digreffion, I hope it will not be thought unfuitable to the main defign I have in view.

I am, Sir, &c.

LETTER

LETTER II.

Unfair management in the French Tranflation of Mr. Collins's discourse of Free-thinking. Frauds of the Deiftical writers in their quotations of authors. The parallel drawn by Mr. Chubb between the propagation of Chrif tianity and the progrefs of Methodism, examined. Reflections on the Pamphlet intitled, Deifm fairly ftated, and fully vindi cated. That author's pompous account of Deifm, and his way of ftating the question between Chriftians and Deifts, confidered. Concerning the differences among Chriftians about the way of knowing the Scriptures to be the word of God. The charge he brings against the Chriftian Religion as confifting only of unintelligible doctrines and useless inftitutions, aud his pretence that the moral precepts do not belong to Christianity at all, but are the property of the Deifts, fhewn to be vain and groundless. The corruption of Christians no just argument against true original Chriftianity.

SIR,

IN the article relating to Mr. Collins in the first volume of the View of the Deistical Writers, fome account is given of that gentleman's

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LETTERtleman's Difcourfe of Free-Thinking, and of

II.

the answers that were made to it. Since the publishing of that account, an observation hath occurred to me, which I think may be fitly inferted under that article. It may properly come in as a marginal note in p. 126. The obferva

tion is this.

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"There was a French tranflation of the Dif courfe of Free-Thinking carried on under Mr. "Collins's own eye, and printed at the Hague " in 1714, though it bears London in the titlepage. In this tranflation several material al

..

terations are made, and a different turn is "given to feveral paffages, from what was in "Mr. Collins's original English. This is plainly "done with a view to evade the charges which "had been brought againft him by Dr. Bently "under the character of Phileleutherus Lipfi

enfis; fome of which charges that bore very "properly against Mr. Collins's book as it was

firft published, will appear impertinent to "thofe that judge only by this tranflation. But care is taken not to give the leaft notice of thefe alterations to the reader, upon whom "it is made to pafs for a faithful verfion of the

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original. All this is clearly fhewn by the "author of the French tranflation of Dr.

"Bentley's Remarks on the Difcourfe of Free

Thinking, which was printed at Amfterdam "in 1738, under the title of Friponnerie Laique "des pretendus Efprits forts d'Angleterre. "The Lay-Craft of the pretended Free-Think

ers of England. This Gentleman, Mr. DeLETTER "la Chapelle, has made it appear that Mr. "Collins, and his Tranflator who acted under "his direction, have been guilty of palpable "falfifications and frauds, which ill became one "who had in that very book raifed fuch a loud

outcry against the Clergy for corrupting and "mangling of authors, and for pious frauds "in the tranflating and publishing of books."

I cannot but obferve on this occafion, what muft have occurred to every one that has been much converfant in the Deistical writers, that it would be hard to produce any perfons whatsoever who are chargeable with more unfair and fraudulent management in their quotations, in curtailing, adding to, or altering the paffages they cite, or taking them out of their connection, and making them fpeak directly contrary to the fentiments of the authors. It is well known that they affect frequently to quote Chriftian divines; but they feldom do it fairly, and often wilfully mif reprefent, and pervert their meaning. Many glaring inftances of this fort might be produced out of the writings of the molt eminent Deiftical authors, if any man fhould think it worth his while to make a collection to this purpose. What I fhall next mention hath little coherence with what has been juft now obferved; but if it may pass for a proper hint I am fatiffied. It relates to that part of the Remarks on Mr. Chubb's pofthumous works, in the first vo

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lume