them, if founded solely on fear. Yet the direct contrary is true: in proportion as the human understanding ripens, our conviction of superior powers, or of a Deity, turns more and more firm and authoritative; which will be made evident in the chapter immediately following.

Philosophers of more enlarged views and of deeper penetration, may be inclined to think, that the operations of nature and the government of this world, which loudly proclaim a Deity, may be sufficient to account for the universal belief of superior powers. And to give due weight to the argument, I shall relate a conversation between a Greenlander and a Danish missionary, mentioned by Crantz in his History of Greenland. "It is true," says the Greenlander," we were ignorant Hea"thens, and knew little of a God, till you came. "But you must not imagine, that no Greenlander "thinks about these things. A kajak *, with all "its tackle and implements, cannot exist but by "the labour of man; and one who does not un"derstand it, would spoil it. But the meanest "bird requires more skill than the best kajak; and no man can make a bird. There is still

more skill required to make a man: by whom "then was he made? He proceeded from his parents, and they from their parents. But some "must have been the first parents: whence did they proceed? Common report says, that they

* A Greenland boat.

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grew out of the earth: if so, why do not men "still grow out of the earth? And from whence

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came the earth itself, the sun, the moon, the "stars? Certainly there must be some being who "made all these things, a being more wise than "the wisest man." The reasoning here from effects to their cause is stated with great precision; and were all men equally penetrating with the Greenlander, such reasoning might perhaps be sufficient to account for the conviction of a Deity, universally spread among savages. But such pcnetration is a rare quality among savages; and yet the conviction of superior powers is universal, not excepting even the grossest savages, who are altogether incapable of reasoning like our Greenland philosopher. Natural history has made so rapid a progress of late years, and the finger of God is visible to us in the various operations of nature, that we do not readily conceive how even savages can be ignorant: but it is a common fallacy in reasoning, to judge of others by what we feel in ourselves. And to give juster notions of the condition of savages, I take liberty to introduce the Wogultzoi, a people in Siberia, exhibiting a striking picture of savages in their natural state. That people were baptized at the command of Prince Gagarin, governor of the province; and Laurent Langs, in his relation of a journey from Petersburgh to Pekin anno 1715, gives the following account of their conversion, "I had curiosity

VOL. III.

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"curiosity," says he, " to question them about, "their worship before they embraced Christianity. "They said, that they had an idol hung upon a

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tree, before which they prostrated themselves, 66 raising their eyes to heaven, and howling with a loud voice. They could not explain what they meant by howling; but only, that every man howled in his own fashion. Being interrogated, Whether, in raising their eyes to heaven, "they knew that a god was there, who sees all the "actions, and even the thoughts of men; they "answered simply, That heaven is too far above "them to know whether a god be there or not; "and that they had no care but to provide meat "and drink. Another question being put, Whe"ther they had not more satisfaction in worship

ping the living God, than they formerly had in "the darkness of idolatry; they answered, We "see no great difference, and we do not break our "heads about such matters." Judge how little capable such ignorant savages are, to reason from effects to their causes, and to trace a Deity from the operations of nature. It may be added with great certainty, that could they be made in any degree to conceive such reasoning, yet so weak and obscure would their conviction be, as to rest there without moving them to any sort of worship; which however among savages goes hand in hand with the conviction of superior powers.

If

If fear be a cause altogether insufficient for our conviction of a Deity, universal among all tribes; and if reasoning from effects to their causes can have no influence upon ignorant savages; what other cause is there to be laid hold of? One still remains, and imagination cannot figure another : to make this conviction universal, the image of the Deity must be stamped upon the mind of every human being, the ignorant equally with the knowing nothing less is sufficient. And the original perception we have of Deity, must proceed from an internal sense, which may be termed the sense of Deity.

Included in the sense of Deity, is the duty we are under to worship him. And to enforce that duty, the principle of devotion is made a part of our nature. All men accordingly agree in worshipping superior beings, however they may differ in the mode of worship. And the universality of such worship, proves devotion to be an innate principle *.

The perception we have of being accountable agents, arises from another branch of the sense of Deity. We expect approbation from the Deity when we do right; and dread punishment from him when guilty of any wrong; not excepting the most occult crimes, hid from every mortal eye. From

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* See this principle beautifully explained and illustrated in a sermon upon the love of God, by Dr Butler, Bishop of Durham, a writer of the first rank.

From what cause can dread proceed in that case, but from conviction of a superior being, avenger of wrongs? The dread, when immoderate, disorders the mind, and makes every unusual misfortune pass for a punishment inflicted by an invisible hand. "And they said one to another, We

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are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that 68 we saw the anguish of his soul, when he be"sought us, and we would not hear: there"fore is this distress come upon us. And Reu"ben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto "you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? Therefore behold also his "blood is required*." Alphonsus, King of Naples, was a cruel and tyrannical prince. He drove his people to despair with oppressive taxes, treacherously assassinated several of his barons, and loaded others with chains. During prosperity, his conscience gave him little disquiet; but in adversity his crimes stared him in the face, and made him believe that his distresses proceeded from the hand of God, as a just punishment. He was terrified to distraction, when Charles VIII. of France approached with a numerous army; he deserted his kingdom; and fled to hide himself, from the face of God and of man.

But admitting a sense of Deity, is it evidence to us that a Deity actually exists? It is complete evidence. So framed is man as to rely on the evidence

Genesis xlii. 21, 22.