Admitting that the great body of believers derive their faith from education, who, I pray you, merits the reproach of the most difhonorable credulity? He who fuffers his religious principles to be influenced by the opinions of his country-by the inftructions of parents folicitous for his virtue and happiness-by the venerable authority of ages-by the example of the best and wifest men in every age-by the gravity and facredness of the church the faithful depofitary and guardian of piety and morals? Or he who adopts his opinions from libertines and debauchees-from the idle, the diffolute, and the vain-from men, perhaps equally ignorant, but, only, poffeffing more effrontery than himself?—Alas! how often does the corruption of principle, as well as of manners, which is the difgrace of fo many youth of the prefent age, fpring merely from the force of vicious example on the weak and ignorant-from immoral maxims, from ridiculous anecdotes, from loofe fentiments sported without thought, in a moment of levity, by men diftinguished for no talent, except an impofing vivacity, and of no science except what they have picked up in the fchool of libertinifm? Ah! if falfe fcience

has deftroyed her thousands, ignorance has deftroyed her tens of thousands-An ignorance that is increafing more and more in proportion as luxury and diffipation degenerate our manners, and check the progrefs of folid and useful improvement.

This character, so disgraceful as well as criminal, ought to reprefs that idle and contemptible

III. Vanity which I have flated, in the laft place, as another caufe of that ambitious infidelity that no longer retires from fight, but boldly obtrudes its deformity and crimes on the public view.

Vanity! Can man be vain of degrading his nature, and finking it to the level of the brutes that perish--of quenching that celeftial fpark which the Creator hath enkindled in his bofom-of effacing from the mind the glorious and confolatory idea of God-of deftroying the eternal source of order and beauty in the univerfe-of extinguifhing the fublime and bleffed hope of immortality-of digging for himfelf the fearful grave of everlafling oblivion? Yes;

we see the monstrous fpirit of infidelity affume a deplorable honor to itself from caufes that fhould expel it with horror from society, and forever cover it with difgrace in the opinion of the virtuous and wife.

1. Vanity prompts fome conceited and injudicious youth to make a display of impious principles, because they are fuppofed to carry with them a genteel air. Pleafure being almost the univerfal purfuit, the principles that afford it a protection, and fereen it from the reproaches of reafon, and the cenfure of confcience, meet, in all circles, too favorable an attention. That man is affured of being well received, who can infinuate ideas of loofe pleafure with ingenuity, and make their apology with fprightlinefs. And, fo depravid have manners become, that he who aims to be a fashionable man, too often finds it contribute to his fuccefs, in the circles of wealth and idlenefs, to mingle his converfation with a feafoning of impiety. When fashion has fo far mifplaced its approbation, a crowd of weak young men, ambitous to difplay their parts, go even beyond what fashion requires. In order to provoke the laughter, and attract G

the admiration of the thoughtless and the diffolute they dare indecently to triflle with whatever is most venerable and holy, and to violate the moft facred myfteries with a profane tongue. Deceived by the pleafantry which they excite where they ought to meet with nothing but indignation or contempt, they mifconftrue petulance into wit, and hold themfelves to be men of talents when they are only impudent men.

2. Their vanity is apt to affume a merit to itself for thinking differently from the rest of mankind. In an age in which manners are not yet totally depraved, the mafs of the people refpect religion. The fentiments of piety are written by the hand of nature at the bottom of the human heart, and nothing but extreme vice, or the pride, and the falfe refinements of fpeculation can efface them. Inftitutions which the world venerates, thefe men claim a miferable glory from defpifing. What is common has, with them, an air of vulgarity; and, in the esteem of fools, they fhew a fuperiority of underflanding while they infult the opinions of their country, and the world. Weak minds are apt to imagine that they recommend

their spirit, and their courage by spurning at the fears which influence other men. The awful confiderations of a future judgment and future retribution, they affect to reprefent as imaginary terrors. And, frequently, a good man muft fee with pity the felf-complacent vanity with which ignorant and petulant young men regard their own wisdom and fortitude for having delivered themselves from all the impreffions of a pious education, and torn off the fhackles of religious fear. Alas! what a reverse of abject fear, and of horrible defpair fhall overwhelm them, when the fupreme judge fhall come to awaken them from this vain dream-when he fhall unfettle all their false and criminal principles by the firoke of affliction-when he fhall difinay them by the terrors of his juftice-when the abyfs of eternity, opening upon their view, difclofes thofe dreadful realities which, in the days of their folly, they had defpifed; and fhews beneath them no fupport from the promifes of divine grace, or the hopes of a better life!

3. Another claim to be vain they found on the fancied refemblance which they bear