AN ESSAY. 183 of those, who dare to differ from them. I fear the remonstrances made by the Athanasians drawn froma few theological or meta- physical distinctions, or from the holy bible itself, would not easily persuade The Arian or Socinian ruler, the Turkish or Deist governor to make any saving difference between them and other polytheists : And thus the idolater with many gods, and the Athanasian with his trinity Would fall under the same public penalties, how unjust soever such a sentence might be, if thoroughly examined by christian principles. VII. As those persons who are appointed by the.govern- mentto teach the people the civil rules or statutes of the land, should be well instructed in them themselves, that as far as pos- sible the people might never be led into a mistake in matters wherein their lives and properties are concerned ; so for the same reason, the persons that should be appointed by the state to instruct the people in the knowledge of a God and the reli- gion of an oath, and to acquaint them with the rules of these personal and social virtues which are so necessary. togoodgovern- ment, I say, these teachers should be themselves well instructed in the knowledge of God, of vice and virtue, and be also to all appearance pious and virtuoíts and loyal, practising that rever- ence to God, arid those civil'and moral laws which they teach, that with more success they may instruct the people in these things which are of so much importance to.their civil welfare and the preservation of the government. VIII. As taxes are raised by the state, and customs and tributes of various kinds ,justly imposed by the government, in order to defray the public expenses and to pay the ;public officers ; so it seems reasonable that those public officers who are appointed to instruct the people in the knowledge of the laws of the land, anti in the knowledge of these virtues and vices which affect the civil society, as well as in the knowledge of a God Who will punish secret wickedness, and in the sacredness and solemnity of an oath, which is the bond 'of government, I say, it is reasonable that these public teachers should be paid or supported-out of the civil list, if I may so express it, or the tri- bute raised for the support of civil government, since the support and peace of the civil government so much depends upon -it*. * Long since this was written, I net with a particular appointment of such public sermons or igstructions, to be given to the people in China, by their Mandarins or governors of towns and providence, bn she first and fifteenth days of the month, which is actually practised by them there, as Pere Du Halde gives us an account in his late Htstury of China, vol. 1. page 53, where he enumerates all the s neen texts given them by the Emperor to enlarge uponone or another of . teem, twice a munch in public 'assemblies. Almost every one of them contains. some moral virtue, and there is a specimen added of the sermon of a Mandarin upon one of them. It m:ay he onserved indeed as a defect in the choice of these subjects, that not oneof them has any relation to their gods or religion, except that wh tcit orders the stifling of new sects, and I think is the only one that can- not be vindicated.
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