23 / 652
SERIA.
I.1
NATURAL
RELIGION,
ITS
USES AND
DEFECTS.
13
want of
a better
guide
than their
own
reasonings
?
and
how generally,
and
almost
without exception,
did
their
philosophers comply with the
idolatry
of
their country,
and
worshipped
God
in
the form
of
beasts
and
birds,
and
creeping
things,
and changed the
truth of God
into
a
lie;
or the
true God
into false
and shameful
images;
Rom.
i.
23, 25.
Sometimes
appetite
and passion, pride
and
:humour
spread
a
mist
over
the
understanding
of
the
heathens;
sometimes the customs
and traditions
of
their nation,
the authority
of
their
ancestors,
or
their philosophers,
or
their
own
vile prejudices,
of
various
kinds
gave
them
a
false
clue,
and
set
them,
a
running-
upon
.a wrong
scent
:
In other
places,
the tyranny
of
their
princes,
and
the
folly
and superstitious
madness
of
their priests,
either
led,
or drove
them
far
away
from the
truth.
What
shameful
vices
were
authorised
by
some
of
their
great
men
?
Theft,
in some
places,
was
commended as a
feat
of
dexterity,
and
revenge
as a
point
of
honour
while
public
robberies
of
nations
were
the
glory
of their
heroes.
The
murder
and ravage
of
whole'
countries,
were allowed
for the enlargement
of
their dominions,
and the
blood
of
kingdoms
was
made
an
offering to
the
ambition
of
neighbour
-
kings.
In
some
countries,
the
youth
and
flower
of
conquered nations
were
doomed
'a
sacrifice
to
their
idols;
and sometimes
filthy
and abominable lewd-
ness
were the ceremonies
of their worship. -flow
blind,
was
the
eye
of
their
reason,
not
to
see
this
madness?
And
how
feeble its
power,
that
it made no
remonstrances
against
these
lewd
and
bloodyscenes
ofpretended
piety?
All
these instances indeed do
not
effectually prove,
that
reason could
not
possibly
teach them
better; but
the experience of
long
ages,
and
of
whole
nations,
suf-
ficiently
shew
us,'
that
their reason neither did inform
them
better, nor
was
ever
likely
to
do
it.
Even the
best
of
the philosophers could
give
us"
but
a
sorry
system
of
religion
compared
with
our.
bible
;
so
that
St.
Paul
roundly
expresses
it;
1
Cor.
i.
2l. "The.
world
by
wis-
dom knew
not God."
3.
`
All the knowledge
of
God
which
they
arrived
at,
by,the,
light
of
nature, had
actually
but little
influence
to reform the hearts,
or
the
lives
of
mankind." I
say,
it
had but little
influence in
comparison of what it
might,