404 STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS OF ROMAN REASON. Prn. Ah ! my friend, this is easily said by a man of your sprightly powers of reasoning; who have been trained up in the knowledge of the best philosophy, and acquainted with religion from your early years : But you know that even in Greece and Rome, the learned parts of the world, and in the learned ages of it, there were many who professed and learned the Epicurean doctrine, that the gods did neither make the world, nor concern themselves about it since it was made : 'That all things were let't to nature and chance, and that there was no manner of superior government or divine inspection of the affairs of mankind, and therefore they paid no worship, no acknowledgments by prayer or praise. And as for an ignorant American, if he should be brought to believe that an invisible Power made this world, yet he is so much addicted to judge of every thing by what strikes his senses, that he will not so easily conceive, that any invisible Power governs any of the affairs or events of it, except where he cannot account for some particular strange events or appear- ances, and then perhaps he will attribute them to invisible and in- sensible causes. For in the account that bath been given of the Americans by travellers, we are told, when they see strange effects produced, and know not the cause, they ascribe it to a being that is somewhat above themselves, that is, some particular being, which has dominion over that event, or in that particular place, but scarce ever rise to the idea of one supreme and uni- versal Governor ; much less do they proceed so far in religion as to give the one true God the glory and honour due to him on account of theircom:'orts. But, on the other hand, when their whole business is to provide a little food for themselves, and the skins of beasts for their clothing, and when they ,see that it is their own bow and arrows, or their little snares and engines, that furnish themwith beasts, or birds, or fishes for their provision : when they find the strongest,and the swiftest, and the most cunning men amongst them catch more game than the rest, swure themselves best from their enemies, and preserve their huts and their poor properties safest from invaders, they ri turally attribute their possessions of all the necessaries and conveniences of life to their own strength, or skill, or swiftness ; and they do not much think of any supe- rior invisible Being, whose providence gives them success : And thus in their rude way of thinking they can seldom find any reason either for prayeror thankfulness : And when they do, it is paid to idols, not to the true God. . Besides, when they observe the natural and constant successions of day and night, of summer and winter, when they see fruits and flowers return in their set- tledseasons, whentheytakenotiçeofcloudsandsunshine ,rainand drought, suddenheat or cold coming at certain or uncertain times, when they find how much the conveniences or inconveniences of
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