N' 55 .
THE GUARDIAN .
329
Surely they muſt bedeſtitute of paſſion them- . ſelves, and unacquainted with the force it hath on the minds of others, who can imagine that the merebeauty offortitude, temperance, and juſtice, is fufficient to fuftain the mind of man in a fe
vere courſe of ſelf-denial againſt all the tempta
tions of preſent profit, and ſenſuality . It is my opinion that free-thinkers ſhould be treated as a ſet of poor ignorant creatures, that have not ſenſe to diſcover the excellency of reli
gion ; it being evident thoſe men are no witches,
nor likely to be guilty of any deep deſign , who proclaim aloud to the world, that they have leſs motives to honeſty than the reſt of their
fellow -ſubjects, who have all the inducements to the exerciſe of any virtue which a free-thinker can poſſibly have ; and, beſides that, the expecta
tion of never-ending happineſs, or miſery, asthe conſequence of their choice.
Are not men actuated by their paſſions ? and arenot hope and fear the moſt powerful of our paſſions ? and are there any objects which can rouſe and awaken our hopes and fears, like thoſe
proſpects that warm and penetrate the heart of a Chriſtian , but are not regarded by a free thinker ?
It is not only a clear point, that a Chriſtian
breaks through ſtronger engagements whenever he ſurrenders himſelf to commit a criminal ac
tion, and is ftung with a ſharper remorſe after it, than a free-thinker ; but it ſhould even ſeem that a man who believes no future ſtate, would
act a fooliſh part in being thoroughly honeſt. For what reaſon is there why ſuch a one should
