Thoughts on civil liberty, on licentiousness, and faction/Section 12

 

SECT.⁠XII.

 

Of the Changes in Manners and Principles, through the succeeding Times.

 

THE Accession of George the First seemed the Æra of perfect Freedom. And if an excellent King, at the Head of an unrivaled Constitution, could have secured Liberty; it had now been fixed on immoveable Foundations.

The Alloy of licentious Manners and contradictory Principles which had tarnished the preceding Reign, still maintained their Influence: But the declared and zealous Advocates for Liberty now assumed the Reins of Power, and began more effectually to combat those false Principles which were at Enmity with the State.

Would to God, these intentional Friends of public Liberty had been as much the Friends of private Virtue and Religion! They would not, then, have undermined the Foundations, while they were building the Superstructure of civil Freedom.

The Seeds of Irreligion had for some Time been privately fermenting: But they did not break forth into open Growth till about this Period.—'Tis remarkable, that Burnet,^[1] enumerating the Dangers by which the State was threatened in the Year 1708, makes no Mention of Irreligion, as an Evil worth being obviated. But soon after, this Pestilence came on, with a terrible Swiftness and Malignity.

The slavish Principle of absolute Non-Resistance, and an independent Hierarchy, were still prevalent in Part, especially among the Clergy. To combat these, and expose them to the public Contempt, certain Writers were encouraged by Those in Power. A vigorous and effectual Attack was made on the Advocates for Despotism. But in their Zeal against Tyranny, these Writers supplanted Freedom.

They assailed Superstition with such Weapons as destroyed Religion: They opposed Intolerance by Arguments and Ridicule which tended to sweep away all public Establishments: While they only aimed (perhaps) to contend for Freedom of Thought, they unwarily sapped the Foundation of all salutary Principles.^[2]

Cato's Letters, and the Independent Whig, among many other Tracts of less Note, seem palpable Instances of this Truth: The one was written in Defence of civil, the other, of religious Liberty. Yet both tended, in their general Tour, to relax those Principles by which alone Freedom, either civil or religious, can be sustained: By their intemperate Insults on religious Institutions; by their public and avowed Contempt of all Opinions, Principles, (or, if you please) Prejudices, instilled into the infant Mind, as the necessary Regulators of human Conduct: By exalting unaided human Reason, far beyond the Rank she holds in Nature: By debasing all those Assistances which the Wisdom of Ages had prescribed and consecrated, as the necessary Means of correcting her vague and wandering Dictates.

While These Authors made this illjudged, and perhaps undesigned Attack, on the Foundations of civil Liberty; others made a still bolder and more fatal Inroad; and opened a wider Door for Licentiousness, by an Attack on Christianity itself.

In this List of Enemies to their Country, it must be a Mortification to every Friend of Virtue and Liberty, to find the noble Author of the Characteristics. His Morals were unblemished, his Love of Virtue and Freedom indisputable: But by confounding two Things, which he saw accidently united, though in their Nature essentially distinguished, he polluted his Arguments against Intolerance, with the grossest Buffoonries on Christianity.

There is no Doubt, but that the current Reasonings of the Times had brought him to a Habit of Belief, that all This was harmless Pastime. To this Purpose he seems to speak himself. "'Tis certain, that in Matters of Learning and Philosophy, the Practice of pulling down is pleasanter, and affords more Entertainment, than that of building and setting up.—In the literate warring World, the springing of Mines, the blowing up of Towers, Bastions, and Ramparts of Philosophy, with Systems, Hypotheses, Opinions, and Doctrines into the Air, is a Spectacle of all other the most naturally rejoicing.^[3]"

These intemperate Sallies of Gaiety may serve as a Comment on the Passage already cited from Cato's Letters. They are a clear and concurrent Indication of the ruling Principle of the Times; when Opinions and Doctrines began to be derided as Things indifferent. The noble Writer was naturally led to embrace this growing Error of the Times, by a too flattering Opinion which he had imbibed concerning unassisted human Nature; as being sufficient of itself to establish the unerring Practice of Virtue, unless beforehand sophisticated by servile Institutions.

The noble Writer, indeed, attempts a Vindication of this licentious Conduct, by an Appeal to the Practice of ancient Greece and Rome. There, he tells us, "Philosophy had a free Course, and was permitted as a Balance against Superstition. And while some Sects, such as the Pythagorean and latter Platonic, joined in with the Superstition and Enthusiasm of the Times; the Epicurean, the Academic, and others, were allowed to use all the Force of Wit and Raillery against it.^[4]"—This hath a plausible Appearance: Yet I am perswaded, the noble Author would have looked grave, had he been put in Mind of the Remark which Fabricius made on the Epicurean Sect, "that he wished such Principles to all the Enemies of Rome.^[5]" Or had he recollected, that when the irreligious System of Epicurus prevailed in Greece and Rome, these unprincipled and profligate States were on the Eve of their Destruction.

Soon after the Author of the Characteristics, another more dissolute Writer appeared on the public Stage. I mean, the Author of "The Fable of the Bees." This Gentleman, as hath been observed above, leveled his Artillery on the whole Fabric of Morals and Religion. His System was diametrically opposite to that of Lord Shaftesbury: The one was founded on the unaided Excellence, the other on the incurable Depravity of human Nature. But now the vagrant Spirit of Irreligion was Abroad; and the most inconsistent Productions were greedily swallowed, provided only they disgraced Christianity.

The Avidity with which these Compositions were received, soon emboldened a succeeding Writer, to make a formal Attack on the Religion of his Country: Christianity as old as the Creation now appeared: In which the Gospel was grosly misrepresented, insulted, and disgraced; and in Compliance with the ruling Malady of the Times, that poor and sickly Creature, "unassisted Human Reason," was vainly exalted to the Throne of Eternal Truth!

Other inferior Workmen in this patriot Amusement of blowing up the Religion of their Country, such as Woolston, and Morgan, I pass unnoticed.

In a succeeding Period, and down to the present Time, the Evil hath increased, and been compleated. For now, not only revealed but natural Religion hath been publicly attacked, in the Writings of Lord Bolingbroke: An Author who stands convicted of designed Profligacy, even on his own Confession. "Some Men there are, the Pests of Society I think them, who pretend a great Regard to Religion in general, but who take every Opportunity of declaiming publicly against that System of Religion, or at least that Church Establishment, which is received in Britain.^[6]"—You See, this patriot Writer proclaims his Abhorrence even of Those who assault the Out-Works of Religion: And then, with Modesty unparallel'd, proceeds to blow up the Citadel.

The last of these patriot Worthies, by which the present Age stands distinguished, is the Author of "Essays philosophical and moral:" Who, disdaining the vulgar Practice of a particular Attack, undermines all the Foundations of Religion, revealed and natural; and with a Pen truly Epicurean, dissolves at once all the Fears of the Guilty, the Comforts of the Afflicted, and the Hopes of the Virtuous.

Such, then, hath been the Progress of this public Evil; which hath proceeded almost without Cognizance from the Magistrate: Instead of That, it is well known, that some of these public Enemies of their Country and Mankind were formerly pensioned, and others privately encouraged by Those in Power. How This came to pass, and aggravated the growing Evil, it is now necessary to point out.

We have seen above, that a Foundation was laid for this, in an ill-conducted Opposition to the Enemies of Freedom. They who were employed to sweep away false Principles, imprudently struck at all Principles.

But beyond This, a famous Minister assumed, and long held the Reins of Power. There seems not the least Foundation for the Charge laid against him by his Enemies, "That his Design was to inslave his Country." Neither had he any natural Inclination to corrupt Practices: Yet he rather chose to rule by These, than to resign his Power. Nay, perhaps he thought this corrupt System the only one, which, under the Circumstances of Those Times, could support that illustrious Family, which was brought in, as the happy Support of Liberty. Farther, perhaps, he judged This the only possible Expedient for prolonging a Peace, which He thought necessary, till Time should wear out the false Principles, on which the expelled Family still held their Influence in the Minds of the People.—From some or all of these Motives, He not only gave Way to Corruption, but encouraged it. To this End, Religion was discountenanced: And Christian Principle, which would have been the firmest Friend of Liberty, was discarded, as the Enemy of Corruption.

In the mean Time, Trade, Wealth, and Luxury increased: These, in their Extreme, having an unalterable Tendency to a Dissolution of Manners and Principles, went Hand in Hand with the Progress of Corruption; which, in its most improved State, this mistaken Minister left, as a lasting Legacy to his Country.^[7]

The Effects of this established System of Corruption did not immediately appear: But about the Year fifty-seven, they came to their Crisis; advancing with the Appearances even of public Ruin.

That powerful Correctress, Necessity, gave a temporary Union to all Parties, and a temporary Restoration to the State.^[8] But from the Deduction of Causes here given, it was natural to expect, that as soon as Danger ceased, Faction would arise.

It follows also, that it must arise on Foundations widely different from Those in the Reigns of William and Anne. For the Dissentions of these past Times were chiefly founded in false Principles: Those of the present Age, on a Want of Principle.

For the false Principles which disgraced the Protestants of the last Age, are vanished. The mistaken Interpretations of Scripture, on which the Jacobite, the Tory, the bigoted Dissenter, founded their various Pretensions and Attempts, are now held in general Derision: A Preacher, of whatever religious Congregation, who should now advance these obsolete State-Heterodoxies, would be the Contempt of his wiser Audience.

Nay, what is more, these false Principles tending to Despotism, are generally banished, even from the Breasts of the Clergy; except only a very few of the most aged. For the Bishops being appointed by the Patrons of Liberty, have been such, as held Principles consistent with the Freedom of the State: And much Caution having been required of them, and used by them, in the Appointments of their Clergy, the general Complexion of this Body hath changed from That of being the Enemies, to That of being the Friends of Freedom.

Much it were to be wished, that along with the Tares, the Wheat had not also perished. But the general System of Manners being relaxed though refined;^[9] and Education still left more and more imperfect; the Principle of Religion being unhappily destroyed among certain Ranks, and weakened among others;^[10]—That of Honour being thus left to its own false and fantastic Dictates;^[11]—and Conscience naturally following the Whims of its untutored Parent;—Licentiousness and Faction, founded on a Want of Principle, cannot but arise, and stand among the "leading Characters of the present Times."

1. Conclusion of his History.
2. See the Div. Leg. of Moses. Dedication Vol. ii. p. 6, &c.
3. Miscell. iii. Chap. 1.
4. Letter on Enthusiasm.
5. See above, p. 76.
6. Dissert. on Parties. Let. xii.
7. See an Estimate, &c. Vol. ii. p. 204, &c.
8. See ib. Vol. i. p. the last.
9. See the Estimate, Part i.
10. Ib.
11. Ib.