LET. ing Chriftian? Must one doubt of IV. every thing? Toм. Of every thing, in this world, and that which is to come; as I myself do at this present speaking. It is the most agreeable process in life; a charming delightful fufpense of judgment. I doubt whether there be any fuch thing as matter; I doubt likewife whether there be any fuch thing as fpirit; that is, I doubt whether there be creature or Creator; and whether I myself am any thing more than a bundle of perceptions, without either body or foul. We modern philofophers, you must know, confider matter and spirit as fo much lumber, which fhould be cleared out of the way. There would then be a noble field open for fpeculation, and we might all fet out afresh-I doubt, whether IV. whether the world, (fuppofing, for a LET. moment, that there be one) did not exift from eternity, or whether it did not make itfelf; whether it be not a huge animal, fomewhat like an oftrich, which lays now and then an egg, to be hatched into a young world; or whether it be not an overgrown vegetable, run to feed. "As a tree fheds its feed into the neighbouring fields, and produces "other trees; fo the great vegetable "the world, or this planetary fystem, produces, perhaps, within itself "certain feeds, which being scattered "into the furrounding chaos, vege"tate into new worlds. A comet, for 66 66 inftance, is the feed of a world; and "after it has been fully ripened, by 'paffing from fun to fun, and ftar to ftar, is at laft toffed into the un LET. "formed elements which every where JV. "furround this univerfe, and immediately sprouts up into a new fyf"tem." * TIM. Vaftly ingenious! and really, upon the whole, not improbable !But pry'thee Toм, if you are not in too great a hurry to be made a Chriftian, do stop for half an hour, and inftruct me a little farther in this New Week's Preparation of Mr. H. For the fpecimen you have given me is fo exquifite, that it perfectly makes my mouth to water for more. What is the plan of these famous Dialogues concerning Natural Religion? Tом. You fhall have it in few words-Once upon a time, then, there was a promifing young man, whose name was Pamphilus. He was *Dialogues, P. 132. brought LET. brought up by a philofopher called Cleanthes. Philo, a brother philofopher, came to spend fome days with Cleanthes. The Dialogues are fuppofed to contain the fubftance of a converfation which paffed between thefe perfonages, by way, among other things, of preparing young Pamphilus, in a proper manner, for the reception of the Gospel, by first making him a thorough fceptic. Pamphilus, who, as a hearer only, was to learn and be wife, relates this converfation, in a letter to his friend Hermippus. There is a third speaker in the Dialogues, ftyled Demea, one of your old fashioned orthodox gentry, who both firmly believes the existence of a Deity, and is rather dif posed to speak well than ill of his Maker. But the two philofophers fo astonish D 4 IV. LET. aftonish and difcompofe him, draw IV. him into so many ambuscades, and raise so thick a metaphyfical dust around him, that at the close of the xith Dialogue, the old gentleman is glad to take a French leave, and vanishes fo very fuddenly, that whether he went out at the door, or the window, or up the chimney, no body knows to this hour. It would do your heart good to fee the fun they make with him. do TIM. Before you go any farther, let me juft afk you one queftion. Pray you act upon this principle of philofophical fcepticism in common life? Toм. O, by no means. If we did, we should walk into a horfepond, or run our heads against a wall, and the boys would laugh at us. No, no, "to whatever length any one may " push |