tranquillity of virtuous retire"ment, deepened the gloom of "human diftrefs, or aggravated "the horrors of the grave? Is "it poffible, that this may have happened in many instances?

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"Is it probable, that this hath “happened in one fingle in"ftance ?-Ye traitors to hu

man kind, ye murderers of "the human foul, how can ye "anfwer for it to your own hearts! Surely, every spark "of your generofity is extinguished for ever, if this con"fideration do not awaken in you the keenest remorfe, and "make you wish in bitterness " of foul-But I remonstrate in

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"vain. All this must have often "occurred to you, and been as "often rejected, as utterly fri"volous. Could I enforce the *present topic by an appeal to your vanity, I might poffibly "make fome impreffion. But to plead with you on the principles of BENEVOLENCE, or GENEROSITY, is to addrefs you in a language ye do not, "or will not, understand; and

86

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as to the fhame of being con"victed of abfurdity, ignorance, "or want of candour, ye have. long ago proved yourselves fuperior to the sense of it.— "But let not the lovers of truth "be difcouraged. Atheism can

"not be of long continuance, "nor is there much danger of "it's becoming univerfal. The "influence of fome confpicuous "characters hath brought it too "much into fashion; which, "in a thoughtless and profligate

age, it is no difficult matter "to accomplish. But when men. "have retrieved the powers of "serious reflection, they will "find it a frightful phantom; "and the mind will return. gladly and eagerly to it's old "endearments. One thing we certainly know; the fashion "of sceptical and metaphyfical fyftems paffeth away. Those "unnatural productions, the

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"vile effufion of a hard and ftupid heart, that mistakes it's "own restleffnefs for the acti"vity of genius, and it's own captiousness for fagacity of "understanding, may, like other "monfters, please awhile by "their fingularity; but the charm is foon over; and the fucceeding age will be afto"nifhed to hear, that their "fore-fathers were deluded, or "amufed, with fuch fooleries." You, Sir, have read the preceding paragraph before; but this Letter may come into the hands of who have not.

many,

fhould be rung in their ears, till fucceeded by the last trumpet.

And now, Sir, will you give me leave to ask you a few queftions? Why all this hurry and bustle, this eagerness to gratify the pretended impatience of "the Public *," and fatisfy it, that our philofopher lived and died perfectly compofed and eafy? Was there, then, any fufpicion, in SCOTLAND, that he might not, at times, be quite fo compofed and easy as he should have been? Was there any particular BOOK ever written against him, that shook his fyftem to pieces about his ears, and re

*Preface to LIFE, &C,

E