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defcrib'd the Effects of Self-love, now the Obfervation of these Effects, he, with great Art and high Probability, makes the Occafion of thofe Difcoveries, which fpeculative Men made of the true Principles of Policy and Religion, defcrib'd in the present Paragraph; and this he evidently hints at in that fine Tranfition.

The Poet goes on and afferts, that many jarring Interefts do of themselves accord at Length in the Mufick of a well-mix'd State: That the World is full of great Harmony; that there is nothing but Union, Order, and a full Consent of Things;

More pow'rful each, as needful to the reft;
And in Proportion as it bleffes, bleft;
Draw to one Point, and to one Centre bring
Beaft, Man, or Angel, Servant, Lord, or King.

When he comes to speak of Modes of Faith, and Forms of Government. I beg Leave to explain and illuftrate him by his Commentator. But the Poet now, fays he, having fo much commended the Invention and Inventors of the philofophick Principles of Religion and Government, left an evil Ufe be -made of this, by Men's refting in Theory and Speculation, as they have been always too apt to do, in Matters whose Practice makes their Happiness; he cautions his Reader [from Line 304 to 311] against this Error, in a Warmth of Expreffion, which the fublime Ideas of that universal Harmony, operating inceffantly to univerfal Good, had rais'd up in him.

For Forms of Government let Fools conteft; Whate'er is beft adminifter'd is beft. For Modes of Faith let graceless Zealots fight; His can't be wrong, whofe Life is in the Right. All must be false, that thwart this one great End; And all of God, that bless Mankind, or mend.

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The Seafonableness of this Reproof will appear evident enough to thofe, who know, that mad Disputes about Liberty and Prerogative, had once well nigh overturn'd our Conftitution; and that others about Mystery and Church Authority had almost destroy'd the very Spirit of our holy Religion.

But thefe fine Lines have been strangely misunder→ ftood: The Author, against his own exprefs Words, against the plain Senfe of his Syftem, has been conceiv'd to mean, That all Governments and all Religions suere, as to their Forms and Objects, indifferent. But as this wrong Judgment proceeded from Ignorance of the Reafon of the Reproof, as explain'd above, that Explanation is alone fufficient to rectify the Mikake.

However, not to leave him under the leaft Sufpicion, in a Matter of fo much Importance, I fhall juftify the Senfe here given to this Paffage more at large. First, by confidering the Words themselves: And then by comparing the mistaken Senfe with the Context.

The Poet, we must obferve, is here speaking, not of civil Society at large, but of a juft legitimate Policy,

Th' according Mufick of a WELL-MIX'D State.

Now thefe are of feveral Kinds; in fome of which the Democratick, in the others the Aristocratick, and in others the Monarchick Form prevails. Now, as each of thefe mix'd Forms is equally legitimate, as being founded on the Principles of natural Liberty, that Man is guilty of the higheft Folly, who chufes rather to employ himself in a fpeculative Conteft for the fuperior Excellence of one of thefe Forms to the reft, than in promoting the good Adminiftration of that fettled Form to which he is fubject: And yet all our warm Difputes about Government have been of

this Kind. Again, if, by Forms of Government, muft needs be meant legitimate Government, because that is the Subject under Debate, then by. Modes of Faith, which is the correspondent Idea, muft needs be meant the Modes or Explanations of the true Faith, because the Author is here too on the Subject of true Religion:

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Relum'd her antient Light, not kindled new.

Befides, the very Expreffion (than which nothing can be more precife) confines us to understand, by Modes of Faith, those human Explanations of Chriftian Mysteries, in contefting which, Zeal and Ignorance have so perpetually violated Charity.

Secondly, if we confider the Context; to suppose him to mean, that all Forms of Government are indifferent, is making him directly contradict the preceding Paragraph; where he extols the Patriot for difcriminating the true from the falfe Modes of Govern ment. He, fays the Poet,

Taught Pow'r's due Ufe to People and to Kings, Taught not to flack, nor ftrain its tender Strings; The lefs and greater fet fo juftly true,

That touching one must strike the other two;
"Till jarring Int'refts of themfelves create
Th' according Mufick of a well-mix'd State..

Here he recommends the true Form of Governmentį which is the mixt. In another Place he as ftrongly condemns the falfe, or the abfolute Jure Divine Form:

For Nature knew no Right Divine in Men.

L. 237.

To fuppofe him to mean, that all Religions are indifferent, is an equally wrong as well as an uncharita

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ble Sufpicion. Mr. Pope, tho' his Subject in this Effay on Man confines him to natural Religion, (his Purpofe being to vindicate God's natural Difpenfations to Mankind against the Atheift) yet gives frequent Intimations of a more fublime Dispensation, and even of the Neceffity of it; particularly in his fecond Epiftle, [L. 139.] where he speaks of the Weakness and Infufficiency of human Reason.*

Again, in his fourth Epiftle, [L. 331] fpeaking of the good Man, the Favourite of Heaven, he fays,

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For him alone, Hope leads from Gole to Gole," And opens ftill, and opens on his Soul; Till lengthen'd'on to Faith, and unconfin'd, It pours the Blife that fills up all the Mind.

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But natural Religion never lengthened Hope on to Faith; nor did any Religion, but the Christian, ever

conceive that Faith could fill the riftian, ever

Mind with Hap

Relum'd her ancient Light, not kindled new,
If not God's Image, yet his Shadow drew.

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Laftly, the Poet, in this very Epiftle, and in this very Place, fpeaking of the great Reftorers of the Religion of Nature, intimates that they could only draw God's Shadow, not his Image:

See the Second Letter.

As reverencing that Truth, which tells us, that this Difcovery was referv'd for the glorious Gospel of Chrift, who is the IMAGE of God.

Mr. Pope, it has been obfery'd by many with great Truth, has in this Epiftle thrown in the greatest Beauties of Poetry, and still kept a Stile no Way unbecoming Philofophy; his Terms are fine chofen,

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and his Expreffions full, yet concife, and in general very diftinct; he has afferted chiefly, that the two Principles Self Love and Social, are two Motions of the Appetite to Good, which induces Man to feek his own Happiness in the Happiness of the Whole:

On their own Axis as the Planets run,
Yet make at once their Circle round the Sun:
So two confiftent Motions act the Soul,
And one regards itself, and one the Whole.

Which is a Confirmation of what he had faid before, namely, that the Paffions were all but modified Self Love, and that nothing was made wholly for itself, or wholly for another: And having spoke of Man with regard to the Deity, as an Individual, and as a fociable Creature, our Poet in his fourth and laft Epiftle, difcourfes of the Nature and State of Man with refpect to Happiness: This Epiftle begins with an Invocation, as neither of the other had done, and as the ancient Poets had done by their Gods, he invokes Happiness by feveral Names, Good, Pleafure, Content, Eafe, or by what other Name ever

known:

Plant of celeftial Seed if drop'd below,
Say, in what mortal Soil thou deign'st to grow.

Where making Enquiry after Happiness, he takes an Opportunity to make a very great Compliment to the Lord Bolinbrøke :

Where grows where grows it not?—if vain our We ought to blame the Culture, not the Soil: [Toil, Fix'd to no Spot is Happiness fincere ;

'Tis no where to be found, or ev'ry where; 'Tis never to be bought, but always free,

And fled from Monarchs, St. John! dwells with thee. VOL. II.

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