: Sufpend for a while the reading of Epictetus; and read of Marcus Antoninus only what you perfectly underfland. Look into no commentator; though he has two very learned ones; Gataker, and Cafaubon and by no means ftudy or fo much as think on any of the paffages that create any difficulty or hefitation: but, as I tell you, keep to the plain and eafy paffages, which you may mark or write out, and fo ufe on occafion, as you walk or go about. For I reckon you are a good improver of your time, and that you manage every moment to advantage; elfe you could never have thus fuddenly advanced fo far as you have done. But, in this cafe, you must take care of your health, by moving and ufing exercife, which makes me fpeak of walking. For the mind muft fuffer, in fome fenfe, when the body does. And ftudents, who are over-eager, and neglect this duty, hurt both their health and temper: the latter of which has a fad influence on their minds; and makes them, like ill veffels, four whatever is put into them, though of ever fo good a kind. For never do we more need a juít cheerfulnefs, good humour, or alacrity of mind, than when we are contemplating God and virtue. So that it may be affigned as one caufe of the aufterity and har hnefs of fome men's divinity, that in their habit of mind, and by that very morofe and four temper, which they contract with 'their hard ftudies, they make the idea of God fo much after the pattern of their own bitter fpirit. But, as I was faying concerning your progrefs, it is better for you to read in a fmail compafs what is good and excellent, and of eafy conception (without ftop or difficulty, as to the fpeculation), than to read inuch in many. And having thus confined you, as to three of your authors mentioned, and fet your bounds; I proceed to the fourth, which is Lucian; with whom, for a very different reafon, I would have you alio read but here and there. For though he is one of the politeft writers of the latter age; he only has fet hinfelf out like the jay in the fable, with the spoils of thofe excellent and divine works by way of dialogue (which was the way that anciently all the philofophers wrote in); molt of which works are now loft and perifhed and I fear the true reafon why Lucian was preferved, inftead of any of the other, was becaufe of the envy of the Chriftian church, which foon began to be fo corrupt; and finding this author to be fo truly profane, and a fcoffer of his own and all religious, they were con tented to hear his immorality and diffolate Ryle and manners, only £r the fatisfaction of fecing the heathen religion ridiculed by a heather, and the good and pious writers (unjustly flyled profiac) mot monitroully abufed by a wretch, who was truly the molt profane and impious; and who, at the fame time, even in the pieces that are left of him in the fame book, treats both Mofes and our Saviour, and the whole Chriftian religion, as contemptibly as he does his own. There, fore, as his dialogues of his cour ezans are horridly vicious and licentious, and against all good manners; and a b dialogues of the gods are mere buffocary, and his abuse of Plato, Socrates, and the reft of thofe divine neathens as unjust and wicked, as really they are mean ard ridiculous; I would not by any means have you to learn Greek at fuch a coit. There are fome dialogues bound up, which are not of Lucian's and these are the bell One concerning the cynics (whom he elsewhere fo abufes) is of that number, as I take it: and fore pleasant treatifes there are befides, all in pure Greek. But here is the great and effential matter of the last confequence to our feals and minds, to keep them from the contagion of pleafure. And to fhew you, that I am not by this an imitator of the fevere afcetic monatlic race of divines, or an admirer of any thing that looks like reftraint in knowledge, or learning, or fpeculation; confider of this that I am going to fay to you; and carry your refection as far back as to that first little glimmering of ingenuity, which fhewed itfelf in you in your childhood; I mean the art of painting. Had you been to have made one of thofe artists of the nobler kind, who paint hiftory, and actions, and nature; and had you been fent by me into Italy, or elfewhere, to learn the ftyle and manner of the great maf ters; what advice, think you, fhould I have given you? I fay, what advice? not as a Chriftian, or philofopher, or man of virtue; but merely as a lover of the art; fuppofing I had ever been of a very vicious life; and had had no other end " " This is what any ordinary mafter or patron of common good fenfe would have faid to you upon your enterprise on painting; and this is what I now fay to you on your great enterprife on knowledg and learning. This is the reafon I cry out to you against pleafure; to beware of thofe paths which lead to a wrong knowledge, a wrong judgment of what is fupremely beautiful and good. Your endeavour and hope is to know God and goodness, in which alone there is true enjoyment and good. The way to this is not to put out your eyes, or hood-wink yourfelf, or lie in the dark, expecting to fee vifions. No, you need not apologize for yourself (as you do) for defiring to read Origen, the good Father, and beft of all thofe they call fo. You fhall not only, by my confent, read Origen, but even Celfus himself, who was a heathen, and writ zealously againft the Chriftians, whom Origen defends. So far am I from bidding you fly heretical or heathen books, where good manners, honesty, and fair reason thew themfelves. But where vice, ill manners, abufive wit, and buffoonry appear, the prejudice is juft: pronounce again fuch authors, fly them, and con demn them. end in fending you abroad, than to have procured pictures, and have got you a masterly hand in that kind, and to have employed you afterwards for my own ufe, and for the ornament of my houfe: molt certainly my advice must have been this (and thus any other matter or patron of common fenfe would have accofted you): You are now going to learn what is "excellent and beautiful in the way of painting. You will go where there "are many pictures of many different "hands, and quite contrary in their manner and ftyle. You will find many judges of different opinions and the "wort mafters, the wort pieces, the work ftyles and manners, will have their admirers. How is it you fhould "form your relifh? By what means "fhall you come to have a right admi"ration vourself, and praife and imitate only what is truly exquifite and good "in the kind? If you follow your fudden fancy and bent; if you fix your eye on that which moft ftrikes and pleafes you at the first fight; you will mot certainly never come to have a good eye at all. You will be led afide, and "have a florid, gay, foolish fancy; and "any lewd tawdry piece of dawbing "will make a. ftronger impreffion on you, than the most majestic chafe Preferve yourfelf, and keep your eye piece of the fobereft mafter; and a and judgment clear. But if the eye be "Flemish or a French manner will more not open to all fair and handfome fpectaprevail with you, than a true Italian. cles, how fhould you learn what is fair "How fhall we do then in this cafe? and handfome? You would praife God: -Why even thus: (for what way is But how would you praise him? and "there eife?) make it a folemn rule to for what? Know you, as yet, what yourself, to check your own eye and true excellence is? The attributes, as fancy, which naturally leads to gaiety, you call them, which you have learnt in "and turn it strongly on that which it your catechifm, or in the higher schools cares not at firft to dwell upon. Be fure of the fchool-men and divines; the attri"that you pafs by, on every occafion, butes, I fay, of juftice, goodness, wif"whatever little idle piece of a negli- dom, and the like, are they really ungent loofe kind may be apt to detain derflood by you? or do you talk of these your eye; and fix yourself upon the by rote? If fo; what is this but giving "nobler, more mafterly, and ftudied words to God, not praife, nor honour, pieces of fuch as were known vir- nor glory? If the Apoftle appeals to tuofos, and admired by all fuch. If whatfoever is lovely, whatfoever is ho"you find no grace or charm at the first neft (or comely), whatfoever is virtue, looking, look on; continue to obferve or praife-worthinefs; how fhall we un"all that you poffibly can; and when derstand his appeal, till we have studied? you have got one glimpfe, improve Or do we know these things from "it, copy it, cultivate the idea, and our cradles? For fince we were men, "labour til you have worked yourfelf we never vouchfafed to inquire; but took "into a right tafte, and formed a relish for granted that we were knowing in the "and understanding of what is truly matter: which yet, without philofophy, beautiful in the kind,” it is impoffible we should be: fo 65 " when, without philofophy, we make ufe at rate high terms, and praife God in there paloiophical characters, we may be very good, and pious, and well-meaning; out indeed we are little better than parret in devotion. To return therefore to the picture, and the orice I am to give you in your fludy of that great and masterly hand which hes town all things, and exhibited this great mater-piece of nature, this world or inverte. The first thing is, that you prepare and clear your fight; that your emple, pure, uncorrupted, and 1 to receive that light which to it. This is done by virLes, modefty, fincerity. And thus made, your refolution towards truth, and you being om caces to yourself, that whilst you feek ve cannot offend the God of truth; se not afraid of viewing all and comgal. For without comparison of the date with the true, of the ugly with De beauteous, of the dark and obfcure w the bright and thining, we can meae nothing, nor apprehend any thing at is excellent. We may be as well wagan, heathen, Turk, or any thing clfe; being at Conftantinople, Ifpahan, or wherever the feat of any great empire is, we refufe to look on Chriftian authors, or hear their fober apologifts, as being contrary to the hiftory imposed on us, with an utter deftruction and cancelling of all other history or philofophy whatfoever. But this fear being fet afide, which is fo wholly unworthy of God, and fo debating to his ftandard of reafon which he has placed in us; our next concern is to look impartially into all authors, and non all nations, and into all parts of learning and human life; to feek and ad out the true pulchrum, the boneftum, the and by which standard and meae we may know God; and know how to praife him, when we have learnt what to praife-worthy. Be this your fearch, and by these ins and by this way I have fhewn Seek for the air in every thing, buming as low as the plants, the fields, w even the common arts of mankind, ee what is beauteous, and what con Thus, and by the original founat you are arrived to, you will, under dence, attain beauty and true wif dom for yourself, being true tɔ virtue; and to God profper you. LETTER LXXV. Lord Shaftesbury to February 8th, 159. COMMEND your honeft liberty; and therefore in the ufe of it recommend to you the purfuit of the fame thoughts, that you have fo honeftly and naturally grafted upon the stock afforded you: to which God grant a true life and increase. Time will be, when your greateft difturbance will arife from that ancient difficulty. But when you! ve well inured yourself to the precepts and fpeculation which give the view of its noble contrary (rò xx), you will reft fatisfied. But be perfunded, in the mean time, that wifdom is more from the heart, than from the head. Feel goodness, and you will fee all things fair and good. Let it be your chief endeavour to make acquaintance with what is good: that by feeing perfectly, by the help of reafon, what good is, and what ill, you may prove whether that which is from revelation be not perfectly good and conformable to this ftandard. For if fo, the very end of the gospel proves its truth. And that which to the vulgar is only knowable by miracles, and teachable by pofitive precepts and commands, to the wife and virtuous is demonitrable by the nature of the thing. So that how can we forbear to give our affent to thofe doctrines, and that revelation, which is delivered to us, and enforced by miracles and wonders? But to us, the very teft and proof of the divineness and truth of that revelation is from the excellence of the things revealed: otherwife the wonders themfelves would have little effect or power; nor could they be thoroughly depended on, were we even as near to them as those who lived more than a thousand years fince, when they were freshly wrought, and strong in the memory of men. This is what alone can juftify our eafinefs of faith; and in this refpect we can never be too refigned, too willing, or too complaifant. Meanwhile let your eye be fimple, and turn it from the a to the 907. View God in goodness, and in his works, which have that character. Dwell with honesty, and I From the fame to the fame. May 5th, 1709. AM mightily fatisfied with your writing to me as you do: pray continue. I like your judgment and thoughts on the books you mention: the bishop of Salisbury's expofition of the articles is, no doubt, highly worthy of your ftudy. None can better explain the fenfe of the church, than one who is the greatest pillar of it fince the first founders; one who beft explained and afferted the reformation itself, was chiefly inftrumental in faving it from popery before and at the revolution, and is now the trueft example of laborious, primitive, pious, and learned epifcopacy. The antidote, indeed, recommended to you, was very abfurd, as you remark yourfelf; and pray have little to do with controverfy of any fort. Chillingworth against Popery is fufficient reading for you, and will teach you the best manner of that polemic divinity. It is enough to read what is good; and what you find bad lay afide. The good you read will be a fufficient prevention and anticipation against any evil that may chance come across you imperceptibly. Fill yourself with good; and you will carry within you fufficient anfier to the bad; and by a fort of inftinct foon difcern the one from the other. Truft your own heart whilft you keep it honeft, and can lift it up to the God of truth, as feeking that, and that only. But keep yourself from wrangling, and a controverfial fpirit; for more harm is taken by a fierce four anfwer to an ill book, than from the book itself, be it ever fo ill. Therefore remember, I charge you to avoid controverfial writers. If the ancients in their purity are as yet out of your reach, fearch the moderns that are neareft to them. If you cannot converfe with the moft ancient, ufe the most modern. For the authors of the middle age, and all that fort of philofophy, as well as divinity, will be of little advantage to you. Gain the purity of the English, your own tongue; and read whatever is esteemed polite or well writ that comes abroad. You may give me an account of this. Meanwhile I am glad you read thofe modern divines of our nation who lived in this age, and were remarkable for moderation, and the Christian principle of charity and toleration. Do as your genius directs you; and if you are virtuous and good, your genius will guide you right. But whatever it be, either ancient or modern, that you chufe or read; or however you change your opinion or courfe of study; communicate, and you fhall be heard willingly, and advised the best I am able. I think your genius has dictated right to you about a little pamphlet, which, it feems, is commonly fold with the reflections lately writ upon it; which, if fhort, I would not for once debar you from, but have you hear what is faid in anfwer, left you should feem to yourself miftaken or diffident as to the truth. For my own part, I cannot but think from my heart, that the author of the pamphlet (whatever air of humour he may give himself, the better to take with the polite world) is moft fincere to virtue and religion, and even to the interest of our church. For many of our modern afferters of toleration have feemed to leave us deftitute of what he calls a public leading, or miniftry; which notion he treats as mere enthufiafm, or horrid irreligion. For, in truth, religion cannot be left thus to fhift for itself, without the care and countenance of the magiftrate. But in the remarks, or reflections, I find the anfwerers are fo far from understanding this plain fenfe of a leading, that they think it means only a leading by the nofe. So excellent are thefe gentlemen. at improving ridicule against themselves. They care not who defends religion, or how it is defended, if it be not in their way. They cry out upon a deluge of fcepticifm breaking out and overwhelming us, in this witty knowing age; and yet they will allow no remedy proper in the cafe, no application to the world in a more genteel, polite, open, and free way. They for their parts (witness Dr. Ay against the good Mr. Hy) have afferted virtue upon bafer principles, and more falfe and deftructive by far, than Epicurus, Democritus, Ariftippus, or any of the ancient atheists. They have fubverted all morality, all gr of honefty, and fupplanted the whole doctrine of our Saviour, under pretence of magnifying his revelation. In philofophy they give up all foundations, all principles of fociety, and the very beft arguinents to prove the being of a Deity. And, by the way, this pamphlet, which they are fo offended at, is fo ftrong on this head, that the author afferts the Deity even on the foundations of his innate idea, and the power of this notion even over atheifts themfelves, and by the very conceffion of Epicurus and that fect. But no more now. Continue to inform me of your reading and of new books and God be with you. I LETTER LXXVII. December 30th, 1709. HEARTILY approved your method and defign, and continue to do fo. Get what you can of the Greek language: it is the fountain of all; not only of polite learning and philofophy, but of divinity alfo, as being the language of our facred oracles. For even the Old Tella ment is in its beft and trueft language in the Septuagint. All that you can get of leifure from other exercife and the required fchool-learning, apply to Greek. The few good books of our divines and moralifts, which you have difcovered by your own fagacity, will ferve you both for language and thought. Dr. More's Enchiridion Ericum is a right good piece of found morals; though the Doctor himfelf, in other Englith pieces, could not abide by it, but made different excursions into other regions, and was perhaps as great an enthufi.ft as any of thofe whom he wrote against. However, he was a learned and a good man. Remember my former cautions and recommendations; and endeavour above all things to avoid the conceit and pride which is almost naturally inherent to the function and calling you are about to undertake. And fince we think fit to call it priesthood, fee that it be of fuch a kind, as may not make you fay or think of your elf in the prefence of another, that you are holier than he. It is a foJemn part; but fee and beware that the folemnity do not abufe you. And re member, that He, whom you own to be your after and legiflator, made no laws relating to civil power, or interfering with it. So that all the preheminence, wealth, or penfion, which you receive, or expect to receive, by help of this af fomed character, is from the public, whence both the authority and profit is derived, and on which it legally depeads; all other pretenfions of priests being Jewish and heathenifh, and in our flate feditious, diiloyal, and factious; fuch as is that fpirit which now reigns in our universities, and where the highchurch-men (as they are called) are prevalent. But to this (thank God) our parliament, interpofing at this instant, gives a check, by proceeding againft Dr. S1, and advancing Mr. H-y, of whom I have often spoken to you. No more now, but God bless your Ludies and endeavours. Never was more need of a fpirit of moderation and Chriftianity among thofe who are entering on the ministerial function; fince the contrary fpirit has poffeffed almost the whole prieithood beyond all former fanatics. God fend you all true Chriftianity, with that temper, life, and manners, which become it. Farewel. I LETTER LXXVIII. From the fame to the fame. July 10th, 1710. BELIEVED indeed it was your expect. ing me every day at ** that prevented your writing, fince you received orders from the good bifhop, my lord of Salisbury; who, as he has done more than any man living for the good and honour of the church of England and the reformed religion, fo he now fuffers more than any man from the tongues and flander of thofe ungrateful church-men; who may well call themfelves by that fingle term of diftinction, having no claim to that of Chriflianity or Proteftant, fince they have thrown off all the temper of the former, and all concern or interest with the latter. I hope whatever advice the great and good bishop gave you will fink deeply into your mind: and that your receiving orders from the hands of fo worthy & prelate will be one of the circumstances which may help to infure your steadines |