PHI LOS 0 P H Y . - Classic Works of Apologetics Online

312 Subjcctioil to Civil G~tt'tJ~iZi;lii;:.
which are calculated not so much to r~cognizc
the
authority of-sovereigns, a~ to consecra~\.: their person ••
",There a fabulous religion permitted it, the public
veneration has been challenged by bolder pretensioIls.
The Roman Emperors usurped the titles, and arrogat.
ed the worship of gods. The mythology of the heroic
ages, and of many barbarous nations, was easily con ..
verted to tIlis purpose. Some princes, iike tIle heroes
of Homer, alld the founder of the Roman name,
derived their birth from the gods; others, with Numa,
pretended a secret communication with some divine
being; and otners again, like the Incas of Peru,
and the ancient SaXOJl kings, extracted their descent
from the deitie~ of t!leir courlt1):-. 'l'he Lama of
Thibf't, at this day, is held forth to his !\ubjects, not as
the offspring or successor cf a di\yine .race of princes,
but as the immortal God him~elf., the object at once
of civil obedience and reiigious adoration. This instance
is singular, and lIla} be aCCOllnted the farthest
point to which the abuse of human credulity has e,'er
been carritd. But in all these in=·~tances the purpose
9
\T t as the S(llne---4:0 el)ga~~ t he reverence of 111ankind,
by an application to their religiou~ principles.
rl'he r~ader \viII be ca~·eftll to observe, that in this
article \,ie denominate c\Ter\r oDiIllon, \\:-hether trtlC
J ~
or fal~c., a prejudict!, which is !'.ot founded upon argu ..
llletlt, in the Inind (If the pe!"son ",ho entertains it.
II.. Th2Y who obey from rca.JOn, that is to say, from
c()nscience as instrtlctcd b,' rerS()11il1g"S and conclu~ions
~ • c.. J
of their O\VJ1, are ueternliIlcd b,' tIle consideration of
the ncces3ity of some goyc:rnm~nt or other; the certain
mischief of civil CO.11f';1()tioJl.S, and the danger of
rt·set.tlin[.; the g'overnt11;2~,t ftf ttlcir COulltry better, or
at all, if (J11CC sul)verted (11" (li~!urbed ..
III. "1'lley who ()l~C'~l f,:rA(~:Ji Sc!iilztert"'jt, are kept in
\vant. of lei~11r1:, l..,v ~ ~ucccssion of pri"vatc
J ' ,.I
a1le) \.:':'::' ';rr-.(t',n,cnts; by contentiTJent,
4
(JrdC:l b'i
car(ls) l)~'-'dsures
or a sell~e l)f th(~ C~l~~~', 1,)1 {_l~'lt v, all(} ~afl')ty \vhich they
en.i(""Y: (lr lastl y an d p ri; iC! l)~l!\ y, by tear, foreseeing
tl~~t they w()lJlli l)rill'.r tJit:Pl'C'lvf'S l)v rcsistatlce into
~ ~ J
~l \vurse situatioll thall tIlcir prCScIlt, inasIlluch as tIle
j " '" -