om best
knew how to proportion the punishment to the fault, as well as infinite
power how to inflict it; they would, surely, have left it to God to
judge for himself, in a cause which immediately related to himself; and
where they were not so much as parties concerned, and as likely to be
mistaken as those they would punish. Can one, without horror, think
of men's breaking through all the rules of doing as they would be done
unto, in order to set themselves up for standards of truth for God as
well as man? Do not these impious wretches suppose, that God is not able
to judge for himself; at least, not able to execute his own judgment?
And that, therefore, he has recourse, forsooth, to their superior
knowledge or power; and they are to revenge his injuries, root out his
enemies, and restore his lost honor, though with the destruction of the
better part of mankind? But, to do the propagators of these blasphemous
notions justice, they do not throw this load of scandal on the law of
Nature, or so much as pretend from thence to authorize their execrable
principles; but endeavor to support them by traditional religion;
especially by mis-interpreted texts from the Old Testament; and thereby
make, not only natural and revealed religion, but the Old and New
Testament (the latter of which requires doing good both to Jews and
Gentiles) contradict each other. But to return; if what the light of
Nature teaches us concerning the divine perfections, when duly attended
to, is not only sufficient to hinder us from falling into superstition
of any kind whatever; but, as I have already shown, demonstrates what
God, from his infinite wisdom and goodness, can, or cannot command; how
is it possible that the law of Nature and grace can differ? How can
it be conceived, that God's laws, whether internally, or externally
revealed, are not at all times the same, when the author of them is, and
has been immutably the same forever?'"

The following passage exhibits the judicious mixture of authority and
argument for which our author is remarkable. The quotation is a good
illustration of Tindal's best manner. He is replying to Dr. Samuel
Clark:--

"It cannot be imputed to any defect in the light of nature, that the
pagan world ran into idolatry, but to their being entirely governed by
priests, who pretended communication with their gods, and to have
thence their revelations, which they imposed on the credulous as divine
oracles: whereas the busines