acquainted with its
tenets. Those doctrines and principles indeed, which it contains in
common with the law of the land, or which are sanctioned by the general
standard of morals formerly described, being brought into continual
notice and mention by the common occurrences of life, might continue to
be recognized. But whatever she contains peculiar to herself, and which
should not be habitually brought into recollection by the incidents of
every day, might be expected to be less and less thought of, till at
length it should be almost wholly forgotten. Still more might this be
naturally expected to become the case, if the peculiarities in question
should be, from their very nature, at war with pride, and luxury, and
worldly mindedness, the too general concomitants of rapidly increasing
wealth: and this would particularly happen among the laity; if the
circumstance of their having been at any time abused to purposes of
hypocrisy or fanaticism, should have prompted even some of the better
disposed of the clergy, perhaps from well intentioned though erroneous
motives, to bring them forward less frequently in their discourses on
Religion.

When so many should thus have been straying out of the right path, some
bold reformer might, from time to time, be likely to arise, who should
not unjustly charge them with their deviation: but, though right perhaps
in the main; yet deviating himself also in an opposite direction, and
creating disgust by his violence, or vulgarity, or absurdities, he might
fail, except in a few instances, to produce the effect of recalling them
from their wanderings.

Still, however, the Divine Original of Christianity would not be
professedly disavowed; partly from a real, and more commonly from a
political, deference for the established faith, but most of all, from
the bulk of mankind being not yet prepared, as it were, to throw away
the scabbard, and to venture their eternal happiness on the issue of its
falsehood. Some bolder spirits, indeed, might be expected to despise the
cautious moderation of these timid reasoners, and to pronounce
decisively, that the Bible was a forgery: while the generality,
professing to believe it genuine, should, less consistently, be
satisfied with remaining ignorant of its contents; and when pressed,
should discover themselves by no means to believe many of the most
important particulars contained in it.

When, by the operation of causes like these, any country has at le