_J. D._ From this shameful omission or preterition of the main duty of mankind, a man might easily take the height of T. H. his religion. But he himself putteth it past all conjectures. His principles are brim full of prodigious impiety. _In these four things, opinions of ghosts, ignorance of second causes, devotion to what men fear, and taking of things casual for prognostics, consisteth the natural seed of religion_; the culture and improvement whereof, he referreth only to _policy_. Human and divine politics, are but politics. And again, _mankind hath this from the conscience of their own weakness, and the admiration of natural events, that the most part of men believe that there is an invisible God, the maker of all visible things_. And a little after he telleth us, that _superstition proceedeth from fear without right reason, and atheism from an opinion of reason without fear_; making atheism to be more reasonable than superstition. What is now become of that divine worship which natural reason did assign unto God, the honour of existence, infiniteness, incomprehensibility, unity, ubiquity? What is now become of that dictate or precept of reason, concerning _prayers_, _thanksgivings_, _oblations_, _sacrifices_, if uncertain opinions, ignorance, fear, mistakes, the conscience of our own weakness, and the admiration of natural events, be the only seeds of religion? He proceedeth further, that _atheism itself, though it be an erroneous opinion, and therefore a sin, yet it ought to be numbered among the sins of imprudence or ignorance_. He addeth, that _an atheist is punished not as a subject is punished by his king, because he did not observe laws: but as an enemy, by an enemy, because he would not accept laws_. His reason is, because _the atheist never submitted his will to the will of God, whom he never thought to be_. And he concludeth that man’s obligation to obey God proceedeth from his weakness, (De Cive, XV. 7: vol. II. p. 336): _Manifestum est obligationem ad prestandam ipsi_ (Deo) _obedientiam, incumbere hominibus propter imbecilitatem_. First, it is impossible that should be a sin of mere ignorance or imprudence, which is directly contrary to the light of natural reason. The laws of nature need no new promulgation, being imprinted naturally by God in the heart of man. _The law of nature was written in our hearts by the finger of God, without our assent_; or rather, _the law of nature is the assent itself_. Then if nature dictate to us that there is a God, and that this God is to be worshipped in such and such a manner, it is not possible that atheism should be a sin of mere ignorance.