DEISTS, in the modern sense of the word, are those persons in christian countries, who, acknowledging' all the obligations and duties of natural religion, disbelieve the christian scheme, or re vealed religion. They are so called from their belief in God alone, in opposition to Christians. The late learned Dr. Clarke, taking the denomination in the most extensive signification, distinguishes Deists into four sorts. 1. Such as pre tend to believe the existence of an eter nal, infinite, independent, intelligent Be ing, and who teach that this Supreme Being made the world, though they fancy he does not at all concern himself in the management of it. 2. Those who believe not only in the being, but also the provi dence of God with respect to the natural world, but who, not allowing any differ ence between moral good and evil, deny that God takes any notice of the morally good or evil actions of men ; these things depending, as they imagine, on the arbi trary constitutions of human laws. 3.
Those who, having right apprehensions concerning the natural attributes of God, and his all governing providence, and some notion of his moral perfections also, yet being prejudiced against the notion of the immortality of the human soul, believe that men perish entirely at death, and that one generation shall perpetually succeed another, without any future re storation or renovation of things. 4. Such as believe the existence of a Supreme Being, together with his providence in the government of the world, as also the obligations of natural religion, but so far only, as these things are discoverable by the light of nature alone, without believ ing any divine revelation. These last are the only true Deists ; but as the princi ples of these men would naturally lead them to embrace the Christian revela tion, the learned author concludes there is now no consistent scheme of deism in the world.