His God, however, was
more than the creator and organiser of the Encyclopaedists, he was
also the "Dieu vengeur et remunerateur" in whom Voltaire believed.
But here his faith was larger than Voltaire's. For while Voltaire
referred the punishments and rewards to this life, the Abbe believed
in the immortality of the soul, in heaven and hell. He acknowledged
that immortality could not be demonstrated, that it was only
probable, but he clung to it firmly and even intolerantly. It is
clear from his writings that his affection for this doctrine was due
to its utility, as an auxiliary to the magistrate and the tutor, and
also to the consideration that Paradise would add to the total of
human happiness.
But though his religion had more articles, he was as determined a
foe of "superstition" as Voltaire, Diderot, and the rest. He did not
go so far as they in aggressive rationalism--he belonged to an older
generation--but his principles were the same.
The Abbe de Saint-Pierre thus represents the transition from the
earlier Cartesianism, which was occupied with purely intellectual
problems, to the later thought of the eighteenth century, which
concentrated itself on social problems.
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