f.4«, from f^e &i6rart of (profe66or ^amuef (Btiffer in (pernor)? of Siibge ^amuef (Qtiffer (grecftinribge ^rceenteb 6^ ^amuef (gUiffer Qgrecftinrib^e feon^ to f ^ &i6rarg of (princefon C^eofo^icaf ^eminarj? ^«^^<^ ^^ I /-^■^ ^ ^^6. u^^'v^-y THE WORKS SOAME JENYNS, Esq, IN TWO VOLUMES. INCLUDING SEVERAL PIECES NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED. TO WHICH ARE PREFIXED, SHORT SKETCHES OF THE HISTORY OF THE AUTHOR'S FAMILY, AND ALSO OF HIS LIFE; By CHARLES NALSON COLE, Esq^ VOL. IL DUBLIN: Jprtntca !)^ miniam porter, For p. Wogan, P. Byrne. W. Mc.Kenzie, J. Moore, J. Jones, Grueber and M'Allister, G. Draper, W. Jones, J. Milliken, and R. White. M,DCC,XC. FREE INC^UIRY INTO THE NATURE AND ORIGIN O F EVIL. IN SIX LETTERS TO AN ADDITIONAL PREFACE, AND SOME EXPLANATORY NOTES. A 2 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library http://www.archive.org/details/worksofsoamejeny02jeny PREFACE X HE author of the following letters is too well acquainted with human nature to be in the leafl: furprifed at the reception they have met with 5 that is, that they have been much liked, much cenfured, and little alTented to : Truth, he knows, has at all times been fo re- ceived ; for though by her native beauty fhe is fure to charm, yet from her repugnancy to moft men's interefts, fhe is feldom wel- come : politicians are afraid of her, parties deteft her, and all profefTions agree that fhe is mad, and very dangerous if fuffered to go about in public : he knows that mankind live all in mafquerade, and that whoever pre- fumes to come amongft them barefaced muft expe61: to be abufed by the whole alTembly : he could therefore have no motive for thus imparting his free fentiments to the public, except the did^ates of his own heart, which tell him, that it is every man's duty, who comes into the world, to ufe his beft endea- vours, however infignificant, to leave it as much [ 6 ] much wifer, and as much better as he can Induced bv this motive alone, he at firft un- dertook this inquiry; and now, actuated by the fame principle, and unprovoked by all the fenfelefs mifapprehenlions, and mahcious niirconftru6lions, with which it has been tor- tured, he will here, with all poffible concife- nefs, endeavour to explain thofe parts of it, which have been fo mifunderftood, or mifre- prefented, and give fatisfeftion to all, who are either able or willing to underftand it. The Hrft letter treats of evils in general, and endeavours to prove, that they all owe their exiftence^ not to any voluntary admif. fion of a benevolent Creator, but to the ne- ceffity of their own natures, that is, to the impoiTibility of excluding them from any i^y^" tern of created beings whatever; and that in all fuch fyftems, hov/evcr wifely contriv- ed, they muft have, and mud: at all times have had a place, i^gainft this but one ma- terial objeiSiion has been urged ; which is this, that, in order to make room for this neceffity of evil, the real exiftence of a pa- radiiiacal ftate is reprefented as at all times impoifible; and, confequently, the Mofaic account of that ilate is utterly exploded, on which the whole fabric of the Chriftian re- ligion is ere6led. How far the literal belief of that account is eifential to the true faith of a Chriftian need not be here decided ; be- caufe not the Icaft mention of it is made in this letter : and therefore this objeclion is in- tirely t 7 ] tirely founded on a miftake. The argument there made ufe of is only this, that fome have endeavoured to juftify the goodnefs of God from the introdudlion of evil, by alfert- ing, that at the beginning there was no fuch thing, but that, at nrft. all creation came out of his omnipotent hand, endued with abfolute perfe6lion, and free from all evil, both natural and moral : to fhew that this was an ancient opinion, fome lines are quot- ed from Ovid's Metamorpholis, defcribing the Golden Age, in fuch a ftate of perfect ' bappinels and innocence; on which the au- thor, thinking them to be no part of any one's creed, imagined himfelf at liberty to obferve, that from the nature of man, and the nature of this terreflrial globe, which he inhabits, the real exigence of fuch a fiate feemed impolTible; and therefore, that thefe defcriptions of it could be nothing more than amufing dreams and inchanting fables. This bears not the leaft reference to the Mofaic ac- count of Paradife, in which fuch a fiate of abfolute perfection, void of all evil, is fo far from being defcribed, that the ferpent, or the devil, the parent of all evil, is one of tke principal chara6lers of that hiftory; which therefore by no means contradicts the proportion here alTerted. The fecond letter undertakes to fliew, that evils of imperfection are in truth no evils at all; but only the abfence of com.parative good, refulting folely from the neceifary in- feriority [ 8 1 feriority of fome beings with regard to others, which cannot be prevented in a fyfletn of crea- tion, whofe very efTence conlifts in a chain of fubordination, defcending from infinite perfe6lion to abfolute nothing. To this like- wife one obje61ion only has been made; which is, that no fuch chain of fubordinate beings, reaching from infinite perfeftion to abfolute nothing, can, in fa61:, exift, for this notable reafon ; becaiife no being can approach next to infinite perfe6lion, nor any be contigu- ous to nothing. But this argument being no more than a quibble on metaphyiical terms, to which no precife ideas are affixed, neither deferves, nor is capable of an anfwer. The third letter treats of natural evils; and attempts to fhew, that moft of thefe, which we complain of, are derii^ed likewife from the fame fource; that is, from the im- perfection of our natures, and our ftation in theuniverfal fyftem: to this are added three conje6lures; firft, that many of our miferics may be owing to fome fecret, but invincible difpoiition, in the nature of things, that ren- ders it impracticable to produce pleafure ex- cluiive of pain; a certain degree of which muff therefore be endured by individuals, for the happinefs and well being of the whole; fecondly, that many other of our miferies may be infli6ied on us by the agen- cy of fuperior beings, to whofe benefit they may poffibly be as conducive as the deaths and fufierings of inferior animals are to ours; and [ 9 ] and laftly, that by tlie ancient c]o6lruie of tranfmigration, the miferies, which for the fake of general utility we are ol)liged to fuf- fer in one life, may be recompenced in ano- ther, and fo the divine goodnefs be fuilici- ently juflificd from the admiffion of them all. To every one of thefe fome obje6lions have been made : againft the firtt, it has been alledged, that this impraclicabiUty to produce pleafure without pain, whence arifes this utility of the fufFerings of individuals for the good of the whole, is merely a produc- tion of the author's own daring imaginati- on, founded on no reafon, and iupported by no proof. To which he anfwers, that he propofes it as a conje6lure only; but cannot think it ill-founded, fince it is confirmed by the appearance of every thing around us, and fince it is reafonable to believe, that a bene- volent Creator would not have permitted his creatures to have fufFered on any other terms. In ridicule of the fecond conjeclure, it has been afked, with an air ot humour, whether we can think it credible that fupe- rior beings fhould ride, or hunt, or roaft, or eat us, as we make ufe of inferior animals? Which queftion is moft properly to be an- fwered by another; v/hether, in the un- bounded fyftem of creation, there may not be numberlefs methods, by which beings of different orders may be fubfervient to each others ufes, totally above the reach of our compreheniions? To doubt of which would be [ lo ] be like the incredulity of the ignorant pea- fant, who can fcarce be perfuaded to believe that there is any thing in the world, feme fpecimen of which he has not beheld within the narrow limits of his own parifh. To the laft it is objeiled, that the doclrine of tranf^ migration being only the fanciful and explod- ed opinion of fome ancient philofophers, in the times of darknefs, ought not, by the au- thor, to have been here advanced in dire6l contradiction to the faith and tenets of the Chriftian religion : to which he replies, that he neither propofes this do6lrine as an arti- cle of his own belief, or impofes it on others; but mentions it only as the mod rational con- jecture of the human mind, uninformed by jfupernatural affiftance, concerning a future itate; that it is confirmed by Revelation he does not pretend, but that it directly contra- dicts it, by no means appears. So lilent are the fcriptures concerning the flate of the foul between death and the refurre6tion, that the moil: learned divines ftill widely differ on that fubject; fome maintaining that it enters immediately into a flate of retribu- tion; others, of fleep; and others, of pur- gation from paft offences : why therefore is it more repugnant to the fenfe of thefe writ- ings to fuppofe, that it may pofiibly animate other bodies during that period, aiid, at the laft day, receive fuch puijifhments or re- wards as are due on the whole account of its paft behaviour ? Thus the probability of eve* ry [ II ] ry one of thefe conje6lurcs feems to be fufl ficiently eltablifhed, and they appear per- fe6lly confiftcnt with reafon, and not at all contradictory to revelation. The fourth letter endea^'ours to account for moral evil: the moft arduous part of the whole undertaking; to which end it attempts to fhew, that the common opinion, which derives it folely from the abule of free-will in man, is ineffectual for that purpofe; and that therefore, though its very elfence con- lifts in the produ61ion of natural evil, yet it could never have been admitted into the works of a juft: and beneficent Creator, if it had not fome remote and collateral tendency to univerfal good, by anfwering fome ends beneficial to the immenfe and incompre- henfible whole; one of which may pof^ iibly be the converiion of unpreventable miferies into juft punifhments by the production of guilt, without which they muft have been infliCted on perfeCt innocence. To this account of the origin of moral evil, not only many weighty objections have been made, but on it many imputa« tions have been laid of a moft formidable nature, as that it makes God the caufe of all wickednefs, deftroys free-will in man, and confequently roots up the foundation of all virtue and moralit\' whatever; and it is, moreover, charged with inconfifiency and felf-contradiCtion through every part. To all this the author replies only, that he is afl fured. [ 13 ] fured, that, if any intelligent reader will perufe the whole letter together with candor and attention, it will evidently appear that thefe accufations are entirely groundlels. He makes no manner of doubt, but that man is endued with free-will, and is juftly punifh- able for the abufe of it; and hopes he has fo expreifed himfelf, through this whole piece, as to leave no uncertainty of his opinion on that queftion : all he means is, that though the abufe of free-will is undoubtedly the im- mediate caufe of moral evil, yet it cannot from thence derive its original admiffion in- to the works of a benevolent Creator; be- caufe man, not being a felf-exifl:ent and in- dependent being, muft receive that will it- felf, together with his nature and formati- on, from the fupreme Author of all things; for which reafon he cannot apprehend, that the general wickednefs of mankind caa be an accident proceeding from their unforefeen wrong eledlions, by which the whole benevo- lent fyftem is defeated ; but muil be a part, and -a material part too, of the original plan of creation, wifely calculated by the incom- prehenfible operations of vice and punifh- ment, to promote the good and happinefs of the w^hole. For to alTert, that any thing has happened which God did not intend, or that he intended any thing which did not happen, is a language which may be allowed to the poet or the orator, but never to the philofo- pher; unlefs we can fuppofe, that omnifci- ence [ 13 ] ence can be difappoiuted, and omnipotence defeated. As to inconliftency, he denies not the charge; but believes he is not more in- confiftent than all who have undertaken to write on the fame fabjeft : the fcriptures themfelvcs are guilty of the fame feeming inconliftency on this head ; they all prefent man as a being perfc6lly free, punifliablcjand puniflied for his mifbehaviour; yet as con- i\antly fpeak of him as a creature deriving all his thought, will, and difpofitions from his Creator, and under his perpetual influ- ence and dire6tion; the appearance of in- confiftency, in which two propoiitions, both undoubtedly true, proceeds only from our ignorance in the nature and limits of free- will, and divine influence, and our inability to compirehend them. In the latter part of this letter a few hints are flung out, to fhew that on the principles of the foregoing theo- ry fome of the moft abftrufe doctrines of the Chriftian revelation of original lin, grace, pre- deftination, and vicarious punifhment, might be rendered reconcileable to the fl:ri6teft rea- fon; a propofal from whence furelv much advantage might accrue to the caufe of Chrif- tianity in general, and by which pofnblv fome articles of our ov/n church might be proved to be much lefs incompatible Vv^ith common fcnfe than they are thought to ba by all thofe who will not fubfcribe them and by many who do^L. with this, two claiFes of men are particularly offended ; the ration- al f [ 14 ] al diflentersj as theypleafeto call themfelves> and the methodiils : the former of thefe having arbitrarily expunged out of their bi- bles every thing which appears to them con- tradi6lory to reafon, that is, to their own reafon, or, in other words, every thing w^hich they cannot underftand, are difpleafed to fee thofe tenets explained, which they have thought proper to rejeft : the latter, having embraced thefe very do61rines only becaufe they appeared unintelligible, are unwilling to fee them cleared up, and afraid left thofe dark and thorny covers fhould be laid open, under which they have fo long fheltered themfelvesfrom the rays of reafon: with either of thefe all debate would be vain and ufe- lefs ; becaufe the firft, though for the moft part honeft, religious, and learned men, are unable to comprehend any reafoning, which foars above the limits of their own confined literature and education ; and the others are determined to liften to no reafoning at all, having w^ith all reafon and common fenfe de- clared eternal warfare. The deiign of the fifth letter is to ftiew, that in the government of fuch imperfe6l creatures as m.en over each other there muft be much unavoidable evil; that all human governments, whether of the monarchical, popular, or mixed kinds, were at firft found- ed on force or intereft, and muft ever be fup- ported by the fame means, that is, by com- pullion or corruption, both of which muft be [ IS ] he produ6tive of innumerable evils; that thele ought not to be imputed to God, be- caufe he could not have prevented them v/ithout the total alteration of human na- ture ; much lefs can they be eradicated by men ; but that they may in fome meafure be lelfened by the diminution of moral evil, from which all political evils are derived ; and therefore that we ought quickly to fub- mit to thefe evils, when they do not arife to any intolerable degree, and to apply princi- pally that remedy to the faults of govern- ment, which is ever the moft effe61:ual, that is, the amendment of our own. It is no wonder, that a lelTon fo difagreeable to the . reftlefs humours of molt men, and fo repug- nant to the arts and ends of fa6tion, fhould call up againft the author many opponents, who have liberally beftowed on him the ti- tles of enemy to liberty, and an advocate for corruption, with the fame juftice that a phylician might be ftiled an enemy to health, and an advocate for the gout, who in that diftemper prefcribes patience and temperance, rather than fuch inflaming medicines as might convert it into a more dangerous difeafe. All that he has alTerted in this letter amounts to no more than this: that no government can fubiilt without fome principle of govern- ing; that is, that men cannot be governed without fome means by which their obedi- ence can be obtained ; a proportion, which feems as inconteflible, as that every effeft muft [ 16 ] niufi: have a caufe. That all government muft be difagreeable to thofe who are go- verned, is demonftrable from the nature and eflence of government itfel^ which being nothing more than a compullion of indivi- duals to a6t in fuch a manner in fupport of ibciety, as they are neither wife nor honeft enough to do from the fuggeftions of their own heads or hearts; this compullion muft be contrary to both their judgments and in- clinations, and confequently difagreeable, and for that reafon perpetually refifted : fbme method muft therefore be made ufe of to overcome this reiiftance, and what that me- thod can be, except force or intereft, he can- not find out : he is an advocate for neither, except from their neceffity; and if any one will point out another, he will readily de- clare his difapprobation of them both. The iixth and laft letter proceeds upon the fame plan as the reft, and endeavours to ihew, that religious evils, that is, the defe6ls fo vilible in all human religions, and the mifchievous confequences refulting from them, are not owing to any want of wifdom or goodnefs in our Creator, but proceed, like ail others, from our nature and fituation, and the impra61icability of giving a perfe6l religion to an imperfedi creature. In order to explain this, it was necelfary to point out the particular imperfections, which in fa6t do exift in all human religions, whether na- tural or revealed ; not with any defign to depreciate [ I? ] depreciate the one, or to invalidate the au* thority of the other, but only to account for them confidently with God's wifdom and benevolence • thofe .charged upon natural re- ligion have been readily enough agreed to, but thofe imputed to revelation have offended many, who have from thence conlidered the whole of this enquiry as intended fecretly to undermine the foundations of Chriftiani- ty, than which nothing can be more averfe from the intentions, as well as from the fen- timents of the author; but indeed many late deiftical writers have attacked that religion fo unfairly, by infinuating many cavils, which they dared not exprefs, that they have made it very difficult for any one to treat freely on that fubje6l, without incurring the fufpicion of the fame iniincerity: of all fuch diiinoenuous artifices the author iincerely de- clares his utmoil: deteftation, and begs to be underftood to mean all that he exprefTes, and nothing more; he folemnly profeiTes, that by recounting thefe imperfedlions, he is fo far from entertaining any fecret dciigns defi:ru6tive to that facred inftitution, that by- it he intended not only to wreft cut of the hand of infidelity thofe weapons, with which it has ever been moR fucceltfully alTaulted, but alfo to obviate all thofe doubts and dif- ficulties which frequently occur to the minds of thinking men, though no infidels, on viewing the deplorable ftate in which all hu- man religion has continued throughout all Vol. II, B ages. [ • 18 ] ages, and the inefle6lual affiflance it has re-^ ceived even from this divine interpolition itfelf, by no means exempted from number- lefs evils and imperfe6lions : to thofe, who perceive none of thefe imperfe6tions5 and confequential evils, he means not to write, nor debres to let in any new light on their tender organs, which can ferve only to dif^ t'jrb their prefent repofe; nor does he afpire to the honour of working for tbofe middle- fized underftandings, who can be well fitted with ready-made arguments from every pul- pit: to the learned, impartial, fagacious, and inquiiitive, he alone applies; the eftabliih. ing one of whom in a rational and well- grounded belief of the Chriftian Religion does more real fervice to that caufe, than the e ililiing legions under that denomination whofe immoveable iaith proceeds only from their ignorance ; that is, who believing with- or.t any reafon, cau poffibly have no rcafon for doubting. To account for the corruption of religion, it was necefTary to fpecify the particular abufes, and abufers of it; and here the author could fcarcely overlook the cler- gy; but he hopes that nothing has efcaped his pen, that can throw the leaft refie6fion upon them as clergy, but as men only, fub. jecl to the fame imperfections, and a61uated by the fame pafiions as other men, and pur- fuing the ends of felf intereft and ambition by the fame paths, in which all others would have trod, condu6led by the fame tempta- tions [ 19 ] tions and opportunities ; he has treated them with no more freedom than he has df)ne princes and parliaments^, miniflfis and patri. ots, coiiqaerors and heroes, and his work would admit of no partiahty; fiire he is, that nothing he has faid can bear the moft dii^ant relation to the prefent cleigv of this country, whom he lincerely thinks are a bo- dy of men as honeft, learned, and unpreju- diced, as ever exifted, and for whofe per- fons and profeffion he has the higheit regard. In another part of this letter there is an afl lertion, which has given fome oifence; which is, that ei^ery religion muft be cor- rupted as ioon as it becomes eftabliflied; this has been thought a refie61ion upon all nation-d.1 churches, and a perfuaiion to fchifm and dilTention ; but thofe who think thus, totally mifapprehend the tenor of this whole work, which endeavours to prove that every thing human muft be attended with evils, which therefore ought to be fubmitted to with patience and re'isnation; that many imperfe6\ions v;ili adhere to all governments and religions in the hands of men, but that thefe, unlefs they rife to an intolerable de- gree, will not juftify oi.r rciiilance to the one, or our diifei'tion from the other; the alfertion itfelf, the author cannot retract, but the inference, whictrhe delires mav be drawn from it, is bv.no means ta\H)urable to diflentions, becaufe from them hos^can per- ceive no remedy, which c5lq accrue to thefe B a evils: [ 30 ] evils; for If it was every one's duty to defert a national church on account of thofe cor- ruptions which proceed from its eftablifh- ment, and this duty was univerfally compli- ed with, let us fee the confequence ! one of thefe things muft neceffarily follow : either that fome diffentionof fuperior purity, vv^hich ufually arifes from its being a diffention, muft be eftabliftied in its room, or no reli- gion muft be eftaWifned at all; if the fir ft of thefe methods fhould take place, the end propofed by it would by itfelf be entirely defeated ; becaufe that purer religion which was eftabliilied, would by that very eftablifh- ment become equally corrupt with that which was deferted ; and fo the fame reafon would eternally remain for a new diffention : if the latter fhould be taken, that is, to eftablifh no religion at all ; this would be fo far from producing the intended reformation, that it would let in fach an inundation of enthu- iiafm and contradiftory abfurdities, as muit in a fhort time dellroy not only all religion, but all peace and morality v;hatever ; of which no one can entertain the leafl: doubt, who is not totally unacquainted both with the nature and hiftoryof mankind. From whence it isplain, that all diifentions from a national church, not in itfelf linful, arile from ignorance ; that is, from a kind of fiiort-fightednefs, which enal)les men to pry out every imper- fection within their reach, but prevents their difcerning the more remote neceffity for tliofe imper- I 21 ] imperfedlions, and the danger of amending them. To conclude; the author of this enquiry having heard it fo much, and as he thought fo unjuftly cakimniated, has reviewed it with all poffible care and impartiality, and though he finds many things in the ftiie and compo- fition, which have need enough of amende ment, he fees nothing in the fentiments which ought to be retracted. His intentions were to reconcile the numerous evi s fo con- fpicuous in the creation, with the wifdom, power, and goodncfs of the Creator; to fhev/ that no more of them are admitted by ni.n, than are neceffary towards promoting uni- verfal good ; and from thence to perfuade men to an entire reiignation to his ail Vv'ife, but incompreheniible difpenfations. To af- certain the nature of virtue, and to enforce the practice of it; to prove the certainty of a future ftate, and the juftice of the rewards and punifhments that will attend it; tore- commend fubmiflion to national govern- ments, and conformity to national religion?, notwithftanding the eidls and detedls, hich muft unavoidably adhere to them ; and laft- ly, to (hew the excellence and credibility of the Chriftian revelation, to reconcile fome of its moft abftrufe docSlrines with reafon, and to anfwer all thofe objedlions to its autho- rity, which have been drawn from its im- perfections and abufes ; thefe, and thefe on- ly, vi^ere the intentions of the author; and if, [ 22 ] if, after all, a work fo defigned, however unably executed, fhould by the united force of ijjnorance and nnalevolence, of fa6iion, bigotrv, and enthuiiafm, be reprefented as iritrodu61ive of fatalifm, immorality, flave- rv, corruption, and inndelit;/, he fhall be ]itLle concerned, and fhall only look upon it as nn additional inftance of that irn.perfe6ii- on of oiankind, which he has here treated of; from them he defires only an exemption from calumny i honour and applaufe he has not the vanity to hope for; thefe, he knows, they beflow not on their benefa<51ors or in- ftrudlors, but refcrve for thofe alone who de- ceive, difturb, and deftroy them. LET- r 33 ] LETTER I. ON EVIL IN GENERAL. Sir, H A V I N G enjoyed the pleafure of ma- ny accidental conferences with you on me- taphylkal, moral, political, and religious fubje^ts; on which you ever feemcd to con- verfe with more fagacity, as well as more candor, than is ufual on the hke occaiions; I imagined it might not be unentcrtaining either to you or myfelf^ to put together my fentiments on thefe important topics, and communicate them to you from time to time as the abfence of bufineis, or of more agree- able amufements, may aftbrd me opportuni- ty. This I propofe to do under the general title of an Inquiry into the Nature and Ori- gin of Evil; an inquiry which will compre- hend them all, and which, I think, has never been attended to with that diligence it deferves, nor with that fucceis, which might have been hoped for from that little that has been bellowed upon it. The right miderfianding of this abftrufe fpeculation, I look upon to be the only folid foundation, on which any rationalfvflcm of ethics can be built; for it feems impoffible, that men fhould ever arrive at any juft ideas of their Creator or his attributes, any proper notions of [ 34 ] of their relation to hirr, or their duty to each other, without firft fettling in their minds fome fatisfaftory foliition of this im- portant queftion, Whence came E^uilP Whilfl we find ourfeU'es liable to inni merable niife- ries in this life; appreheni've of ftill great- er in another, and can gi'^'e no probable ac- count ot this our wretched lituatiori, what fentiments muft we entertain of the juftice and benevolence of our Creator, who placed US in it, without our folicitations or confent? The works of the creation fufficiently de* iTionftrate his exiftence ; their beauty, per- fection, and magnificence, his infinite pow- er and wifdomj but it is the happinefs only which we enjoy or hope for, which can con- vince us of his goodneis. It is the folution therefore of this impor- tant queOioa alone, that can afccrtain the moral charadterifiic of God, and upon that only iDufi all hum,an virtue eternally depend. If tliere's a power above us, (And th^t there 'sali Nature cries aloud Thro' al! her vv'orks) he iTiUft delight in virtue, And that which he delights in, rnufi be happy. But fbould this divine reaf mi ng of the phi- lofophrr be at lea{> incoi;cluiive;- could we once entertain fi-ch blafphumous notions of the >^upreme Being, as that he might not de- light in virtue, neither adhere to it himfelf, nor reward it in others: that he could make any part of his creation miferablc, or ^nffer them to make themfelves fo without a juft caufe t 25 1 caiife and a benevolent end, all moral confi- derations mull: be vain and ufclefs; we can have no rule by which to direct our a61ions, nor if we had, any kind of obligation to purfue it ; nor in this cai'e can any revelati- on in the leail affift us, the belief of all re. velation being in its own nature fubfequent, not only to the belief of God's exiftence, but of hisjuftice and veracity; for if God can injure us, he may alfo deceive us ; and then there is an end of all diftinviHons between good and evil, truth and falfehood, and of all confidence in God and man. I mean not by this to inf nuate the leall poiTibility of a doubt conceruiiig the juilice or goodnefs of our Creator, but only to fliew the importance of this inquiry, and the uti- lity of it towards fettling our notions of his attributes, and the regulation of our ov^^n be- haviour in conformity to them. I intend not by it to prove the benevolence of r.od, but to reconcile the miferies we fee and fuf- fer, with that incontrovertible benevolence; I deiign not to fhew that God approves vir- tue, but that the admiffion of moral evil is not inconfiftent with that undoubted appro- bation; nor would I be urderi^ood to allert, that our obligation to be virtuous depends on this abftrufe fpeculation, but only that our right underOanding it will remove all doubts concerning th^ nature of virtue, and our obligation to purfue it, and fix them ou the moll firm and irainoveable bails. To C 35 3 To find out therefore how evil of any kind can be the production of infiaite goodnefs, joined with infinite power, Ihould be the firlt llep in all cur religious inquiries ; the examination into which wonderful paradox will lead us into many ufeiul and fublime truths ; and its perfe6f comprehenlion, was that poilible for our narrow capacities, would> I doubt not, make as furpriling difcoveries in the moral world, as mathematical andphy- fical knowledge have in the natural. To clear up this difficulty, fome ancient philofophers have had recourfe to the fup- pofition of two firfi: caufes, one good, and the other evil, perpetually counteracting each other's deiigns. This fyffem was after- wards adopted by the Manickcean herefy, and has iince been defended by the ingeni- ous Monf. Bayle: but as the fuppofition of two firft caufes is even in itfelf a contradic- tion, and as the whole fcheme has been de- monftrated by the beft metaphyfical writers to be as falfe as it is impious, all further ar- guments to difprove it would be needlefs. Others have endeavoured to account for this by the introduction of a golden age, or paradiiiacal ftate, in which all was innocence and happinefs. Patia metufque aherafity nee verba m'niaclaf.xo JEre legehantur^ tiec fupplex turba timekat yudicis orafui : fed erant fine vindice tuti. When man yet new, ^ No rule but uncorrupted reafon knew, V- ' And with a native bent did good purfuc j j Unforced 1 [ 27 1 Unforced by punlflimcnt, unaw'd by fear. His words were fimple and his foul fmccrc : Needlefs was written law, when none oppreft, The law of man was written in his brca!t : No fuppliant crowds before the judge appear'd, ~) No court erected yet, nor caufc was heard, ^ But all was fafe, for confcience was their guard. j Ver erat aternum^ phuidique tepetitibus aurh Mulcebatit Zephyri natos fine femine Jlores t Jldox ettam frames tellus iuarata ferebdty 2^ec renovatus ager gravidis Ciinebat anjl'is^ Fluminajam Inclis^ jjinflumina neciaris ibant^ Flavaque de viridijlillabunt ilice mella. The flow'rs unfown in fields and meadows reign'd^ And weflern winds immortal fpring maintain'd. In following years the bearded corn enfu'd From each unafk (.1, nor was that earth renew'd. From veins of valleys milk and nectar broke, And honey fweated from the pores of oak. Aaiufing dreams ! as abfurd in philofophy, as in poetry delightful ! For though it is probable, from the moft ancient hiftories, as well as from analogy drawn from the reft of Nature's produ6tions5 that the world might he more happy and more innocent in it^ in- fancy, than in more advanced ages; yet that it could ever be totally free from vice and mifery, may eadly, I think, be proved im- poffible, both from the nature of this ter. reft rial globe, and the nature of its inhabi- tants. So that thefe inchanting fcenes can in fa6\ never have exifted ; but if they had, the Ihort duration of this perfection is equal- ly inconliftent with infinite power, joined to in-inite wifdom and goodnels, as any origi- nal imperfe£lions whatever. Fables then of this [ 28 ] this kind can never in the leaft account for the origin of evil ; they are all but mean expedients, which will never be able to take away the difficulty, and can at moft but ob- fcure it, by fhifting it a little backward into a lefs clear light ; like that Indian philoib- phy, accounting for the fupport of the world, which informs us, that it is fuftained by a vafi: elephant, and that elephant by a tor- toife, and then prudently drops any further inquiry. The divines and moralifts of later ages feem perfe6tly fatisEed that they have loofed this Gordian knot, by imputing the fource of all evil to the abufe of free-will in created beings. God, they fay, never deiigned any fuch thing fliould exift as evil, moral or na- tural ; but that giving to fome beings, for good and wife purpofes, a power of free- agency, they perverted this power to bad ends, contrary to his intentions and com- mands ; and thus their accidental wicked- nefs produced confequential mifery. But to fuppofe in this manner, that God intended all things to be good and happy, and at the fanie time gave being to creatures able and walling to obftru6t his benevolent dciigns, is a notion fo inconiiftcnt with his wifdom, goodnefs, omnifcience, and omnipotence, that it feems equally unphilofophical, and more evidently abfurd than the other. They have been led into this error by ricliculoully judging of the difpenfations of a Creator to his [ 29 ] his creatures, by the fame rules which they apply to the dealings of men towards each other ; between which there is not the leaft proportion or limilitude. A man who en- deavours, to the utmoft of his power, to make others virtuous and happy, however unfuccefsful, is fufficiently juftified ; but in a Being omnipotent and omnifcient, the caufe of all caufes, the origin of all thought, will and aclion ; who fees all things paft, pre- fent and to come, in one inftantaneous view, the cafe is widely different ; his active and permiffive will muft be exactly the fame; and, in regard to him, all confequential and future evils, through every moment of time, are a6luariy prefent. Since therefore none of thefe pretended folutions can, I am certain, give fatisfadlion to your compreheniive underftanding, let us now try to find out one more rational and more confiftent with the analogy of every thing around us. That there is a fupreme Being infinitely powerful, wife, and benevolent, the great Creator and Freferver of all things, is a truth fo clearly demonftrated, that it fhaii here be taken for granted. That there is alfo inthe univerfalfvfiem of things, the works of his almighty hand, much milery and v/ickednels, that is, much natural and mo- ral evil, is another truth, of which ei'cry hour's fatal experience cannot fail to con- vince us. How th^fe two undoubted, yet feeming- [ 30 ] leemlng contradiclcrv truths can be recon* ciled, that is, how ev-ils of any fort could have place in the works of an omnipotent and good Being, is very di.licult to account for. If we alfert that he could not prevent them, we de'lroy his power, if that he would not, we arraign his goodnefs; and therefore his power and goodnefs cannot both be infinite. But however conclufive this argument niciy feem, there is fomewhere or other an error in it; and this error I take to arile from our wrong notions of omnipotence. Omnipotence cannot work contradidtions, it can only effedl: all poliible thiu'^s. But fo little are we acquainted with the whole fyf- tem of nature, that we know not what are polnble, and what are not; but, if we may judge from that conftant mixture of pain Vv^ith pleafare, and of inconvenience with ad- vantage, which v;e muft obferve in every thing around us, we have reafon to conclude, that to endue created beings with perfe61:ion, that is, to produce good excluiive of evil is one of thofe impolTibilities which even inti- nite power cannot accompli fh. The true folution then of this inccmpre- henfible paradox m.ufi: be this, that all evils owe their exiftence folely to the neceility of their own natures; by which I mean, they could not poflibly have been prevented, without the lofs of fome fuperior good, or the jiermiili^n of fome greater evil tha-n themfelves [ 31 ] themfelves ; or that many evils will unavoid- ably infinuate themfelves by the natural re- lations and circumiiances of things, into the nioi^ perlect fvltem of created beings, even inoppofition to the will of an Almighty Crea- tor, by reafon they cannot be excluded with- out working contradi6lions; which not be- ing proper obje6^s of power, it is no dimi- nution of omnipotence to affirm that it can- not effeft them. And here it will be proper to make a pre- vious apology for an expreiTion, which will frequently occur in the following pages, which is, that God cannot do fuch and fuch things; by which is always to be underftood not any retrenciiment of the divine omnipo- tence, but only that fuch things are in their own natures impracticable, and impofTible to be performed. That the Almighty fhould be thus limit- ed, and circumfcribed by the nature of things^ of which he himfeif is the author, may to fome feem not very intelligible; but fbrely it is not at all difficult to conceive, tliat in every poffible method of ordering, difpoiing, and framing the unii^erfal fyftem of things, fuch numberlefs inconveniences might neceiTarily arife, that all that infinite power and v/ifdom could do, was to make choice of that method, winch was attended with the leaft and feweft; and this not pro- ceeding from any defe6t of power in the Creator, but from that imprefiion which is inherent in the nature of all created things. This [ 32 ] This neceffity, I imagine, is what the an- cients meant by fate, to which they fancied that Jupiter and all the gods were obliged to fubmit, and which was to be controuled by no power whatever. The Stoicks feenn ta have had fome dark and unintelligible no- tions of this kind, which they neither un- derftood themfelves. nor knew how to ex- plain to others; that the untraftablenefs of matter was the caufe of evil ; that God Vvould have made all things perfe6^, but that there was in matter an evil bias repugnant to his benevolence, which drew another way, whence arofe all manner of evils. Of the like kind is a maxim of the fame philofo- phers, that pain is no evil; which, if aflert- ed with regard to the individuals who fufFer it, is downright nonfenfe; but if confidered as it affe6ls the univerfal lyflem, is an un- doubted truth, and means only that there is no more pain in it than what is necefTary to the produclion of happinels. How many foever of thefe evils then force themfelves into the creation, fo long as the good pre- ponderates, it is a work well worthy of in- finite wifdom and benevolence ; and not- withftanding the imperfections of its parts, the whole is moil: undoubtedly perfedl. Hence then we mav plainly fee that much evil may exift, Dot at all inconlittent with the power and goodnefs of God; and the further we purfue this clue, the more we ihall, at every Hep, difcern new lights break out. [ 33 ] out, which will difcover clearly numberlels examples, where the infinite power and good- nefs of God is fairly reconcileable with the mifery and wickednefs of his creatures, from the impoffibility of preventing them; and if, in the very fmall part of the univerfai l)'ftem that lies within the reach of our im* perfect capacities, many inftances of this kind appear, in which they are vilibly con- liftent, we ought, with theutmoft alTurance, to conclude what is undoubtedly true, that they are really fo in all, though we are not able to comprehend them. This is the kind of faith moft worthy of the human un- derftanding, and moft meritorious in the fight of God, as it is the offspring of reafon, as well as the parent of all virtue and re- fignation to the jufl, but unfcrutable difpen- fations of providence. But in order more clearly to explain this abftrufe fpeculation, it will be necefTary to divide evils into their different fpecies, and beftow on each a feparate conlideration. This I fhall do under the following heads : Evils of Imperfedlion, Natural Evils, Mo- ral Evils, Political Evils, and Religious Evils ; which, I think, will comprehend mofl of thofe to which human nature is un- happily liable. And now, Sir, Icfl I fhould add one more evil to this melancholy cata- logue, which is that of a long and tedious cpiftle, I fhall referve the examination into each of thefe particulars for the fubjecl of a Vol. U, C future [ 34 1 future letter ; and conclude this, by afTuring you tliat I am. Sir, &c. "I II Diiiiiiiiniiiiiiwi LETTER II. on evils of imperfection. Sir, N purfliance of the plan propofed in my laft, 1 fliall now proceed to examine into the nature of each particular kind of evil, and in the firft place of thofe therein deno- minated evils of imperfection; which are in truth no evils at all, but rather the abfence of fome comparative good ; and therefore I fhall not have occafion to detain you long on this part of my fabje6l. No fyftem can poffibly be formed, even in imagination, without a fubordination of parts. Every animal body muft have dif~ ferent members fubfervient to each other; every piilure muft be compofed of various colours, and of light and fhade; all harmo- ny muft be formed of trebles, tenors, and balTes ; every beautiful and ufeful edifice muft confift of higlicr and lower, more and kls magnificent apartments. This is in the very [ 35 ] very cffence of all created things, and tliere^ fore cannot be prevented by any means what, ever, iinlefs by not creating them at all: for which reafon, in the formation of the univerfe, God was obliged, in order to car- ry on tliat jufl: fubordination fo necefTary to the very exiftence of the whole, to create beings of different ranks; and to beftow on various fpecies of animals, and alfo on the individuals of the fame fpecies, various de- grees of underftanding, firength, beauty and perfe6l:ion; to the comparative want of which advantages we give the names of fol- ly, Vv^eaknefs, deformit\^, and imperfeftion, and very unjuftly repute them evils; where- as in truth they are bleiTings as far as they extend, though of an inferior degree. They are no more a61ual evils, than a fmall efiate is a real misfortune, becaufe many may be pofTeffed of greater. Whatever we enjoy, is purely a free gift from our Creator; but that we enjoy no more, can never lure be deemed an injury, or a juil: reafon to queftion his infinite bene- volence. All our happinefs is owing to his goodnefs ; but that it is no greater, is owing only to ourfelves, that is, to our not having any inherent right to any happinef--, or even to any exiftence at all. This is no more to be imputed to God, than the wants of a beg- gar to the perfon who ha< relieved him : that he had foxnething, was owing to ' is ' enefac- tor; but that he had no more enly to his original poverty. C % They [ S6 ] They who look upon the privation of all the good they fee others enjoy, or think pof- lible for infinite power to beftow, as poiitive evil, imderftand not that the univerfe is a fyftem v/hofe very effence coniifts in fubor- dination ; a fcale of beings defcending by infenlible degrees from infinite perfe6tion to abfohite nothing; in which though w^e may juftly expe6l to find perfetilion in the whole, could we polfibly comprehend it; yet would it be the highcft abfurJity to hope for it in ail its parts, becaufe the beauty and happi- ncfs of the whole depend altogether on the juft inferiority of its parts, that is, on the comparative imperfe6lions of the feveral be- ings of which it is compofed. it would have been no more an inftance of God's wifdom to have created no beings but of the higheft and moft perfe6^ order, than it would be of a painter's art to cover his whole piece with one lingle colour the moll beautiful he could compofe. Had he confin- ed himfelf to fuch, nothing could have exiff- ed but demi-gods or arch-angels, and then all inferior orders muft have been void and uninhabited : but as it is furely more agree- able to infinite benevolence, that all thefe fhould be filled up with beings capable of enjoying happineis themfelves, and contri- buting to that of others, they mull: nccefTa- rily be filled with inferior beings, that is, with fuch as rre lefs perfedl, but from wliofe exiilence, no.Vkdthfianding that lefs perfe61i- on. [ 37 ] on, more felicity upon the whole accrues to the univerfe, than ii no fuch had been creat- ed. It is moreover highly probable, that there is fuch a conne^lion between all ranks and orders by fuborduiate degrees, that they mutually fupport each other's exiftence, and everv one in its place is r.bfolutely neceiFary tov/ards fuftaining the whole vail and mag- niticent fabric. You fee, therefore, that it is utterly im- prafticable, even for infinite power, to ex- clude from creation this neceiiary inferiority of fome beings in comparilbn with others. All that it can do is to make each as happy as their refpe61ive lituations will permit: and this it has done in lb e5;traordinary a manner, as to leave the benevolence of our great Creator not to be doubted of; for though he cannot make all fuperior, yet in the difpenfations of his bleflings, his wifdom and goodnels both are well worthy the high- eft admiration; for, amongft all the wide diftinctions which he was obliged to make in the dignity and perte6lions of his crea- tures, he has made much lefs in their hap- pinefs than is ufually imagined, or indeed can be believed from outward appearances. He has given many advantages to brutes, which man cannot attain to with all his fu- periority, and many probably to man which are denied to angels; amongft which his ig- norance is perhaps none of the leaft. With regard to him, though it v/as necefTary to the t 38 ] the great purpo% of human Hfe to bellow riches, underftanding, and health, on indi- viduals in very partial proportions; yet has the Almighty ib contrived the nature of things, that happinefs is diftributed with a more equal hand. His goodnefs, we may obferve, is always ftriving with thefe our ne- cefTary imperfections, and fetting bounds to the inconveniences it cannot totally prevent, by balancing the wants, and repaving the ful^erings of all by fome kind of equivalent naturally refulting from their particular Rtu- ations and circumftances. Thus, for exam- i3le, poverty or the want of riches is gene- rally compenfated by having more hopes and fewer fears, by a greater fhare of health, and a more exquifite relifh of the fmalleft enjoyments than thofe w^ho polfefs them are ulually blefied with. The want of tafte and genius, with all the pleafures that arife from th-^^T), are cou^.monly recompenced by a more uf -fui kind of common- fen fe, together with a wonderful delight, as well as fucceis, in the bufv purfuits of a fcrambling w^orld. The fuffering^s of the iickare greatly relieved by many tripling oratiPications imperceptible to others, fometimes aimoft repaid by the inconceivable tranfports occaiioned by the return of health and vigour. Folly cannot be very grievous, becaufe imp.^rceptib!e ; and I do- :bt not but there is fome truth in that rant of a mad poet, that there is a plca- fure in being mad, which none but madmen knoWo [ 39 ] know. Ignorance, or the want of know- ledge and literature, the appointed lot of all born to poverty, and the drud aeries of life, istlie only opiate capable of infufing that in- fentibility whicJi can enable them to endure the miferies of the one, and the fatigues of the other. It is a cordial adminiRered by the gracious hand of providence; of which they ought never to be deprived by an ill- judged and improper education. It is the baiis of all fubordination, the fupport of fo- ciety, and the privilege of individuals; and I have ever thought it a moft remarkable in- ftance of the divine wifdom, that whereas in all animals, whofe individuals rife little above the rell of their fpecies, knowledge is inftin6live; in man, whofe individuals are fo widely different, it is acquired by education; by which means the prince and the labourer, the philofopherand the pealant, ^re in fome meafure fitted for their refpec- tive (ituations. The fame parental care ex- tends to every part of the animal creation. Brutes are exempted from numberlefs anxi- eties, by that happy want of recolle6fion on paft, and apprehenfion of future fuffcrings, which are annexed to their inferiority. Thofe amongftthem who devour others, are taught by nature to difpatch them as ealily aspoffible; and man, the moft mercilefs de- vourer of all, is induced, by his own adi^an- tage, to feaft thofe deligned for his fuftc- nance, the more luxurioufiy to feaft upon them [ 40 ] them himfelf. Thus mifery, by all pofTiblq methods, is dimiaulied or repaid; and hap- pinefs, like fluids, is ever tending towards an equilibrium. But was it ever fo unequally divided, our pretence for complaint could be of this only, that we are not fo high in the icale of exifi:- ence as our ignorant ambition may deiire : a pretence which muft eternally fubfifl; be- caufe, v/erewe ever fo much higher, there would be ftill room for infinite power to ex- alt us ; and iince no link in the chain can be broke, the fame reafon for difquiet muft re- main to thofe who fucceed to that chafm, which muft be occafioned by our preferment. A man can have no reafon to repine, that he is not an angel ; nor a horfe, that he is not a man ; much lefs, that in their feveral ftations they poffefs not the faculties of an-t^- ther ; for this would be an infufferable mif.~ fortune. And doubtlefs it would be as incon- venient for a man to be endued with the knowdedo'e of an an^el, as for a horfe to hai'e the reafon of a man; but as they are now form.ed by the confummate wifdom of their Creator, ^ach enjoys pleafjrcs pecuhar to his iituaiiou ; and though the happinefs of one may perhaps conlift in divine contem- plation, of another in the acquiiition of weaHh and power, and that of a third in wandering amongft limpid ftreams, and lux- uriant paftures ; yet the meancft of thefe en- joyments give no interruption to the moft lubiimcj [ 41 ] fublime, but altogether undoubtedly increafe the aggregate Turn of felicity beftovved upon the univerfe. Greatly indeed muft that be lelfened, were there no beings but of the highefl orders. Did there not, for inftance, exift on this terreftrial globe any feniitive creatures inferior to man, how great a quan- tity of happinefs muft have been loft, which is now enjoyed by millions, who at prefent inhabit every part of its furface, in fields and gardens, in extended defarts, impene- trable woods, and immenfe oceans ; by mo- narchies of bees, republics of ants, and in- numerable families of infects dwelling on every leaf and flower, who are all poflefTed of as great a fhare of pleafure, and a greats er of innocence, than their arrogant fove- reign, and at the fame time not a little con^ tribute to his convenience and happinefs. Has God, thou fool ! work'd folely for thy good I Thy joy, thy pailime, thy attire, thy food ! Who for thy table feeds the wanton fawn, For him as kindly fpreads the flow'ry lawn. Is it for thee the lark afcends and fings ? Joy tunes his voice, joy elevates his wings. Is it for thee the linnet pours his throat ? Loves of his own, and raptures, fwell the note. The bounding deed you pompoufly beflride. Shares with his lord the pleafure and the pride. Is thine abne the feed that flrews the plain ? The birds of beav'n fhall vindicate their grain. Thine the full harveft of the golden year ? Part pays, andjuftly, the deferving fleer. Pope. Thus the univerfe refembles a large and well-regulated family, in which all the offi- cers C 42 ] cers and fervants, and even the domcftic animals, are fubfervicnt to each other in a proper fubordination: each enjoys the privi- leges and perquifites peculiar to his place, and at the fame time contributes by thatjuft fubordination to the magnificence and hap- pinefs of the whole. It is evident, therefore, that thefc evils of imperfe6lion, proceeding from the neceiTary inferiority of fome beings in comparifon of others, can in no fenfe be called any evils at all; but if they could, it is as evident from thence, that there are many which even in- finite power cannot prevent; it being Cuffi.- ciently demonllrable, that to produce a fvftem of created beings, all fupreme in happineis and dignity, a government compofed of all kings, an army of all generals, or an uni- verfe of all gods, mufi: be impra6ticable for omnipotence itfelf We have here then made a large ftride towards our intended goal, having at once acquitted the divine goodnefe, and freed mankind from a numerous train of imagina- ry evils, by mo:!: clearly fhewing them to be no evils at all ; and yet under this head are really comprehended all the evils we per- petually complain of, except actual pain, the nature of which, and how it came to have a place in the works of an omnipotent and good being, fhall be coniidcrcd in the next letter from, Sir, &c. LET, t 43 ] LETTER IIL ON NATURAL EVILS. SiK, X SHALL now lay before you my free fentiments concerning the origin oi natural evils, by which I underftand the fuftcrings of f cnfitive beings only ; for tempefts, inun- dations, and earthquakes, with all the difor- ders of the material world, are no farther evils than as they afre6t the feniitive ; fb that under this head can be only compre- hended pains of body, and inquietudes of mind. That thefc are real evils, I readily s.cknowledge ; and if any one is philo- iopher enough to doubt of it, I fliall only beg leave to refer him to a fevere fit of fick- nefs or a tedious law-fuit, for farther fatifl fa61ion. The produ6lion of happinefs feems to be the only motive that could induce infinite eoodnefs to exert infinite power to create all things; for, to fay truth, happinefs is the only thing of real value in exiftence ; neither riches, nor power, nor wifdom, nor learning, nor ftrength, nor beauty, nor vir- tue« nor religion, nor even life itfelf, being Qf any importance but as they contribute to its produiition. All thefe are in themfelves neither good nor evil; happinefs alone is their L 44 ] their great end, and they defirable only as they tend to promote it. Moft aftonifhing therefore it mull appear to ei^ery one who looks round him, to obferve all creatures blelTed with life and fer-fation, that is, all creatures made capable of happinefs, at the fame time by their own natures condemned to innumerable and unavoidable miferies. Whence can it proceed, that providence Ihould thus feem to countera6l his own be-» nevolent intentions? To what ftrange and inviiible caufe are all thefe numerous and invincible evils indebted for their exiftence ? If God is a good and benevolent being, what end could he propofe from creation, but the propagation of happinefs ? and if happinels is the end of all exiftence, why are not all creatures that do exiil happy ? The true folution of this important quefl- tion, fo long and fo vainly fearched for by the philofophers of all ages and all countries, I take to be at lead no more than this, that thefe real evils proceed from the fame fource as thofe imaginary ones of imperfe61ion be- fore treated of, namely, from that fubordi- nation, Vvdthout which no created fyftem can fubiift ; all fubordination implying imper- feftion, all imperfection evil, and all evil fomc kind of inconvenience or fuffering; fo that there muft be particular inconveniences and fufi^erings annexed to every particular rank of created beings by the circumftances of thin--^?, and their modes of exiftence.' Mo.t / [ 45 ] Moft of thofe to which we ourfelves are lia- ble may be ealily fhewn to be of this kind, the eflecls only of human nature, and the ftation man occupies in the univerfe : and therefore their origin is' plainly deducible from neceffity; that is, they could not have been prevented without the lofs of greater good, or the admiflion of greater evils than themfelves; or by not creating any fuch creatures as men at all. And though this, upon a general view of things, docs not fo forcibly ftrike us, yet on a more minute in- fpe6llon into^every grievance attendant on human nature, it will moft evidently appear. Moft of thefe, I think, may be comprehend- ed under the following heads ; poverty, la- bour, inquietudes of mind, pains of body, and death ; from none of which we may venture to affirm man could ever have been exempted fo long as he continued to be man. God indeed might have made us quite other creatures, and placed us in a world quite otherwife conflituted ; but then we had been no longer men; and whatever beings had occupied our Nations in the univerfal lyftem, they muft have been liable to the fame in- conveniences. Poverty, for example, is what all could not poffibly have been exempted firom, not only by reafon of the fluctuating nature of human pofTefTions, but becaufe the world could not iubfift without it ; for had all been rich, none could have fubmitted to the com- mands C 4'5 ] mands of another, or the drudgeries of life ; thence all governments muft have been dif^ folved, arts negle6ted, and lands unculti- vated, and fo an univerfal penury have over- whelmed all, inftead of now and then pinch- ing a few. Hence, by the bye, appears the great excellence of charity, by which men are enabled, by a particular diHribution of the bleffings and enjoyments of life, on pro- per occalions, to prevent that poverty, which by a general one omnipotence itfelf could never have prevented : fo that, by enforcing this duty, God as it were demands our alTift- ance to promote univerfal happinefs, and to fhut out mifery at every door, where it fxrives to intrude itfelf^ Labour, indeed, God might eafily have excufed us from, iince at his command the earth would readily have poured forth all her treafures without our inconliderable af- liPtance; but if the fevered: labour cannot fufficiently fubdue the malignity of human nature, what plots and machinations, what wai's, rapine, and devaftation, v/hat profii- gacv and licentioufnefs muft have been the coufequences of univerfal idlenefs! So that labour ought only to be looked upon as a tallc kindly impofed upon us by our indul- gent Creator, necelTary to preferve our health, our iaretv, and our innocence. Inquietudes of mind cannot be prevented witho It iirft eradicating all our inclinations and paifionsj the winds and tides that pre- ferve [ 47 ] ferve the great ocean of human life from perpetual rtagnation. So long as men have purfuitf, they muft meet with difappoint- ments; and whilft they have difappoint- ments, they muft be difquicted ; whilft they are injured, they muft be inflamed with an- ger; and whilft they fee cruelties^ they mull: be melted with pity ; whilft they perceive danger, they muft be fenftble of fear ; and whilft they behold beauty, they muft be in- llaved by love : nor can they be exempted from the various anxieties attendant on thefe various and turbulent paftions. Yet without them wc fhould be undoubtedly lefs happy and lefs fafe; for w^ithout anger we fhould not defend ourfelves, and without pity we fhould not affift others ; without fear we fhould not preferve our lives ; and v/ithout love they would not be worth preferving. Pains of body are perhaps but the necef^ fary confequences of the union of material and fpiritual eftences; for matter being by nature diviftble, v/hen endued with fenftbi- lity, muft probably be affe6led by pains and pleafures by its different modifications ; v/herefore, to have been freed from our fuf- ferings, we muft have been deprived of all our fenfual enjoyments; a compoiition by which few furely v/ould be gainers. Beftdes, the pains of our bodies are neceftary to make us continually mindful of their prefer- vation; for what numberlefs lives would be loft in every trifling purluit, or flung away in C 48 ] in ill humour^ was the piercing of a fvvord no more painful than the tickling of a fea- ther. Death, the laft and moft dreadful of all evils, is fo far from being one, that it is the infalhble cure for all others. To die is landing on fome filent fiiore. Where billows nercr beat, nor tempefts roar 5 Ere well we feel the friendly ftroke 'tis o'er. Gartk. For, abfi;ra6led from the ficknels and fuffer- ings ufually attending it, it is no more than the expiration of that term of life God v»^as pleafed to beftow on us, without any claim or merit on our part. But was it an evil ever fo great, it could not be remedied but by much greater, which is by living for ever; by which means our wickednefs, un- reftrained by the profpe6t of a future ftate, ivould grow fo infupportable, our fuiferings fo intolerable by perfeverance, and our plea- fures fo tirefome by repetition, that no being in the univerfe could be fo completely mife- rable as a fpecies of immortal men. Vv'e have no reafon therefore to look upon death as an evil, or to fear it as a punifhment, even without any fuppoiition of a future life ; but if we confider it as a palfage to a more perfedi Hate, or a remove only in an eternal fuccellion of iliil improving ftatcs (for vvhich we have the ftrongeft reafons) it will then appear a new favour from the divine muni- ficence ; and a man mufi be as abfurd to re- pine [ 49 ] pine at dying, as a traveller would he, who propofed to himielfa delightlul tour through various unknown countries, to lament that he cannot lake up his reiidence at the firfl: dirty inn which he baits at on the road. 1 he in- itability of human life, or the hafty changes of its fucceffive periods, of which we fo fre- quently complain, are no more than the ne- ceifary progrefs of it to this necelTary con- clulion; and are fo far from being evils de- ferving thefe complaints, that they are the fource of our greateft pleafures, as they are the fource of all novelty, from which our greateft pleafures are ever derived. The con- tinual fucceffion of feafons in the human life, by daily prefenting to us new fcenes, render it agreeable, and, like thofe of the year, af- ford us delights by their change, which the choiceft of them could not give us by their continuance. In the fpring of life, the gild- ing of the fun-fhine, the verdure of the fields, and the v^ariegated paintings of the fky, are fo exquiiite in the eyes of infants at their firft looking abroad into a new world, as nothing perhaps afterwards can equ^l. The heat and vigour af the fucceeding fummer of youth ripens for us new pleafures, the blooming maid, the nightly revel, and the jovial chace. The ferene autumn of com- pleat manhood feafts us with the golden harvefts of our worldly purfuits: nor is the hoary winter of old age deftitute of its pe- culiar comforts and enjoyments, of which Vol. II. D the [ 50 ) the recolle6lion and relation of thofe pafl: are perhaps none of the leaft; and at laft death opens to us a new profpe6l, from whence we fhall probably look back upon the diverlions and occupations of this world with the fame contempt we do now on our tops and hobby- horles, and with the fame furprife, that they could ever fo much entertain or engage us. Thus we fee all thefe evils could never 'have been prevented even by infinite power, without the introdu<5iion of greater, or the lofs of fuperior good ; they are but the ne- ceiTary confequences of human nature; from which it can no more be divefted than mat- ter from extenlion, or heat from motion, which proceed from the very modes of their exiftence. If it be objc6led, that after all that has been laid, there are innumerable miferies en- tailed upon all things that have life, and par- 'ticularly on man; many difeafes of the body and afrli6fions of mind, in which nature fecms to play the tyrant, ingenious in con- triving torments for her children; that we cannot 'ttvoid feeing every moment with hor- ror numbers of our fellow-creatures con- demned to tedious and intolerable miferies, fome expiring on racks, others roafting in flames, fome ilarving in dungeons, others raving in mad houfcs, .fame broiling in fe- vers, others groaning whole months under the exquifte tortures of gout and fi"one; If k be faid further, that fome men being ex- empted [ 51 ] empted from many calamities with wliich others are affli6ledj proves plainly that all might have been exempted from all; the charge can by no means be difputed, nor can it be alledged that infinite power could not have prevented moft of thefe dreadful cala- mities. From hence, therefore, I am per- fuaded, that there is fomething in the ab- ftra6l nature of pain conducive to pleafure; that the fulferings of individuals are abfo- lutely necelfary to univerfal happinefs; and that, from conne6fions to us inconceivable, it was impracticable for omnipotence to pro- duce the one, without at the fame time per- mitting the other. Their conftant and uni- form concomitancy through every part of nature with which we are acquainted, very much corroborates tliis conje6ture, in which fcarce one inftance, I believe, can be pro- duced of the acquiiition of pleafure or con- venience by any creatures, which is not pur- chafed by the previous or confequential fuf- ferings of themfelves or others; pointing out, as it were, that a certain allay of pain muft be caft into the univerfal mafs of created happinefs, and infiidled fbme- where for the benefit of the whole. Over what mountains of flain is every migh- ty empire rolled up to the fummit of prof- pcrity and luxury, and what nev\r fcenes of defolation attend its fall? To what infinite toil of men, and other animals, is every fiourifhing city indebted for all the conveni- D % ence§ t 52 ] ences and enjoyments of life, and what vice and mifery do thofe very enjoyments intro- duce? The pleafures peculiar to the continu- ing our fpecies are feverely paid for by pains and perils in one fex, and by cares and anxi- eties in both. Thofe annexed to the prefer- vation of ourfelvcs are both preceded and followed by numberlefs fufferings; preceded by the maifacres and tortures oi various ani- mals preparatory to a feaft, and followed by as many difeafes lying in wait in every dilli to pour forth vengeance on their deftroyers. Our riches and honours are acquired by la- borious or perilous occupations, and our fports are purfued with fcarce lefs fatigue or danger, and ufually attended with diftref- fes and de{tru61ion of innocent animals. This univerfal conne61ion of pain with pleafure fcems, I think, flrongly to intimate, that pain abilra6tedly coniidered muft have its ufes; and iince we may be afTured, that it is never admitted but with the relu6tance of the fupreme author, thofe ufes mult be of the higheft importance, though we have np- faculties to conceive them. The human mind can comprehend but a very fmall part of the great and aftonifhing whole; for aay thing we know, the fufier- ings (and perhaps the crimes producing thofe fufferings) of the inhabitants of this terref- trial globe may fome way or other affe6t thofe of the moft dill ant planet, and the whole animal world may be connedled by fome [ 53 ] lome principle as general as that of attrac- tion in the corporeal, and fo the miferies ot particular beings be ron:!e way ncceliary to the happincfs ot the whole. How thefe things operate, is indeed to us quite incon- ceivable; but that they do operate in fume fucli exteniive manner is far, I think, Irom improbable. All ages and nations feem to have had confufed notions of the merits of fulferings abliracted from their tendency to any vilible good, and have paid the highcft hoLours to thofe v;ho have voluntc.rily endured them, as to their common benefa61ors. Many in ChrilHan countries have formerly been faint- ed for long failing, for whipping or torment- ing themfelves, tor fitting whole years in uiv eafv poftures, or expofii.'g themfelves to the inclemency of the weather on the tops of pillars. Many at this day in the Fail are almofl deified tor loading themfelves with heavy chains, bending under burthens, or confining themfelves in chairs ftuck round with pointed nails. Now, if thefe notions are not totally devoid of all reafon and com- mon fenle, and few, I believe are fb which become univerfal) they can be founded on no other principle than this, of the uccclfity of pain to produce happinef-', which feems another weighty inftance of the probability of tliis ancient and univerfal opinion, tliou^h the reaibns tor it are forgot or unknown, and the practices derived fi-om it big with the jTJOft abiurd and ridiculous fuperiiitions. One [ 54 ] - One caufc, I think, from which many of our if^vereft fiifferings may be derived, may be discovered by analogica: reafbning, that is, by affimilating thole things which are not obje(5\s oi" our undcrftandings to others which lie within their reach. Man is one link of that vail chain, defcending by infen- lible degrees, from infinite perfetStion to ab- folute nothing. As there are many thou- fands below him, fo muft there be many more above him. If v/e look downvv/ards, we fee innumerable fpecies of inferior beings, whofe happinefs and lives are dependant on his will; we fee him cloathcd by their fpoils, and fed bv their miferies and deilru61ion, in- flaving fome, tormenting others, and mur- dering miili^^ns for his luxury or diverlion; is it not therefe^re analogous and highly pro- bable, that the happinefs and life of m.an Ihpuld be equally dependant on the wills of his fuperiors? As we receive ^rreat part of car piea'lires, and even fubiiftence, from the fufferings and deaths of lower animals, mav not thele fuperior bcins-s do the fam.e from ours, and that by ways as far above the reach of the moil exalted human under- If andings, as the means bv which we receive our benefits are above the capacities of the me^ne-t creatr.res dellined l^or our fervice? The fundamental error in all our reafonings on this fubjedt, is that of placing ourfelves v;rong in that prefumptuous cfimax of beafi, isnan, and God; from whence, as we fuppofe faifely, [ SS ] fallely, that there is nothing above us ex- cept the Supreme Being, we fuoUIlily con- clude that all the evils we labour under mufl be derived immediately from his om- nipotent hand . whereas there may be num- berlefs intermediate beings who have pow- er to deceive, torment, or deUroy us, for the ends only of their own plealure or utility, who may be vef-ed with the fame privileges over their inferiors, and as much benefited, by the uie of them, as ourfeives. In what manner thefe benefits accrue to them, it is impoiTible for us to conceive; but that im- poilibility lefTens not the probability of this conjecture, which by analogy is fo ftrongly confirmed, Should you, Sir, have been lately em- ployed in reading fome of thofe fubiimc au- thors, who, from pride and ignorance, de- light to puff up the dignity of human na- ture, the notions here advanced may appear to you abfurd aad incredible, becaufe incon- fiflent with that imaginary dignity; and you may obje6i, that it is impoffible that God fhould fuffer innocence to be thus af- fii61ed, and reafon thus deceived : that though he may permit animals, made folely for the ufe of man, to be thus abuled for his convenience or recreation, yet that man himfelf, the fole poifelfor of reafon, the lord of this terreftrial gibce, his own ambaifador, vicegerent, and iimilitude, fhould be thus dependant on the will of ethers, mufl be utterly inconilflent with the divine [ 55 ] divine wifdom and juftice. But pray, Sir, what does all this prove, but the importance of ama'^tohimfelf? Is not the iuftice of'God as much concerned to prelerve the happineis of the meaneft infedt which he hf.s called into bein^, as of the greateft man that ever lived? Are not all creatures we fee made fubfervient to each others ufes? and what is there in man. that he only fhould be ex- empted from this common fate of all created being? The fuperiority of man to that of ether terreib'ial animals is as inconRderable, in proportion to the immenfe plan of uni^ verfal exiftence, as the difference of climate between the north and fouth end of the paper 1 now write upon, with regard to the heat and diftance of the fun. There is nothing leads us into fo m.any errors concerning the wo^ks and deiigns of providence, as that fcolif-i vanity that can perfuade fuch infig- nificant creatures that aU things were made for their ferxnce ; fr m v hence they rid iculouf- ly fet up utility to themfelvcs as the flandard of good, and conclude ever) thing to be evil which appears injurions to them or their purpofes. As well might a neft of ants ima^ on as taxes which they are obliged to pay towards the fupport of the public, why may not the fufferings ci one creature ferve the fame purpofes, or abfolve as much of that neceffary tax, as the lufferings of another,- and on that account be accepted as a pay- ment or fatisfa6tion for their fufferings; that rs, for the fufferings due to the public utility from the punifhment of their crimes, with- out which the happinefs of the whole could not fabiift, unlefs they ihould be replaced hy the fufferiiigs of others? As we are en- tirely ignorant why mifery has any exiftence at all, or what intereft it ferves in the gene- ral fyftem of things, this may poffibly be the cafe, for any thing we know ; and that it is not, I am certain no one can affirm wutb re ifon: reafon indeed cannot infcrm us that it is fo, but that it may be, is undoubtedly no contradi61:iGn to reafon. If I miftake not, it might be fbewn, that this principle of the neceliily of moral evil, and its punifhment, is the foundation on which the whole fabric of the Chriftian difpen» fation is erected , the principle itfelf is avow- ed by the author of that dlfpenfation in clear and exprels words : // mitj^ needs be, ,fays he, ^kat offences co?nc; but woe unto that man by who?n the offe7iC€ cometh. That is, it is necel- fary [ 8s ] iary towards complcating the defigns of pro.> vidence, that Ibmc nicii Ihould commit crimes; but as no individual is compelled by necellity to commit them, woe unto all who are thus guilty. He came, by his e.\cellent pre- cepts and exam.ple, to diminifli the quantity of moral evil in the W(;rld, and of miiery confequential from its punifhment, but found it neceliary to replace that mifery in fome degree by his own voluntary and unmerited lufferings; and perhaps the unparalleled tor- tures intii6ted on his difciples and followers might be alfo necefiary and iubfervient to the fame purpofes. From what lias been here faid, I think it is evident thnt the origin of evil is by no means fo difficult to account tor as at firli light it appears; for it has been plainly fhewn that mofl of thofe we ufually com- plain of are evils of imperte6lion, which are rather the abfence of comparative advantages than poiitive evils, and therefore, proper- perly fpeaking, no evils at all ; and as fuch, ought to be entirely ftruck out of the cata- logue. It has likewife been made appear, that of natural evils, which are the fuffenngs of feniitive lacings, many are but the confe- quences naturally refulting frorn the partica- lar circumftances of particular ranks in the fcaj ot exiftence, which could not have been omitted without the' deilruction of the whoiCi and that many more are in all probability neceiiary, by means to us incompreheniiblej to [ 86 ] to the produ61ion of univerfal good. Laft* ly, it has been fuggefted, that from this necef- fity of natural evils, may arife the expedien-. cy of moral, without which thofe necelTary fufferings muft have been with lefs juftice in- fii6led on perfe6t innocence; and moreover, that it is probable moral evil, as well as na- tural, may have fome ultimate tendency to the good of the whole ; and that the crimes and puniftiments of fome beings may, by fome means or other, totally beyond the reach of our narrow capacities, contribute to the felicity of much, greater numbers. This plan, Sir, I am perfuaded is not far diftant from the truth; and on this founda- tion, if I miftake not, a iyftem of morali- ty and religion, more compleat and folid, more conliftent with reafon, and with Chrif- tianity too, might be erected than any which has yet appeared : I heartily wifh that fome perfon of more learning, abilities, and lei- fure than myfelf, (and much more, I am fure, of all it would require) encouraged by your favour, and affifted by your fagacity, would undertake it, and condefcend to fill up thefe out-lincs fo inaccurately Sketched out by, SiRj $cc. LETc [ «7 ] LETTER V. ON POLITICAL EVILS.' Sir, A. .C COR DING lo my propofed plan there ftill remain two forts of evils to be ac- counted for, political and religions; under which heads, (if you are not already tired \A^ith fo abftrufe and unentertaining a corref- pondence) I fhall endeavour to fhew you, that it is utterly impoflible, even for omni- potence itfelf, to give a pcrfe6l government, or a perfe6l religion to an imperfect crea- ture; and therefore, that the numberlefs im- perfe6lions inherent in all human govern- ments and religions are not imputable to God, nor any defeft of power, wifdom, or good- nefsinhim: but only to the inferiority of man's ftation in the univerfe, which neccf- farily expofes him to natural and moral evils, and muft, lor the fame reafon, to political and religious; which are indeed but the con- fequences of the other. Superior beings may probably form to themfelves, or receive from their Creator, government without tyranny or corruption, and religions without delufi- ons or abfurdities; but man cannot: God in- deed may remove him into fo exalted a i'o^ ciety; but w^hilft he continues to be man, he [ S8 ] he mijft be fubje6l to innumerable evils ^ amongft which thofe I call political and re- ligious are far from being the leaft. But as thefe two kinds of evils are very different, they will require different conii- derations; I fhall therefore in the prefent confine myfelf to the political only; by which I mean all thofe grievous burthens of tyranny and oppreffion, of violence and cor- ruption, of war and defolation, under w^hich all ages and nations have ever groaned on account of government : little lefs deftruc- tive perhaps to the h.appinefs of mankinds than even anarchy itfelf; but which, not- witliftanding, are lb woven into the very ef^ fence of all human governments from the depravity of man, that without them none can be either eftablifhed, maintained, or ad^ miniiiered, nor confequently can they be prevented without changing that depravity into pe'rfe^lion ; that is, without a compleat alteration in human nature. How this comes to pafs may be ealily explained by a fhort examination, fir ft into the nature and origin of government in general, and afterwards into thofe of particular forms and policies; than which nothing has been more common- ly mifunderftood and mifreprefented. As to government in general, it is no wonder that it is lb productive of evil, fince its very nature confifts of power trufted in the hands of fuch imperfe6l and vicious crea- tures as men, and exercifed over others as im- [ 89 ] imperfect and vicious as ihemfelves ; in which there muft be pride, avarice, and cru- elty on one tide ; envy, ignorance, and ob- ftinacy on the other ; and injuftice and felf^ intereft on both. Its origin alio arifesfrom the lame impure fource of human imperfec- tion ; that is, men being neither wile nor honeft enough to purine their common or ■mutual interefls without compullion, are obliged to fubmit to fome, in order to fecure their lives and properties from the depreda- tions of all : but though this neceflity drives them into fome kind of government, yet it can never decide who fhall govern, becaufe all men being by nature equal, every one has an equal right to this fuperiority : this there, fore, can be determined only by more imper- feilions, that is, by the ftruggles of ambi- tion, treachery, violence, and corruption; from fuccefs in which univerfal fcramble are derived all the mighty empires of the earth: one man at firfl', by fome of thefe methods, acquiring the command over a few, then by their aid extending his power over great num- bers, and at laft, by the afliftance or thofe numbers, united by the advantage of plun- dering others, fubduing all oppofition : and thus we fee all human government is the offspring of violence and corruption, and muft inherit the imperfection of both its pa- rents. It is plain alfo that national govern- ments can never be fupported by any other methods than thofe by which they were at firft [ 90 ] iirft railed ; for being all independent of each other, and retaining ftill their original incli- nation to devour each other; and having no lliperior tribunal to refer to for juftice, they can have no means to fccure their own pot feffions, or to repel their mutual encroach- ments, but by force, which is called the right of war ; that is, the right of doing all the wrong that lies in their power; for war, however dignified with honours and encomi- ums by conquerors and their flatterers, is in fa6t nothing elfe but robbery and murder. Nations having no more right to plunder each other than parifhes, nor men to kill one another in their political than in their private capacities. If we look into the internal conflitutions of all thefe governments, we fhall find like- wife, that they muft be adminiltered by the fame violence and corruption to which they are indebted for their origin; that is, by hiring one part of the fociety to force the other into fubje6fion ; and that none of them ever fubfifted any longer than whilft the itronger part, not always the moft numerous, found it for their advantage to keep the weak- er in obedience; for it fhould be ever re- membered, as the fundamental of all poli- tics, that men will never fubmit to each other merely for the fake of public utility *, too * If any one Is fo ignorant of human nature, as to fan- cy that they will, let him make the experiment in a fingle parilhj [ 91 ] too remote a benefit to make any imprcirion on the dull fenfes of the multitude; but mail be always beat or bribed into obedience. Higher orders of beings may fubmit to each other on nobler motives, from their fenfe of virtue or of univerfal benefit; but man can -be governed by nothing but the lear of pu- nifhment or the hopes of reward; that is, by felf-intereft, the great principle that operates in the political world in the fame manner that attraction does in the natural, preferving or- der and reftraining every thing to its proper courfe by the continual endeavours of every individual to draw all power and propert/ to himfelf*. If we defcend to the examination of par- ticular forms of government, we fhall fee them all exa6lly correfpond with this gene- ral plan ; we fhall find that none of them owe their origin to patriarchal power, the parifli, and there, if without power or compulfion, interefl: or gratuity, folely by the ftrength of reafon, and motives of public advantage, he can pcrfuade the inhabitants to fub- mit to equal and neceflary taxes, to repair roads, build bridges, inclofe commons, drain marlhes, employ their poor, or perform any works of general utility ; if he can accom- plifh this, let him retain his opinion •, but if he finds it ut- terly impracticable, let him not expetl that it can ever be done in a whole nation, in which ihere are Co many more fa(flions, interefts, and abfurdities to contend witli. * There is indeed one other method of government fre- quently made ufe of by the mofl illuftrioub princes and le- giflators, that is, fraud; but as this operates only by the ap- pearance of felf-intereft, it may properly be comprehexidcd under that head. divine [ 92 1 divine right of princes, or the uninfluenced choice of the people; things which never exifted but in the idle dreams of vifionary politicians ; but all to the ftruggles of ambi- tion and felf-intereft, fubfiding at laft into fome kind of policy; either into abfolute monarchy, or fome fpecies of popular govern- ment more or lefs remote from it, as the different parts of it have had ftrength or fortune to prevail ; all which muft be car- ried on by the fame vicious methods of vio- lence or corruption, and confequently be pro- du6live of numberlefs, if not of equal, evils. In ablblute monarchies, for inftance, great violence muft be exercifed to keep men, by nature equal, in ih unnatural a fubjedion ; this muft produce plots, rebellions, civil wars, and malfacres ; and thefe muft require more violence to reprefs them ; but this vio- lence cannot be ufed without much corrup- tion ; for it is not the perfon of the fove- reign, his crovvi'n and fcepter, that can pre- ferve his authority^ nor can he deftroy thoufands with his ovvn hand, like a hero in a romance; a pov/erful army muft be kept in pay to enilave the people, and a nu- n^rous clergy to deceive them '^- ; vv^hofe am- bition, ♦ It has been reprefented as ii' the author by this dcfign- e ] to infinuate, that the whole bufmefs of the clergy was to deceive the people ; than whiclx nothing can be more dillant from his intentions: all that he means i.^, that men H-iil noteafily fubmit to tyranny unlefs their confciences are fiilt tuflaved j or that popery is tlic moft effedual fupport of arbi- [ 93 ] bition, avarice, luxury, and cruelty mud be fatiated with the blood and treafures of that very people as a reward for their ferviccs: hence infinite evils muft arife, the lives, li- berties, and properties of all mufl: be depen- dent on the capricious will of one, or what is worfe, on the wills of his pimps, flatter- ers, and favourites: juftice muft be pervert- ed by favour and that favour, can feldoni be obtained but by adulation, fervility, and treachery; this produces all kinds of moral evils, and thefe beget more political. In democratical governments, if there is lefs violence there is more corruption ; v\7hich in thefe indeed is the bails of all power, and productive of the moil mifchievous effeCls," here all things are at the difpofal of an ig- norant and giddy multitude, always led ta their own deftru61ion by the fiimly eloquence and pretended patriotifm of knaves, fools, and enthuiiairic madmen; or commonly of fome extraordinary genius, formed for po- pularity by a lucky compoiition of all thefe excellent ingredients ; all fubordination is fubverted ; and the moft infolent and vicious of the people muft be careifed, bribed, and intoxicated, and by that means rendered ftili more infolent and vicious; and all who by thefe methods acquire their favour, muft be no leis vicious than themfeK^es. If in defpo- arbitrary power ; a propofitlon which he fuppofes no one will prefume to contradi^l. tic [ 94 ] tic governments power cannot be attained but by fervility and adulation, in democra- tical it can never be acquired but by the more pernicious vices of turbulence and fac- tion; for which reafon thefe are ever fure to be governed by the moft wicked, ambitious, avaricious and mifchieVous of their mem- bers. Mixed governments, though perhaps pro- duftive of fewer evils than either of the former, yet muft necefiarily partake of thofe belonging to both, and be fupported by more or lels violence, as they more or lefs ap- proach the defpotic; or of corruption, as they come nearer to the democratical prin- ciples: the further they fhrink from the iron fcourges of the one, the more will they be entangled in the golden fetters of the other; for corruption muft always increafe in due proportion to the decreafe of arbitra- ry power ; fince where there is lefs power to command obedience, tiiere muft be more bribery to purchafe it, or there can be no government at all. Thefe have, belides, many evils peculiar to themfelves, the very excellence of thefe Ibrt of conftitutions be- ing produ6tive of inconveniencies : for this excellence coniifting principally in this, that their different parts are able to countera6l each others mifchievous intentions, the reins of government are kept tight only by each pulling a different v^ay, and they fublift by a perpetual contention, like a lx>dy kept alive by I 95 ] by the oppofite efre6ts of contrary poifous : a very precarious and uneafy kind of exig- ence! This expofes them in fome rncafure to all the evils incident to both abfolute and popular governments, though in a lefs de- gree; to the oppreilion of the one, and the licentioufnefs of the other, to fa 6t ions at home, weakneis abroad, and infinite expence in all parts of their adminiftration : yet are thefe mixed conftitutions the very beft that human wifdom could ever difcover for the regulation of human focieties. All thefe evils arife from the nature of things and the nature of man, and not from the weaknefs or wickednefs of particular men, or their accidental afcendency in par- ticular governments : the degrees of them may indeed be owing to thefe, but their ex- iftence is immutable. So long as the imper- fe6lion of human nature continues, fo lon^ will princes, for the moft part, convert that power with which they are trufted for the fake of public utilily, to the ignoble ends of their own avarice, luxury, or ambition ; fo long will the people prefer prefent felf-intc- reft to remote benefits ariling from national profperity; and fo long will corrupt minify ters employ this popular venality to their own private advantage; and how many fo- ever are lopt off, Non deficit aureus alier. It [ 96 ] It is the mifapprehenfioii of this that i:^ the funiamental error of all ignorant but well me luing fpeculatii^e politicians *, of all others the moft untra61able in government, and mifchievous in buiineis, the engines with which knaves work, and the ladders on which they mount to preferment; who en< deavour to deiiroy all governments, becaufe they are not perfe6t ; and oppofe all ad- miniftrations, becaufe they cannot govern men by fuch means as they are not deiigned or formed to be governed by ; who by a Sy- liphgean kind of politics, are ever labouring to roil up a ftone that muft recoil upon them ; and to render that fauhlefs, which infinite power and wifdom cannot exempt from in- couveniencies, abufes, and imperfe61:ions, Should one enumerate all of this kind, which cannot be excluded from government without the total alteration of human nature^ * It is a ftrange, but a certain truth, that in politics moil principles fpeculatlvely right are practically wrong ; to give a few inftances 6f this kind out of many commonly adopt- ed i viz. that thofe. who are pofTefled of moll property will fight bed in its defence ; that national bufinefs is moll fuc- ceisfully carried on by affemblies of men uninfluenced and uuconnc.iEted •, that unbounded liberty, cIa'II and ecclefiafti- cal, is mofl conducive to public happlnefs and virtue : all thefe propofitions have rcafon on their fide, but experience againft thein •, they all captivate vulgar minds, becaufe they look like truth ; and they look like truth, becaufe they would be true if mankind in general a(£led upon honeft or even upon rational principles ; but as in h6\ they do neither, they are utterly falfe, and all political lli uClures built on fuch unliable foundations will inevitably fall to the ground. they [ 97 ] they would be encUefs; to inftance but a few: all political bodies, like the natural, mull have the feeds of their own diffolution fowa in their very eflence, and like them be de l\royed by every excefs; by excefs of pover- ty or riches, of llavery or liberty, of igno- rance or knowledge, of adveriity or profpe- ritv; a ftrong proof of their imperfe6lion, that they cannot bear excefs even of the greateft good; and yet they cannot be form- ed of more durable materials, fo long as thev are conftituted of human creatures. All power trufted in the hands of fo imperfe6t a creature as man muft be pernicious and oppreffive; and yet fomewhere fuch power muft be trufted. All human laws muft be liable to mifconftru6^ion and uncertainty; yet without laws property cannot be fecur- ed. All popular elections muft be attended with corruption, licentioufnefs, and the per- verfion of juftice; yet without them the li- berty of no country can be preferved. All national proviiions for the poor muft not on- ly be encouragements to idlenefs, but pro- ductive ofcontefts, and often timesof cruelty ; yet without fuch many honeft: but unfortu- nate people muft: inevitably perifh. All re- ligious tefts and fubfcriptions are in their own natures fubverlive of truth and morals ; yet the folly of one part of mankind, and the knavery of the other, will fcarcely per- mit any government to Ibbiift without them. Trade and wealth are the ftrenjth and the Vol. II. G ^ pur [ 98 ] purfuit of every wife nation; yet tbeie mull certainly produce luxury, which no lefs cer- tainly mull produce their deftru61ion. All war is a complication of all manner of evils natural and moral, tliat is, of mifery and wickednefs; yet without it national conten- tions can never be determined. No govern- ment can be carried on, nor fubordination preferved, without forms and ceremonials^ pomp and parade ; yet all fuch, from the in- feriority of human nature giving itfelf airs of grandeur and magnificence, and the dei^ picable expedients it is obliged to have re- courfeto, tofupportit, m.uft always have feme- thing mean and ridiculous in them to exalt- ed underftandings. All governments are in a great meafure upheld by abfurd notions in- fufed into the minds of the people, of the divine right of fome particular perfon or family to reign over them; a foolifh par- tiality for fome particular ;fpot of ground; an outrageous zeal for fome religion which they cannot underftand, or a fenfelefs pur- fuit of glory v/hich they can never attain : thefe are all falfe principles; yet without them, or fome like them, no nation can long fubfift : th.ey can never be defended by reafon, yet reafon can produce no others that can fupply their places. Every flourifh- ing nation endeavours to improve arts, and cultivate realon and good fenfe ; yet if thefe are extended too far, or too univerfally diffufed, no national government or national religion can [ 99 ] can long ftand their ground; for it is with old eftablifliments as with old houlcs, their deformities are commonly their fupports, and thele can never be removed without en- dangering- the whole fabric. In fhort no government can be adminiftered without in fome degree deceiving the people, opprefling the mean, indulging the great, corrupting the venal, oppoling fa6tions to each other, and temporiling with parties. It is this neceffity for evil in all govern- ment, which gives that weight and populari- ty, which ufually attends all thofe who op- pofe and calumniate any government what- ever; appearing always to have reafon on their fide, becaufe the evils of all power are confpicuous to the meaneft capacity; where- as the neceffity for thofe evils are perceivable only to fuperior underftandings. Every one can feel the burden of taxes and fee the in- conveniences of armies, places and pcniions that mull encreafe them ; but very few are able to comprehend, that no government can be fupported without them in a certain degree; and that the more liberty any na- tion enjoys, the greater muft be their num- ber and neceffity. The moll: ignorant can perceive the mifchiefs that muft arife from corrupt minifters and venal parliaments ; but it requires fome fagacity to difcern that alTemblies of men unconne61ed by iclf-intc- reft, will no more draw together in the bu- linefs of the public, than horfes without har- G 2 nefs [ i^ 3 iiefs or bridles; but like them, inftead of being quietly guided in the right road of ge- neral utility, will immediately run riot, ftop the wheels of government, and tear all the political machine to pieces. From hence it comes to pafs that all ignorant wroRgheaded people naturally run in oppo- sition and fa6lion, whilft the wife man knows that thefe evils cannot be eradicated, and that their excefs only can be prevented; that thus far every honeft man will endeavour to his utmoft, but to proceed farther only fools will hope for, or knaves pretend. He knows that numbers of men muft always a6l in the fame manner, if in the fame circum- ftances; that politics are a fcience as reduci- ble to certainty as mathematics, and in them effects as invariably follow their caufes; that the operations of will are as uniform as thofe of matter and motion ; and that though the actions of individuals are contingencies, thofe of numbers are conftant and invaria- ble; that, though a lingle man may pof- libly prefer public utility to private advan- tage, it is utterly impoffible, that the majo- rity of numerous bodies fhould be a6luated by the fame generous and patriotic princi- ples * ; thefe can fpring only from virtue and wif- * This may be demonftrated by a familiar inftance : It is by no means uncommon for a fingledie to come up a fix, although the odds againft it arc live to one ; but that a ma- jority of five hundred dice fhould at tlie fanve time com ] vve fhall find it no lefs incapable of pro- ducing a perfect one; becaule though God is futficiently able to give a perfe6l religion, man is utterly unable to receive it. God cannot impart knowledge to creatures, ot" which he himfelt' has made them incapable by their nature and formation ; he cannot inftru6t a mole in aftronomy, or an oyfter in muiic, becaufe he has not given them mem- bers, nor faculties neceffary for the acquifi- tion of thofe fciences; neither is this any diminution of his omnipotence, becaufe act- ing in fuch a manner would be willing con- trarieties at the fame time : it would be op- poiing his own deiigas, making creatures what they are not, and granting them pow- ers which he thought proper to deny them ; a revelation therefore from God can never be fuch as we might expecl from infinite power, vvifdom, and goodneis, but muft con- defcend to the ignorance and infirmities of man. Was the wifeft legiflator in the world to compofe laws for a nurfery, they mult be childifh lawsj fo was God to reveal a reli- gion to mankind, though the revealcr was divine^ the religion mult be human, or it could be of no ufe to thofe for whofe fake it was revealed ; and therefore, like them, it muft be liable to numberlefs imperfc6ti- ons, amongft which all thofe deficiencies before-mentioned are abfolutely unavoid- able, and impoffible to be prevented- by any power whatever; thefe are the want of uni- Vol, IL H verfalitv. [ "4 J x-erfality, authenticity, pcrfpicuity, and po- licy ; its certain corruption, with all that in- undation of wickednefs and mifery which muft flow from that corruption. Great and numerous evils I from which it is not diffi- cult to fhew, that no revelation communi- cated to man can be exempted by an omni- potent revealer. Firft, then, it muft want univerfality ; that is, hov\^ever conducive it may be to the vir- tue and happinefs of mankind in general, it cannot be alike communicated to all men in all ages and all nations of the world ; be- caufe, from the nature of things, it mufl: have a beginning and a progreffion ; it muft at firft be revealed at fome time and in fome place; and whenever and wherever that is, there muft have been times and places in v/hich it was not revealed ; and therefore it is impofftble it can be univerfal : and this not proceeding from any impotence or par- tiality in the revealer, but from the modes of exiftence of all human affairs. It muft iikewife want authenticity, that is, though its dixdne authority may be more or lefs credible according to the circum- ftanccs of the evidence, yet it can never be capable of a direct or demonftrative proof; becaufe Ood muft communicate this revela- tion to mankind either by a general or a par- ticular infplration ; that i«, either by in- fpiring all men, or by infpiring a few to teach it to others : the firft of thele methods^ or [ I'S J or an univerfal infpiralionj is impoflible In nature, and abiurd even in imagination, and would be the total alteration of human na- ture ; the other muft be ever liable to infi- nite uncertainty; becaufe, though a man may poffibly know when he himfelf is inipired, (though that, I think, may be very well queftioned) yet, that he fhould ever produce indubitable credentials of divine commifTiou to others, who are uninfpired, feems utterly impra6licable, there being no marks by which the fa6t can be afcertained, nor any faculties in the human mind vrhich arc able to diftinguifh it : the excellence of the re- velation he teaches, its beneficent ends, and the miracles he may work in its confirma- tion, may altogether render it more or lefs probable, but can never amount to a certain proof, becaufe vve know fo little of the ends and confequences of things, and fo much lefs of the nature of miracles : we underftand indeeed nothing about them, but that we ourfelves are unable to perform them ; but what beings of fuperior orders may be able to do we cannot tell; nor yet what power, inclination, or permiifion fuch beings may have to deceive us. If it is impoflible, there- fore, v;e can be certain of the divine autho- rity of a revelation even by a perfonal com- munication with its firft author, much lefs can v^e be affured of it through the fallacious mediums of tradition or hiitory ; for who- ever obferves the propenfity men have to im- Jl % pofe Ii [ ii6 ] pofe upon themfeh^es and others, how dif- ficult is it to come at a true reprefentation of the commoneft fa6l, even at the diftance of a few miles, or a few years, will be eafily convinced, that all human tradition can be nothing more than a complication of de- figned fraud and inevitable error; a glafs which mifreprefents all obje61:3 by magnify- ing or diminifhing them, juft as it is placed by the hand of knavery for the infpe61:ion of folly and credulity. Hiftory, indeed, car- ries with it a greater authority, but muft ever be liable to infinite imperfe61ions: we can never be certain that the writers of it, being men, were not impofed upon them- felves, or did not intend to impofe on others ; and therefore its original evidence cannot be concluiive, and muft grow daily weaker^ in proportion to its antiquity ; it muft neceiiarily be fubje6l to all uncertain- ties proceeding from the variation of lan- guages and cuftoms, ignorant tranfcribers, falfe tranflations, interpolations, and forge- ries; and as the hiftories of religions are more connected with men's interefts than thofe of other occurrences, fo they muft be ever more fubje61: to thefe frauds and impo- fitions; for the fame reafbn that a bank-note Ij is more likely to be counterfeited than a newf- - ■ paper. It is therefore impoffible that hil^ory can afford us any certain proof of a fuper- natural and miraculous difpenfation, becaufe a fadl, unlikely to be true, can never be de- monftrated [117] monftrated by a relation not iinpolHble to be talie. If it be faid, that God may in- fpire the writers of fuch important records with infallibihty; I aniwer, the proof that he has io infpired them will be attended with no lefs dil^culty, than the proof of that divine authority which is to be efta- blilhed by it; and it muil ever be abfurd to prove the truth of a revelation by the infal- libility of its records and the infallibility of its records from the truth of the revelation. It is plain, therefore, that, though infinite goodnefs may reveal a religion to fo imper- fe6l a creature as man, yet infinite power cannot, by reafon of that imperfe6tion, give to that revelation fuch a degree of authenti- city, that is, fuch a demonftrable proof of its divine authority, as fome men unreafbn- ably expeft, and others as ridiculoully be- ftow upon it*. It muft want perfpicuity ; that is, it muft be much more obfcure, both in its fpccula- tive and praftical doilrines, than might be expe61:ed from the interpolation of infinite wifdom, truth, and benevolence. In its fpe- culative do6lrines, obfcurity muft be unavoid- * Nothing here offered is meant by any means to invali- date the authority of revelation: that of the Chriftian is pofiefled of as much certainty as the nature of the fact, atid the nature of its evidence will admit of. Thofe who endeavour to beftow more upon it, do in reality but make it lefs; and, like unikilful architects, weaken a build- ing already fufficiently ftrong, by overloading it with un- neccflary fupporters. able. I 118 ] able, becaufe they muft treat of fubje6ls above the reach of our comprehenfions; which neither eye has feen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man to con- ceive; and therefore no power can impart to us clear and explicit ideas of fuch things, without firft beRowing on us nev; faculties and new fenfes; that is, v/ithout the total alteration of our natures. But what is moft of all extraordinary is, that it muft be liker vv^ife to a certain degree obfcure in its prac- tical and moral precepts; and this from a reafon not the lefs valid for having never before been infifted on ; which is, from the neceiiity of moral evil; that is, lince God, as has been fhewn, was obliged by lieceffity to admit m.oral evil into the creation, he muft probably be obliged, by the fame neceffity, to fuffer it in fome degree to continue; and therefore cannot enforce the univerfal prac- tice of virtue by laws fo explicit, by threats and promifes fo glaring, and by commands fo inconteftabl; of divine authority, as can adjnit of no doubt; for thefe would be fo abfoliitely irreiiftible as at once to eradicate all human vice, which has already been proved to have been admitted only from the impoffibiiity of its excluiion without the in- troduction of greater evils, or the lofs of fuperior eood. If omnipotence could not prevent the exiftence ot moral evil by the orif^inal formation of man, totally to extir- pate it by revelation^ would be to countera6l his I i'9 ] his own wife, though incomprchenfiblc de- fio:ns: and therefore a divine revelation can never be a regular body of pra6tical inftj- tutes, clear and perfpicuous, free from all doubts and altercations, enforced by perpe- tual miracles, by viilble and immediate re- wards and punifhments; but a ftiil voice whifpering gentle warnings, divine admo- nitions, and fupernatural truths; a light fliining in a dark place, illuminating to a certain degree the native obfcurity of the human mind, and difcovering by faint glim- merings the dengns of providence, and a diftant profpe6l of a future life. It mult alfo want policy; that is, it can never prefcribe political rules by which mankind can be condu6lcd in the govern- ment ot nations, or their pretended rights of v^'ar and peace, becaufe all thefe affairs being incapable (as has been fhewn) of being carried on by any other means than thofe of violence, fraud, and corruption; a divine revelation cannot polTibly give any direc- tions about them. ; becaufe all fuch muft be neceifarily inconiiflent either with virtue or v/ith practicability; totally to forbid thefe methods of governing mankind, who can be p^overned by no other, would be deltru6tive of all government: to allow them, of all morality : and therefore it is neceifary that men Ihould be left to a6l in thefe matiers at their peril, as particular circumftances may require, v/ith only a general lyflem of religion [ I20 ] religion and morality for their guide. If a divine revelation can give no laws for the management of civil government, much lefs can it ini^itute any new policies peculiar to itfelf, under the names of fpiritual or eccle- iiaftical ; all which, however divine in their original, miifx neceffarily be adminiftered, if adminiftered by man, by the fame unjuf- tifiable methods as others; with this additi- onal inconvenience, that they could never be juftly reiivted- God cannot, therefore, I ap- prehend, delegate fpiritual power to man, without patroniiing all that violence, corrup- tion, and iniquity, which muft refult from it, and without which no power in the hands of men can be? exercifed over men. For the imperfe61ion of man is incompatible v/ith the purity of a divine government. The government of all creatures muft correfpond with their natures; and it feems to me as impoflible that focieties of men fhould fub- mit ' under a divine government, as that wolves and tygers fhould live together under the regulations of human policy ; but moft of all impoftible it muft be that a divine and human government fhould fublift together in the fame fociety, for they muft immedi- ately clafh ; and whenever that happens, the Icaft fpark of divine authority, if really divine, muft infallibly confume all human power, and deftroy all civil government whatever, Laftly, [ 121 1 Laftly, It muft very fbon be cormpted, and from that corruption be produ6live of the mol^ mifchievous effe6lsj for, as the purcll l\ream poured into an impure veliel, mult partake ot its impurity; fo muft the moll perfe6t religion, that can be revealed by God to fo imperfe6t a creature as man, partake of iiis imperfe61ion, and produce many and great evils both natural and mo- ral; that is, much of that mifery and wick- ednefs which it w^as intended to prevent : this no wifdom can ob\'iate, no power put a flop to, lb long as that imperfe6tion re- mains; but it muft conftantly come to pais from a train of unavoidable confequences^ which muft invariably follow their caufcs, fo long as human nature continues what it is. For inftance, when a divine revelation is firft communicated to mankind, it muft be received (if received at all; becaufe its pre- cepts are approved, and its authority be- lieved; and all thofe nations who thus ap- prove the one, and believe the other, muft cfteem it both their intereft and their duty to encourage and fupport it. This they can effe6l by no other means than by granting pe- culiar privileges to all who proiels it, by forming from it their national religion, and public worfhip, and by maintaming an order of men to preach that religion, and minif- ter that worfhip to the people; all which amounts to a national eftablifnment. Now the [ 122 } the moment any religion becomes national, or eilablifhed, its purity muft certainly be loft, becaufe it is then impollible to keep it unconne6led with men's interefts; and jf conne6^ed, it muft inevitably be perverted by them. Whenever temporal advantages are annexed to any religious profefTion, they will be fure to call in all thofe who have no religion at all: knaves will embrace it for the fake of intereft, fools will follow them for the fake of fafhion ; and when once it is in fuch hands, omnipotence itfelf can never preferve its purity. That very order of men, who are maintained to fupport its in • terefts, will facrifi.ce them to their own; and being in the fole poifeffion of all its promifes and all its terrors, and having the tender- nels of childhood, the weaknefs of age, and the ignorance of the vulgar to work upon; I fay, thefe men, vefted with all thefe powers, yet being but men, will not fail to convert all the mighty influence they muft derive from them to the felfifh ends of their own avarice and ambition, and confequent- ly to the total deftru61:ion of its original pu- rity; from it they will lay claim to powers which it never deiigned them, and to pof- feffions to which they have no right; to make good thefe falfe pretenfions, falfe hif- tories will be forged, and fabulous traditions invented; groundlefs terrors will be tiung 6ut to operate on fuperftition and timidity ; Creeds and articles will be contrived to con- found [ 123 ] found all reafon, and tefts impofed lo lift out all who have honefty or courage enough to reiift thefe unwarrantable encroach- ments. Devotion will be turned into farce and pageantry, to captivate men's eyes, that their pockets may with more facility be invaded : they will convert piety into fuper- flition, zeal into rancour, and this religion, notwithflanding all its divinity, into diabo- lical malevolence. By degrees knaves will join them, fools believe them, and cowards be afraid of them ; and having gained fo confiderable a part of the world to their in- terefts, they will ereft an independent domi- nion among themfelves dangerous to the li- berties of mankind, and reprefenting all thofe who oppofe their tyranny as God's ene- mies, teach it to be meritorious in his fight to perfecute them in this world, and damn them in another. Hence muft arife hierar- chies, inquiiitions, and popery; for popery is but the confummation of that tyranny which every religious fvftem in the hands of men is in perpetual purfuit ofj and whofe principles they are all ready to adopt whenever they are fortunate enough to meet with its fuccefs. This tyranny cannot fubiift without fierce and formidable oppofition, from whence in- numerable fe^ts, fchifms, and diffcnfions will lift up their contentious heads, each gaping for that very power which they are fighting to deflroy, though unable either to acquire [ iH 3 acquire or retain it; and introdu6live only of their conixant concomitants, ignorance, felf-conceit, ill-breeding, obftinacy, anarchy, and confution. From thefe contefts all kinds of evil muft derive their exiftence, blood - fhed and defolation, perfecutions, maflacres and martyrdoms. Al] thefe evils you fee are but the necefl fary confequences of the national eftablifh- ment of any religion which God can com- municate to man, in whofe hands its divi- nity can never long preferve its purity, or keep it unmixed with his imperfeftions, his folly, and wickednefs. Nay, fo far is the di- vinity of a revelation from being able to pre- vent its corruption, that it will but increafe and haften it; for the greater fhare of divi- nity it partakes, the greater excellence, the more univerfal muft be its approbation; the more it is approved, the more it muft be en- couraged; the more it is encouraged, the fooner it will be eftabliftied ; and the fooner it is eftablifhed, the looner it muft be cor- rupted and made fubfervient to the worft purpofes of the v/orft men; yet it is plain this eftablifbment is no more than the con- fequence of its excellence, and men's appro ba' ion ; no more than the alternative of its total extin6tion, and without which it can- not be preferved at all; and therefore the corruption of every divine revelation com- municated to man, is, by the nature of man, clearly unavoidable. From [ '-S ] From what has been here faid it appears plainly that all the numerous evils which adhere to, and all the mifchievous eiTedls which follow all hunian religions, whether natural or revealed, by no means owe their exill:ence to any want of power, wifdom, or goodnefs in God, but, like all others, to the imperfe6\ion of man; that is, to his folly and wickednefs, which muft inevitably cor- rupt them. It is alfo, I think, no lefs evi- dent that all arguments levelled againft the divine original of Chriftianity, founded on its imperfe6lions and pernicious confequen- ces, (which are all, I think, that have any weight) may be proved to be vain and in- concluiive; and this not by concealing or denying thofe imperfe6lions and pernicious confequences, as many have abfurdly at- tempted, but by fairly fhev/ing, that they all proceed from the imperfe6lions of thofe creatures to whom it is revealed ; and that, fo long as thofe continue, thefe cannot be prevented by any wifdom, good- nefs, or power whatever*. Thus, Sir, if I miftake not, I have fufli- ciently, though concifely, anfwered that moll abftrufe and important quelfion, Whence came tviU and proved, that all the evils we feel, and * If we look into the deiilical writings of all times, we fhall find, that they have always attacked the Chrifliau religion mod fuccefsfully from this ground; they have {hewed the many imperfedlions that adhere to it, and then concluded, that nothing imperfect could derive its original from [■ 136 ] and all which we fee around us, derogate not ill the leaft from the wifdom, power, or goodnefs of our Creator ^ but proceed entirely from that fubordination which is fb necefL Ikry to the happinefs, and even to the exif- tence of the great and incomprehenfible whole. I have fhewn that all fubordination mull imply imperfeftion in fome beings or other; and that all imperfe61ion muft con- fift in the abfence of comparative good, or the admiffion of politive evil. I have fhewn that moil of the evils we ufually complain of are of the firft kind ; the w^ant only of thofe perfe6lions we fee others enjoy, or imagine infinite power might have bellowed upon ourfelves; which are therefore in fadl no evils at all : that thofe of the latter fort, or politive evils, are fuch as from the nature of things muft intrude themfelves into all creation, and therefore that omnipotence can do no more than make choice of that iyftem which admits the feweft; being obliged by the imperfedVion of all created beings, the untra6tablene{s of matter, and fome incom- prehenfible connexion between good and evil, happinefs and mifery, to admit both, or to give exiftence to neither. I have like- wife fhewn that moral evil may have its ne- celllty and utility as well as natural ; at leaft, from God ; their adverfaries have injudicioufly denied thofe imperfections, which for the moft part are true, and agreed to their conclufion, which is indifputably falfe; for every tiling we pofTefs is derived from God, and yet we polTefs nothing endued with abfolute perfection. that [ 127 ] that if natural evils are nccefPary, moral ones are expedient, to prevent that necelFary milery from falling to the ihare of perfect innocence, and to convert unavoidable fufier- ings into juft punifliments ; that though the elience of all moral evil conlifts in the pro- du6lion of natural, yet it may have iome collateral tendency to good; and that the wicked, whilft they are juftly punifhed for the miferies which they occalion, may pro- bably, by that very guilt and punifhment, feme way remotely contribute to univerfal happinefs. I have fhewn that if natural and moral evils could not be prevented, the ex- ilience of political and religious evils muft of courfe be unavoidable, they being but the certain confequences of the other: that all human government muft be in the high- eft degree imperfedl", and big with all man- ner of evils, being the dominion of ignorant and wicked creatures over each other; that, as fuch creatures can be governed only by fear of punifhment or hopes of reward, all government amongft them muft be founded on violence or corruption, and ever fup- ported and adminiftered by the fame vicious and unjuftifiable methods: that no pov/cr whatever can give a perfe61: religion to fo imperfe6l a creature as man, either by na- ture or revelation; not by nature, becaufe, whilft that is human nature, he can never difcover by reafon the truths on which a perfe6t fyftem of theology or ethics can be erefted; not by revelation, becaufe- he wants faculties [ 128 i faculties to comprehend fuch fupernatural diicoveries, althouglitheyfhould be imparted to hiiB ; that, was he capable of once receiv- ing a ptrfe6t reUgion, it is not poffible he could retain it; becaufe if it could be kept entirely feparate from his worldly in- terefts, it would foon be neglected and perifh in oblivion; and, if it was not, fuch a connec* tion would qruckly corrupt its purity, and deftroy its eiience, fo = hat national efiablifh- raents would be necelfary for its fupport, and yet infallibly produ61ive of its deilru61ion. That all thefe evils proceed not from wrong difpolitions or accidental caufes, but iingly and folely from the imperfe61ion of man; and yet that in gradation from infinite per- fection to abfolute nothing, there muif be one rank occupied by fuch a creature as man with all his imperfe6tions about him; that thefe imperfe61ions muft be annexed to his fituation, and adhere to every thing that re- lates to him, to his happinefs, to his morals, to his government, and to his religion : that, in like manner, all other created beings j^iuft have evils and imperfe6lion3 peculiar to their ftations, and proportioned to their inferiority; notwithifanding ail which, there is as much good and as little evil in the uni- verfal (yftem, as the nature of creation wull admit of; and that therefore it is a work equal to what we might expe6t from the operations of infinite benevolence joined with infinite power. D I S- D I S Q^U ISITIONS O H SEVERAL SUBJECTS. DISQJJISITION I. ON THE CHAIN OF UNIVERSAL BEING, X HE farther we inquire into the works of our great Creator, the more evident marks we fhall difcover of his infinite wif^ dom and power, and perhaps none more re- markable, than in that wonderful chain of beings, with which this terreftrial globe is furnifhed; riling above each other, from the fenfelefs clod, to the brightefl: genius of hu* man kind, in which, though the chain itfelf is fufiBcientlv vilible, the links, whicli com* pofe it, are fo minute, and fo finely wrought, that they are quite imperceptible to our eyes. The various qualities, with which thefe va- rious beings are endued, we perceive with- out difficulty, but the boundaries of thofe Vol. IL I qualities, [ ^30 ] qualities, which form this chain of fubordi- nation are To mixed, that where one ends, and the next begins, we are unable to dif- cover. The manner by which this is per- formed, is a fubje6l well worthy of our con^ iideration, though I do not remember to have feen it much conlidered ; but on an accurate examination appears to be this. In order to diffufe all poffible happinels, God has been plea fed to fill this earth with innumerable orders of beings, fuperior to each other in proportion to the qualities and faculties which he has thought proper to be- ftow upon them ; to mere matter he has given extenfion, folidity, and gravity; to plants, vegetation; to animals, life and in- fl:in61 ; and to man, reafon ; each of which fuperior qualities augments the excellence and dignity of the polfeffor, and places him higher in the fcale of univerfal exiftence. In all thefe, it is remarkable, that he has not formed this neceffary and beautiful fubordi- nation, by placing beings of quite different natures above each other, but by granting fbme additional quality to each fuperior or- der, in conjun6lion with all thofe polfeifed by their inferiors; fo that, though they rife above each other in excellence, by means of thefe additional qualities, one mode of exif- tence is common to them all, without which they never could have coalefced in one uni- form and regular fyilem. Thus-, [ 131 ] Thus, for inftance, in plants we find all the qualities of mere matter, the only order below them, folidity, extenlion, and gravity, with the addition of vegetation; in animals, all the properties of matter, together with the vegetation of plants, to which is added, life and inl\in6\ ; and in man we find all the properties of matter, the vegetation of plants, the lite and inftinit of animals, to all which is fuperadded reafon. That man is endued with thefe properties of all inferior orders, will plainly appear by a flight examination of his compofition; his body is material, and has all the properties of mere matter, folidity, extenlion, and gra- vity; it is alfo vefted with the quality of plants, that is, a power of vegetation, which it inceifantly exercifes without any know- ledge or confent of his; it is fown, grows up, expands, comes to maturity, withers, and dies, like all other vegetables : he pof- feiTes likewife the qualities of lower animals, and fhares their fate; like them, he is cal- led into life without his knowledge or con- fent; like them, he is compelled by irrefif- tible inll:in6ls, to anf.ver the purpofes for which he was defigned ; like them, he per- forms his deftined courfe, partakes of its blelfings, and endures its fuflerings for a fhort time, then dies, and is feen no more : in him inftin6l is not lefs powerful than in them, though lels vilible, by being con- founded with reafon, which it fometimes I 2 concurc L ^32 ] concurs with, and fometimes counteracts; hy this, with the concurrence of reafon, he is taught the belief of a God, of a future Hate, and the difference between moral good and evil; to purfue happinefs, to avoid danger, and to take care of himfelf and his offspring; by this too he is frequently impel- led, in contradi6tion to reafon, to relinquifh. eafe and fafety, to traverfe inhofpitable de- ferts and tempeftuous fcas, to infli6V and fuf- fer all the mifcries of war, and, like the herring and the mackarel, to haften to his own deR:ru61ion, for the public benefit, which he neither underflands or cares for. Thus is this v/onderful chain extended from the lowef^ to the higheft order of terreflrial beings, by links fo nicely fitted, that the be- ginning and end of each is inviiible to the moft inquiiitive eye, and yet they altogether conipofe one vaft and beautiful lylxem of fubordination. The manner by which the confummate wif^ dom of tL divine artificer has formed this gradation, fo extenfive in the whole, and fo imperceptible in the parts, is this :— He conftantly unites the higheft degree of the qualities of each inferior order to the loweft degree of the fame qualities, belonging to the order next above it; by which means, like the colours of a fkilful painter, they are fo blended together, and fhaded off into each other, that no line of dilim6^ion is any where to be feen. Thus, for infiance, foli- diiy [ K,3 ] dity, exterdion, and gravity, the qualities of mere matter, being imited with the low- eft degree of vegetation, compofe a ftone; from whence this vegetative powder afccnd- ing through an infinite variety of herbs, flowers, plants and trees to its greatcft per- fe6lion in the fenliti^e plant, joins th( re the loweft degree of animal lite in the fhcll-ftfh which adheres to the rock ; and it is diffi- cult to diftinguifh which poffefles the greateft fhare, as the one fhews it only by fhrinking from the finger, and the other by opening to receive the water which fur- rounds it. In the fame manner this animial life rifes from this low beginning in the Ihell-fifh, through innumerable fpecies of infe6ls, fifhes, birds, and beafts to the con- fines of reafon, where, in the dog, the mon- key, and chimpanze it unites fo clofely with the loweft degree of that quahty in man, that they cannot eaiily be diftinguifhed from each other. From this loweft de2;ree in the brutal Hottentot, reafon, vvith the aiTiftance of learning and fcience, advances, through the various ftages of humian underftanding, which rife above each other, till in a Bacon or a Newton it attains the fummit. Kere w^e muft ftop, being unable to pur- fue the progrefs of this aftonifbing chain be- yond the limits of this terreftrial globe with ti:ie naked eye; but through the perfpedtive of analogy and conjecture, we may perceive that it afcends a great deal higher, to the inha^ [ 134 ] inhabitants of other planets, to angels, and archangels, the loweft orders of whom may be united by a like eafy tranlition with the higheft of our own, in whom to reafon may be added intuitive knowledge, inlight into futurity, with innumerabJe other faculties, of which we are unable to form the leaft idea; thioi'gh whom it may afcend, by gradations almoft infinite, to thofe moft exalted of created beings, who are feated on the foot- ftool of the ceieftiai throne. DISQUISITION II. ON CRUELTY TO INFERIOR ANIMALS. A N is that link of the chain of uni- verial exigence, by which fpiritual and cor- poreal beings are united : as the numbers and variety o^ the latter his inferiors are al- moft infinite, fo probably are thofe of the former his luperiors ; and as we fee that the lives and happinefs of thofe below us are de- pendant on our wills, we may reafonably conclude, that our lives and happinefs are equally dependant on the wills of thofe above us; accountable, like ourfelves, for the ufe of this power, to the Supreme Crea- tor and Tovernor of all things. Should this analogy be well founded, how criminal will our [ I3S ] our account appear, v hen laid before that juit and impartial judge! How will man, that fanguinary tyrant, be able to excufe himielft'rom the charge of thofe innumera- ble cruelties infii6led on his unoffending fub- je61:s committed to his care, formed for his benefit, and placed under his authority by their common father? whofe mercy is over all his works, and who expe6ts that this authority fhould be exercifed not only with tendernefs and mercy, but in conformity to the laws of juftice and gratitude. But to what horrid deviations from thefe benevolent intentions are we daily witnelfes! No fmall part of mankind derive their chief amufements from the deaths and fuf- ferings of inferior animals; a much greater, coniider them only as engines of wood or iron, ufeful in their feveral occupations. 1 he carman drives his horfe, and the car- penter his nail, by repeated blows; and fb long as thefe produce the defired effe6t, and they both go, they neither reflect or care whether either of them have any fenfe of feeling. The butcher knocks down the late- ly ox with no more compaflion than the black-fmith hammers a horfe-fhoe, and plun- ges his knife into the throat of the innocent lamb, with as little reluctance as the taylor {ticks his needle into the collar of a coat. If there are fome few, who, formed in a fofter mould, view with pity the fulierings of thefe defencelefs creatures, there is fcxve one [ 136 ] one wlno entertains the leaft idea, that juftice or gratitude can be due to their merits or their fervices. The focial and friendly dog is hanged without remorfe, if, by barking in defence of his mafter's perfon and pro- perty, he happens unknowingly to difturb iiis reft ; the generous horfe, who has carried his ungrateful mafter for many years with eafe and fafety, worn out with age and in- firmities contra61ed in his fervice, is by him condemned to end his miferable days in a duft-cart, where the more he exerts his little rem.ains of fpirit, the more he is whip- ped, to fave his ftupid driver the trouble of whipping fome other, lefs obedient to the lafh. Sometimes, having been taught the pra61:ice of many unnatural and ufelefs feats in a riding-houfe, he is at laft turned out and conGgned to the dominion of a hackney- coachman, by whom he is every day corre61:- ed for performing thofe tricks, which he has learned under ih long and lei'ere a difcipline. The fluggifbi bear, in contradi6fion to his nature, is taught to dance, for the diverfion of a malignant mob, by placing red-hot irons under his feet; and the majeftic bull h tortured by every mode which malice can invent, for no offence but that he is genticj and unwilling to affail his diabolical tor- mentors. Thcfe, with innumerable other a6ts of cruelty, injuftice, and ingratitude- arc every day committed, not only with im- punity, but without cenfure, and even with- out [ 137 ] out obfervation; but we may be affured, that they cannot finally pafs away unnoticed and unrctaliated. 'I he laws of felf-defence undoubtedly juf. tify us in dcilroying thofe animals who would deftroy us, who injure our properties, or annoy our perfons; but not even thefe, whenever their lituation incapacitates them from hurting us. I know of no right which we have to fhoot a bear on an inaccefTible iiland of ice, or an eagle on the mountain's top, whofe lives cannot injure us, nor deaths procure us any benefit. We are unable to give life, and therefore ought not v;antonly to lake it away from the meaneft infe-fl, without fufficient reafon ; they all receive it from the fame benevolent hand as ourfelves, and have therefore an ec[ual right to enjoy it. God has been pleafed to create numberlcls animals intended for our fuftenance; and that they are fo intended, the agreeable fia- vour of their fiefli to our palates, and the wholefome nutriment which it adminifters to our ftomachs, arc fufficient proofs : thefe, as they are formed for our ufe, propagated by our culture, and ted by our care, we have certainly a right to deprive of liie, be. caufe it is given and preferved to them on that condition ; but this fhould always be performed with all the tendernefs and com- pafficn which fo difagreeable an office will permit; and no circumftances ought to be omittedo [ 138 ] omitted, which can render their executions as quick and eafy as poffible. For this, providence has wifely and benevolently pro- vided, by forming them in fuch a manner, that their flefh becomes rancid and unpalat- able by a painful and lingering death ; and has thus compelled us to be merciful without compaffion, and cautious of their fuffering for the fake of ourfelves ; but, if there are anv whofe taftes are fo vitiated, and whofe hearts are fo hardened, as to delight in fuch inhuman facrifices, and to partake of them without remorfe, they fhould be looked upon as dsemons in human fhapes, and expeA a retaliation of thofe tortures which they have infli6led on the innocent, for the gratifica- tion of their own depraved and unnatural appetites. So violent are the pafflons of anger and revenge in the human breaft, that it is not wonderful that men fhould perfecute their real or imaginary enemies with cruelty and malevolence; but that there fhould exift in nature a being who can receive pleafure from giving pain, would be totally incre- dible, if we w^ere not convinced, by melan- choly experience, that there are not only many, but that this unaccountable difpoii- tion is in fome manner inherent in the nature of rnao ; for as he cannot be taught by ex^ nmole, nor led to it by temptation, or prompted to it by intereii, it muft be de- rived from his native conftitution ; and is a remarkable [ ^39 ] remarkable confirmation of what revelation fo frequently inculcates — that he brings into the world with him an original depravity, the efie61:s of a fallen and degenerate ftate; in proof of which we need only obferve, that the nearer he approaches to a ftate of nature, the more predominant this difpofition appears, and this more violently it operates. We fee children laughing at the miferies which they inflidl on every unfortunate animal which comes within their power: all favages are ingenious in contrivmg, and happy in exe- cuting the moft cxquifite tortures; and the common people of all countries are delighted with nothing fo much as bull- baitings, prize- fightings, executions, and all fpe6iacles of cruelty and horror. Though civilization may in fome degree abate this native fero- city, it can never quite extirpate it ; the moft polifhed are not afhamed to be plealed with fcenes of little lefs barbarity, and, to the difgrace of human nature, to dignify them with the name of fports. They arm cocks with artificial weapons, which nature had kindly denied to their malevolence, and with fhouts of applaufe and triumph fee them plunge them into each other's hearts: they view with delight the trembling deer and defencelefs hare, fiying for hours in the utmoft agonies of terror and defpair, and at laft, linking under fati?;ue, devoured by their mercilefs purfuers ; they fee with joy ^he beautiful pheafant and harmlefs partridge drop [ HO ] drop from their flight, weltering in their blood, or perhaps perifhing with wounds and hunger, under the cover of fome friend- ly thicket to v/hich they have in vain retreat- ed for fafety ; they triumph over the unfuf^ pe6ling fifh, whom they have decoyed by an inlidious pretence of feeding, and^ drag him from his native element by a hook' fixed ■xo and tearing out his entrails ; and to add to all this, they fpare neither labour nor ex- pence to preferve and propagate thefe inno- cent animals, for no other end but to multi- ply the obje6ls of their perfecution. What name fhould we bellow on a fupe- rior being, whofe whole endeavours were employed, and whofe whole pleafure con- iified in terrifying, enfnaring, tormenting, and deftroying mankind? whofe fuperior faculties were exerted in fomenting animo- iities amongft them, in contriving engines of deftru6Lion, and inciting them to ufe them in maiming and murdering each other? whofe power over them was em- ployed in affifting the rapacious, deceiving the fimple, and oppreffinn: the innocent? who, without provocation or advantage, fhould continue from day to day, void of all pity and remorfe, thus to torment man- kind for diverfion, and at the fame time en- deavour v/ith the utmoft care to preferve their lives, and to propagate their fpecies. In order to increafe the number of vi6lims 4evoted to his malevolence, and be delighted in [ HI ] in proportion to the miferies wlilch he occa- lioned ? I fay, what name deteftable enough could we find for fuch a being? Yet, if we impartially conlider the cafe, and our inter- mediate fituation, w^e muft acknowledge that, with regard to inferior animals, jufl: fuch a being is a fportfman. DISQJJISITION III. ON A PRiE-EXlSTENT STATE. T HAT mankind had exifted in fome ftate previous to the prefent, was the opinion of the wifeft fages of the moft remote antiquity. It was held by the Gymnofophilts of Egypt, the Brachm.ans of India, the Magi of Perfia, and the greateft philofophers of Greece and Rome; it was likewife adopted by the fa- thers of the Chriftian church, and frequent- ly enforced by her primitive writers-; why it has been fo little noticed, fo much over- looked, rather than reje6led, by the divines and metaphyficians of later ages, I am at a lofs to account for, as it is undoubtedly con- firmed by reafon, by all the appearances of nature, and the do6trines of revelation. In the firft place then it is confirmed by reafon, which teaches us that it is impoffible that [ 14- ] that the conjunction of a male and female can create, or bring into being an immortal foul; they may prepare a material habitation for it ; but there muft be an immaterial prse- exiftent inhabitant ready to take poiTeffion. Reafon afTures us, that an immortal foul, which will exift eternally after the diffolu- tion of the body, muft have eternally exifted before the formation of it ; for whatever has no end, can never have had any beginning, but exift in fome manner which bears no re- lation to time, to us totally incomprehenfi- ble; if therefore the foul vv^ill continue to exift in a future life, it muft have exifted in a former. Reafon likewife tells us, that an omnipotent and benevolent Creator would never have formed fuch a world as this, and filled it with fuch inhabitants, if the prefent was the only, or even the firft ftate of their exiftence, a ftate which, if unconne6led with the paft and the future, feems calculated for no onepurpofe intelligible' to our miderftand- ings; neither of good or evil, of happinefs or mifery, of virtue or vice, of reward or puniftiment, but a confufed jumble of them altogether, proceeding from no vilible caufe, and tending to no end. But, as we are cer- tain that infinite power cannot be employed without eifecl:, nor infinite wifdom without delign, we may rationally conclude, that this world could be deiigncd for nothing more than a prifon, in which we are awhile confined to receive punifhment for the [ 143 ] the offences committed in a former, and an opportunity of preparing o\u-felves for the enjoyment of happinels in a future Hfe. Secondly, Thefe concluiions of reafon are fufficiently confirmed by the face of nature and the appearances of things; this world is evidently formed for a place of punifhment as well as probation ; a prifon, or houfe of correftion, to which we are committed, fome for a longer, and fome for a fhorter period ; fome to the fevereft labour, others to more indulgent talks; and if we coniider it under this chara6ler, we fhall perceive it admirably fitted for the end for which it was intended. It is a fpacious, beautiful, and durable ftru61:ure; it contains many various apartments, a few very comfortable, many tolerable, and fome extremely wretched; it is enclofed with a fence fo impalTable, that none can furmount it but with the lofs of life. Its inhabitants likewife exactly refem- ble thofe of other prifons : they come in with malignant difpoiitions, and unruly paifions, from whence, like other confined criminals, they receive great part of .their punifhment by abuiing and injuring each other. As we may fuppofe, that they have not all been equally guilty, fo they are not all equally miferable; the majority are permitted to procure a tolerable fubiil^ence by their la- bour, and pais through their confinement without any extraordinary penalties, except from paying their fees, at their difcharge by death. [ 144 ] death. Others, who perhaps ftand in need of more fevere chaftifement, receive it by a variety of methods ; fome by the moft acute, and fome by the moft tedious pains and dif- eafes; fome by difappointments, and many by fiiccefs, in their favourite purfuits; fome by being condemned to fituations peculiarly unfortunate, as to thofe of extreme poverty, or fuperabundant riches, of defpicable mean- nefs, or painful pre-eminence, of galley- Haves in a defpotic, or minifters in a free country. If we furvey the various regions of the globe, vvhat dreadful fcenes of wretch- ednefs every where prefent themfelves to our eyes[ in fome, vv^e fee thoufands chained to the oar, and pf^rpetually fuffering from the inclemency of all weathers, and their more inclement mafters; in fome, not fewer condemned to wear out their miferable lives in dreary mines, deprived of air and day- light; and in others, much greater numbers torn from their native country, their fami- lies, and friends, and fold to the moft inhu- man of all tyrants, under whofe lafti they are worn out with fatigue, or expire in tor- ments. The hiftory of mankind is indeed little more than a detail of their miferies, fome infiifted by the hand of providence, and many more bv their own wickednefs, and mutual ill-ufage. As nations, \we fee them fometimes chaftifed by plagues, fa- mines, inundations, and earthquakes ; and continually deftroying each other with fire and [ 145 ] and fvvord ; we fee fleets and aniileB combat- ing with favage fury, and employing againft each other every inftrument of torture and death, which malevolence can invent, or fe- rocity make ufe of; we fee the dying and the dead huddled together in heaps, and welter- ing in each other's blood ; and can we be fpedlators of this horrid tragedy, without coniidering the performers as condemned criminals, compelled, like the gladiators of the ancients, to receive their punifhment from each other's hands? The orator, the poet, and the hiftorian may celebrate them as heroes fighting for the rights and liber- ties of their refpeclive countries; but the Chriftian philofopher can look upon them in no other light than as condemned fpirits exiled into human fiefh, and fent into this world to chaftife each other for pafl: offences. As individuals, we fee men affii6\ed with innumerable difeafes, which proceed not from accident, but are congenial Vs^ith their original formations, and evidently the dif- poiitions of providence, defigned for the mofl important ends; the ftone grows in the human bladder, under the fame direc- tion as in the quarrv, and the ieeds of fcur- vy, rheumatifm, and gout are lown in the blood by the fame omnipotent hand, which has fcattered thofe of vegetables over the face of the earth. From thel'e various in- ftruments of torture, numberlcfs are tlie miferies which mankind endure; nor are Vol. II. K thofe [ 146 ] thofe perhaps lefs numerous, though lels vl- lible, which thev fuffer from that treachery,- injuftice, ingratitude, ill-humour, and per* verfenefs, with which they every hour tor- ment one another, interrupt the peace of fociety, and imbitter the comforts of do- meftic life ; to all which we may add that wonderful ingenuity which they pofTefs, of creating imaginary, in the abfence of real misfortunes, and that corrofive quality in the human mind, which, for want of the proper food of buiinefs or contemplation, preys upon itfelf, and makes folitude into- lerable, and thinking a moft painful tafk. Who, that furveys this melancholy picture of the prefent life, can entertain a doubt, but that it is intended for a flate of punifh- ment, and therefore muft be fubfequent to fome former, in which this punifhment was defer ved. Laftly, The opinion of prse-exiflence is no lefs confirmed by revelation than by rea- fon, and the appearances of things : for, although perhaps it is no where in the New Teftament explicitly enforced, yet through- out the whole tenour of thofe writings it is every vvhere implied: in them mankind are conftantly reprefented as coming into the world under a load of guilt; as condemned criminal?, the children of wrath, and objects of divine indignation; placed in it for a time by the mercies of (Jod, to give them sn opportunity of expiating this guilt by fuf- feringSj and regainingj by a pious and vir- tuous [ HI 3 tuous condu6l, their loft ftate of happincfg and innoce^.ce: this is ftiled working out their lalvation, not preventing their con- demnation, for that is already paft, and their only hope now is redemption, that is, being: refcued from a ftate of captivity and fin, in which they are univerfally involved. This is the very efience of the Chriftian dif- penlation, and the grand principle in which it differs from the religion of nature; in every other refpe6t thev are nearly limilar; they both enjoin the fame moral duti'^s, and prohibit the fame vices ; both inculcate the belief of a future ftate of rewards and pu- niftiments; but here they eifentiaily dii^ agree; natural religion informs us, that a juft and benevolent Creator could have no other deiign in placing us in this world, but to make us happy, and that, if we commit no extraordinary crimes, we may hope to be fb in another; but Chriftianity teaches a feverer and more alarming lelfon, and acquaints us, that we are admitted into this life opprelied with guilt and depravity, which we muft atone for by fuffering its ufual calamities, and work off by ac^s of pofitive virtue, be- fore we can hope for happinefs in another. Now, if by all this a prsc-exiftcnt ftate is not conftantly fuppofed, that is, that man. kind have exifted in fome ftate previous to the prefent, in which this guilt was incurred, and this depravity contra6fed, there can be no meaning at all, or fuch a meaning as contradicts every prniciple ot cojiimon lenfe K ^ that C H8 ] — that guilt can be contracted without a6l- ing, or that we can a6t without exifting: fo undeniable is this inference, that it renders .any poiitive airertion of a prae-exiftent ftate totally ulelefs j as, if a man at the moment of his entrance into a new country was de- clared a criminal, it would furely be unne- eeflary to afTert, that he had lived in fome other before he came there. In all our refearches into abftrufe fubje6lsy there is a certain clue, without which, the further we proceed the more we are bewil- dered, but which being fortunately difco- vered, leads us at once through the whole labyrinth, puts an end to our difficulties, and opens a fyflem perfe(5lly clear, coniiftent, and intelligible. Th« doClrine of prse-exift- ence, or the acknowledgment of fome paft ftate of guilt and difobedience, I take to be this very clue ; which, if we eonftantly carry along v/ith us, we fhall proceed unembar- rafTed through all the intricate myfteries both of nature and revelation, and at lall arrive at fo clear a profpe6l of the wife and juft difpenfations of our Creator, as cannot fail to afford compleat fatisfa6tion to the moft inquilitive fceptic. For inftance ; Are we unable to anfwer that important queftion, Whence came evil? that is, why a Creator of infinite power, wii^ dom, and goodnefs, fhould have formed a world replete with fo many imperfections, and thofe fo produ6live of calamities to its inhabitants? \ [ 149 ] inhabitants ? this clue will direcl us to this fatisIa6toiy reply, as far as the queftion re- lates to the evils of the prcfcnt life — becaufe he deligned it for a place of punifliment and probation, for which it is perfe'flly adapted ; and we can be no more furprifed to fee fnch a world as this make a part of the nniverfal lyftem, than to fee a magnificent prifon, with all its appendages of punifhment, whips, pillories, and gibbets, make a part of a large, populous, and well-governed city, Are we under difficulties to comprehend why the fame omnipotent and benevolent Creator fhould fill this world with inhabitants fo wicked, and io miferable ? this clue will immediately lead us to a folution of them, and point out the true reafon— ^becaufe they are fent hither to be punifhed and reformed. Do we reject all thoie palTages in the New Teftament as derogatory to the divine wif^ dom and goodnefs, which declare, that man^ kind come into this world under a load of guilt and depravity, and under the difplea- fure of their Creator? — no foon^r are we brought by this clue within fight of a prse- exiftent ftate, in v;hich this guilt and depra- vity may have been contracted , but our in- credulity vanifhes, and we perceive plainly, that their admillion into this world, under thofe circumftances, is not only coniiftent with the juftice of God, but the ftrongeft in- flance of his mercy and benevolence ; as by it they are enabled to purge off this depravi- ty C 150 ] iy^ to expiate their offences, and to reinftate the mfe Ives in his favour. Thus is a prae-exiftent ftate, I think, clear- ly demonftrated, by the principles of reafon, the appearances of things, and the fenfe of revelation ; all which agree, that this world is intended for a place of punifhment, as well as probation, and mufl therefore refer to fome former period ; for, as probation implies a future life, for which it is prepa- ratory, fo punifhment mull imply a former ftate, in which offences were committed, for which it is due ; and indeed there is not a lingle argument drawn frora the juftice of God, and the feemingly undeferved fuffer- ings of many in the prefent ftate, which can be urged in proof of a future life, which proves not with fuperior force the exigence of another, which is already pall. DISQUISITION IV. ON THENATURE OF TIME. W^ E are fo accuftomed to conne6l our '^deas of time with the hiftory of what paffes \n it, that is, to miftake a fucceffion of thoughts and a6tions for time, that we find it exti'emely ditficult, perhaps impoffible, totally [ 151 ] totally to feparate or diftinguifh them fi-om each other : and indeed, had we power to effe6l this in our minds, all human language is fo formed, that it would fail us in our expreffion : yet certain it is, that time, ab- l\ra6led from the thoughts, actions, and mo- tions which pals in it, is a6lually nothing : it is only the mode in which fome created beings are ordamed to exift, but in itfelf has really no exilience at all. Though this opinion may feem chimerical to many, who have not much coniidered the fubjeft, yet it is by no means new, for it was longlince adopted by fome of the moft celebrated philofophers of antiquity, particu- larly by the Epicureans ; and is thus well exprelled by Lucretius : Tempus item perfe nofi ejl ; fed rebus ab ipfis Cotif'quitur fenfuSy tranfaclum quod Jit in avo, Turn qua res injiaty quid porro deindefequatur ; Nee per fey quemquam tempus fentire^fatendum ej}^ Scmotian ab ufuy motUy pldcidaque quiete. Time of itfelf is nothing ; bnt from thought Receives its rife, by lab'ring fancy wrought, From things confidered : whiic we think on fome As prefent, fome as pad, and fome to come : No thought can think on Time, that's (till confefs'd. But thinks on things in niotion, or at relt. Creech. From obferving the diurnal revolutions of the fun. and the various tranfafticns which pafs during thofe revolutions, we acquire conceptions of days ; by dividing thefe days we [ iSa ] we form hours, minutes, and feconds; and by multiplying them, months, years, and ages ; then by meafuring thefe imaginary periods againft each other, and beftowing on each diftincl denominations, we give them the appearance of fomething real : yefterday, which is paft, and to-morrow, which is not yet come, aiTume the fame reality as the pre- fent day ; and thus we imagine time to re* femble a great book, one of whofe pages is every day wrote on, and the reft remain blank, to be filled up in their turns with the events of futurity ; whilft in fa6l this is all but the deluiion of our own imaginations, and time is nothing more than the manner in which paft, prefent, and future events fuc- ceed each other : yet is this deluiion fo cor- refpondent with our prefent ftate, and fo woven up with all human language, that without much refle6lion it cannot be perceiv- ed, nor when perceived can it be remedied ; nor can I, while endeavouring to prove time to be nothing, avoid treating it as fomething in almoft every line. There feems to be in the nature of things two modes of exiftence ; one, in which all events, paft, prefent, and to come, appear in one view ; which, if the expreffion may be allowed, I fhall call perpetually inftantane- pus ; and which, as I apprehend, conftitutes Eternity : the other, in which all things are prefented feparately and fucceflively, which produces what we call Time. ■ Of L 153 ] Ofthefirft of thefe human reafon can af* ford us no manner of conception ; yet it al^ fures us, on the ftrongeft evidence, that fuch mull be the exiftence of the Supreme Crea- tor of all things^ that fuch probably may be the exiftence of many fuperior orders of cre- ated beings, and that fuch poflibly may be our own in another ftate : to beings fb con* ftituted, all events paft, prefent, and future, are prefented in one congregated mafs, which to us are fprcad out in fucceflion to adapt them to our temporary mode of per- ception : in thefe ideas have no fucceflion, and therefore to their thoughts, a6tions, or exiftence, time, which is fucceflion only, can bear not the leaft relation whatfoeven To exiftence of this kind alone can eternity belong ; for eternity can never be compofed of finite parts, v/hich, however multiplied, can never become infinite; but muft be fome thing limple, uniform, invariable, and indi- idfible ; permanent, though inftantaneous, andendlefs without progreflion. There are fome remarkable exprefllons both in the Old and New Teftament, alluding to this mode of exiftence; in the former, God is denominated / am * ; and in the latter, Chrift fays, Before Abraham was^ I am-\ : both evi- dently implying duration without fucceflion: from whence the fchoolmen probably derive their obfcure notions of fuch a kind of dura- f Exod. iy. 14. f John viii, 5 8. tion, r 154 ] tlon, which they explain by the more obfcure term oi pun6lumjians. With the other mode of exiftence we are fafficiently acquainted, being that in which Providence has placed us, and all things around us, during our relidence on this ter- reftrial globe; in which all ideas follow each other in our minds in a regular and uniform fucceffion, flot unlike the tickings ^i of a clock ; and by that means all objedts mk are prefented to our imaginations in the fame " progreflive manner : and if any vary much from that deftined pace, by too rapid or too How a motion, they immediately become to us totally imperceptible. We now per- ceive every one, as it paifes, through a fmall aperture feparately, as in the camera ob- fcura, and this we call time ; but at the con- cluiion of this ftate we may probably exift in a manner quite different ; the window may be thrown open, the whole profpe6t ap- pear at one view, and all this apparatus, which we call time, be totally done away : for time is certainly nothing more than the fhifting of' fcenes necelTary for the perfor- mance of this tragi-comical farce, which we are here exhibiting, and mull: undoubtedly end with the conciufion of the drama. It has no more a real eiTence, independent of thnught and aclion, than light, hearing, and finell have, independent of their proper or- gans, and the animals to whom they be- long; and when they ceafe to exift, time can C 155 1 can be no more. T here are alfo fevcral paf. fages in the fcriptures, declaring this annihi- lation of time, at the confummation of all things : And the Angela lihich I J'aiv J I and upon the Jea and ike eatih^ lijted up his ha?id towards hearen^ and Jkvore by him that li'veth for CTer and e-ver^ &c. tiiat there JJiould be time no longer'^'. To this opinion of the non-entity of time it has by fome been objedled, that time has many attributes and powers inherent in its nature ; and that whatever has attributes and powers, muft itfelt exift : it is infinite, fay they, and eternal ; it contains all things and forces itfclf on our imaginations in the abfence of all other exil^ence. Eut to this it may be anfwered, that the human mmd is able in the very fame manner to realize no- thing; and then all the fame attributes and powers are applicable with equal propriety to that nothing, thus fuppofed to be fome- thing : f Nothing, thou elder brother ev^^ to fliade ! Thou had'ft a being, ere the world was made. And well fix'd are alone of ending not afraid. Nothing is infinite, and eternal; that is, hath neither beginning nor end : it contains all things ; that is, it begins where all exill- ence ends, and therefore furrounds and con- tains all things : it forces itfelf on the mind, in the abfence of all exiftence ; that is, where '* Rev. X. 5. f Lord Rochefter. we [ 155 ] we fuppofe there is no exigence, we muft fuppofe there is nothing : this exa6l refem- blance of their attributes and powers, more plainly demonftrates, that time is nothing. From this non-exiftence of time thus efta- blilhed, many conclulions will arife, both nfeful and entertaining ; from whence per- haps new lights may be thrown on feveral fpeculations religious and metaphyfical, whofe outlines I fhall juft venture to trace, and leave them to be filled up by abler pens. ill. If time be no more than the fuccef- lion of ideas, and atSlions, however thefe may be accelerated or retarded, time will be luft the fame : that is, neither longer or fhorter, provided the fame ideas and a6lions fucceed one another, as far, I mean, as it re- lates to beings fo thinking and a6ling. For inftance, were the earth and all the celeftial bodies to perform the fame revolutions in one day, which they now perform in a whole year, and were all the ideas, a6tions, and lives of mankind haftened on in the fame proportion, the period of our lives would not be in the leaft fhortened ; but that day would be exactly equal to the prefent year : if in the fpace of fei^enty or eighty of thefe days a man was born, educated, and grown up, Iiad exercifed a profeffion, had feen his children come to maturity, his grand- child rei} fucceed them, and, during this pe- riod, had had all his ideas and adtions, all his enjoyments and fufferings, accelerated in the [ 157 J the fame proportion, he would not only fecm to himfelf, and to all who lived in the fame ftate with him, and meafured time by the fame flandard, to have lived as long, but a6lually and in fa6t would have lived as long as one who relides on this globe as great a number of our prefent years. ^dly. This being the cafe, it follows, that the life of every man muft be longer or fhort- er, in proportion to the number of his thoughts and a6lions ; for was it poflible for a man to think and a6l as much in an hour as in a year, that hour, as far as it related to him, would not only feem, but a6lually become a year. On the other hand, was it poffible for a man totally to abftain from thinking and a6ling for an hour, or a year, time, with regard to him, for that period, would have no exiftence ; or, could he keep one idea fixed in his mind, and continue one finglea6l during the fame fpace, time, which is afucceffion only of ideas and a6lions, muft be equally annihilated : whether thefe ideas and a6lions are exercifed on great or little occafions, whether they are produ61:ive of plcaling or painful fenfations, with regard to thispurpofe their effefts will be the fame; neither their importance or confequences will add anything to time, but their numbers and celerity mol\ undoubtedly will. Our lives, therefore, when diverlified with a va- riety of obje6ts, and bulled in a multiplicity of purfuits, though perhaps lefs happy, will certainly [ 158 ] certainly be longer than when doled ^wTLf in iloth, ina6tivity, and apathy. 3dl} . From hence it is evident, that we can form no judgment of the duration of the lives, enjoyments, and fufferings of other . animals, with the progreffion of vx^hofe ideas we are totally unacquainted, and who may be framed in that refpe6l, as well as in many others, fo widely different from ourfelves. The gaudy butterfly, that flutters in the fun- fhine but for a few months, may live as long as the i^upid tortoife that breathes for a cen- tury ; the infe61:, that furvives not one di- urnal revolution of the fun, may, for anything we know, enjoy an age of happinefs; and the miferable horfe, that appears to us to fuf- ferthe drudgery often or twenty years, may finifti his laborious talk in as many months, days or hours. 4thly. For the like reafons we can judge but very imperfe6fly of what are real evils in the univerfal fyftem, whilff we remain in this temporal Itate of exilience, in which all things are exhibited to us by fcraps, one after the other; for thefe detached portions, which viewed feparately, feem but mif^ Ihapen blotchesj may to beings, who in an eternal fl:ate fee paft, prefent, and future, all delineated on one canvafs, appear as welU difpofed ihiades necelfary to render perfe6t the whole moll beautiful landfcnpe. Nay, even pain, that taken fingly is fo pungent and difagreeable a potion, wiien thrown into the cup of univerfal happinefs, mav, perhaps, add I [ 159 1 add to it a flavour, which without this infu- iion it could not have acquired. 5thly. If time has itlelf no exiftcnce, it can never put an end to the exil^ence of any thing elfe ; and this feems no inconcluiive argument for the immortality of the foulj for if any thing is, and no caufe appears to us why it fhonld ceafe to be, we can have no good reafon to believe that it will not con- tinue. Whatever has no conne6tion with time muft be eternal : now the only proper- ty of the foul, with which we are acquainted, is thought, which bears no relation to time ; whence it is reafonable to fuppofe, that the foul itfelf is equally unconne6ted with it, and confequently eternal. Even in material be- ings we fee continual mutations, but can perceive no fymptoms of annihilation; and therefore we have furely lefs caufe to fufpe6l it in immaterial ; from whence I am inclined to think, that the effences of all things are eternal, that is, unrelative to time, and that it is only our manner of perceiving them, thatcaufes them to appear temporal to us; paft, prefent, and future being not inhe- rent in their natures, but only in our pro- greifive mode of perception. 6thly. From what has been faid, we may perceive into what amazing abfurditics many of our ableft divines and metaphyiicians have plunged, in their inveftigations of eternitv ; for making which their receipt is ufually this : they take of time a fufficient quantity, and, chopping it in fmall pieces, they difpofe [ i6o 1 difpofe tKem in imaginary lengths, which they dillinguifh by the names of minutes, hours, days, years, and ages ; then feeling in their own minds a power of multiplying thefe as often as they think fit, they heap millions upon millions • and finding this power to be a machine that may be worked backwards and forwards with equal facility, they extend their line both ways, and fo their eternity is compleated, and fit for ufe : they then divide it in the middle, and out of a fingle eternity they make two, as they term them, a parte anie^ and a parte poji ; each of which having one end, may be drawn out, like a juggler's ribband, as long as they pleafe. The contradi6^ions fo manifeft in this fyftem, fufficiently declare its falfhood 5 for in adopt- ing it we muft acknowledge, that each half of this eternity is equal to the whole \ that in each the number of days cannot exceed that of the months, nor the month be more numerous than the years, they being all alike infinite ; that whether it commenced yefterday, or ten thoufand years fince, the length of its duration muft be the fame; for the length de- pends not on the beginning, but on the end, but that cannot be different where there is no end at all : the abfurdity of all thefe propofitions is too glaring to ftand in need of any refuta- tion ; for it is evident, that whatever con- tains parts, length, or numbers, can never be infinite; whatever had a beginning muft have an end, becaufe beginning and end- ing are the modes of temporary exiftence : what I t i6i ] what has no end could have no begirt- ning, bccaufe both are equally incon- Ment with eternity. In truth, all thefe abfurdities arife from applying to eterni- ty our ideas of time, which, being two modes of exigence intirely difterent, bear not the leaft relation to each other: time is in its nature finite and fuccellive; eternity infi- nite and inftantaneous; and therefore their properties are no more applicable to each other, than thofe of founds to colours, or of colours to founds; and we can no more form eternity out of time, than, by mixing red, blue, and green, we can compofe an anthem or an opera. 7thly. From hence appears the neceflity, in our conliderations on thefe fubjedts, of keeping our ideas of thofe two modes ofex- iftence intirely and conl^antly difl:in6l, as they themfelves are in nature ; by which means we fnall prefently fweepaway many of thofe theological and metaphylical cobwebs, which now encumber and difgrace out moft learn- ed libraries; and cut fhort many impertinent enquiries concerning the creation of the uni- verfe, God's foreknowledge and predelHna- tion, the prae-exiftent and future ftate of fouls, the injuftice of eternal punifliments, and the fleep of the foul, with numberlefs others of the fame kind, all derived from in- judicioufly blending and confounding thefe two kinds of exiftence together, and apply- ing notions and exprellions to one, which can only with propriety belong to the other. Vol. II. L To [ 153 ] To enter largely into thefe abftrufe and intricate fubjects, would require a folio;! fhall therefore only fciy one word or two to each. It has been frequently afked^ why God created the univerfe at the time in which he did create it, and why he fuffered nullions of ages to pafs away before the commence- ment of fo gloriouF a work ? To this it may be replied with equal concifeneis and truth, that in fa6l no fuch ages ever did or could pafs before it was created ; nor was it created in any time at all; for neither the efTence or a6lions of God have the moftdiftant relation to time ; he has been pleafed'in his infinite wdfdom to beftow on fome parts of his crea- tion a temporal mode of exiftencej and from this alone time derives its origin : to fuppofe time antecedent to temporal exiftence, is to fuppofe efle6fs to precede their caufes ; and not lefs abfurd than to imagine, that there could be perception before fenfitive beings, or thought before intelligent beings exifted. This v^ery queftion proves the abfurdity of connecling time and eternity together ; for if God's power of creating is coseval with his exiftence, that exigence eternal, and that eternity only time extended ; this evident contradi61ion follows, that God, though al- ways equally able, yet in fa6l never could create any thing fo fuon, but that he might have created itfooner : that is in other words, that he never could create any thing as foon as [ 1^3 j as he could. All this puzzle arifcs from our tboUrhly luppoling, that eternal and temporal beings mutt a6l in a manner limilar to each other : if we do any thing, it muft be done at fome time or other; but God acls in ways as ditiercnt from ours, as inconceivable to us ; his ways are not like our ways, nor his thoughts like our thoughts : one day is to him as a thoufand years, and a thoufand. years as one day; that is, neither of them, with his manner of exifting, thinking, or a6tin2:, have anv connection whatever. All difputcs a])out God's foreknowledge and predeftination, are of the fame fpecies, and derive their birth entirely from the fame abfurd fuppoiition. Foreknowledge and pre- deftination imply fucceffion, and are relative to time, which has no relation to the effence or perception of the Creator of all things ; and therefore, in the fenfe ufually applie \'en. This is every where profelTed by Chrift and his apoftles to be the chief end of the Chriftian's life; the crown for which he is to contend, the goal to which he is to run, the harvefl: which is to pay him for all his labours : Yet previous to their preach- ing no fuch prize was ever hung out to man- kind, nor any means prefcribed for the at- tainment of it. It is indeed true, that fome of the philo- fophers of antiquity entertained notions of a future flate, but mixed with much doubt and uncertainty : their legifiators alfo endeavour- ed to infufe into the minds of the people a belief of rewards and punifhments after death ; but by this they only intended to give a fan6tion to their laws, and to enforce the praftice of virtue for the benefit of man- * John Hi. 12. Vol. II. P kind [ 336 ] kind in the prefent life : this alone feems to have been their end, and a meritorious end it was : but Chriftianity not only operates more effe61:ually to this end, but has a no- bler deiign in view, which is, by a proper education here to render us fit members of a celeftial fociety hereafter. In all former re- ligions the good of the prefent life was the firft object ; in the Chriftian it is but the fe- cond ; in thofe, men were incited to pro- mote that good by the hopes of a future re- ward; in this, the pra6lice of virtue is in- joined in order to qualify them for that re- ward. There is great difference, I appre- hend, in thefe two plans, that is, in adhering to virtue from its prefent utility in expecla- tion of future happineis, and living in fuch a manner as to qualify us for the acceptance and enjoyment of that happinefs ; and the condu6l and difDolitions of thofe, who a6l on thefe different principles, muft be no lefs different: on the firft, the conftant practice of jullice, temperance, and fobriety, will befafficient; but on the latter, we muft add to thefe an habitual piety, faith, reiignation, and contempt of the world : the firft may make us very gcod citizens, but will never produce a tolerable Chriftian. Hence it is that Chriftianity iniifts more ftrongly, than any preceding inftitution religious or moral, on purity of heart and a benevolent difpoiition ; becaufe thefe arc abfolutely neceliki'y to its great end; but in lliofc whofe recommenda- tions [ 2^7 ] tions of virtue regard the prefent life only, and vvhofe promifed rewards in another were low and fenfual, no preparatory qualificati- ons were requiiite to enable men to pra61:ire the one, or to eil^oy the other : and there- fore we fee this obje^l is peculiar to this reli- gion ; and with it was entirely new. But although this obje61:, and the princi- ple on which it is founded were new, and perhaps undifcoverable by reafon, yet when difcovered they are fo confonant to it, that we cannot but readily affent to them. For the truth of this principle, that the prefent life is a ftate of probation, and education to prepare us for another, is confirmed by every thing which we fee around us : it is the only key which can open to us the defigns of Providence in the oeconomy of human af. fairs, the only clue which can guide us through that pathlefs wildernefs, and the only plan on which this world could poffibly have been formed, or on which the hiftory of it can be comprehended or explained. It could never have been formed on a plan of happinefs : becaufe it is every where overfpread with innumerable miferies ; nor of mifery, becaufe it is interfperled vyith many enjoyments : it could not have been conllituted for a fcene of wifdom and virtue, becaufe the hiftory of mankind is little more than a detail of their follies and vv/ickednefs : nor of vice, becaufe that is rfo plan at all, being deftrudfive of all exiftence, and con- P % fequently [ %%^ ] icjiiently of its own. But on this fyflem all that we here meet with may be eaiily ac- counted for ; for this mixture of happinels and miferyy of virtue and vice, neceifarily refults from a liate of probation and educati- on ; as probation imphes trials, fufferings, and a capacity of ofiending, and education a propriety of chaftilement for thofe offences. In the next place, the dod'trines of this religion are equally new with the obje6t; and contain ideas of God and of man, of the prefentand of a future life; and of the rela- tions which all thefe bear to each other, to- tally unheard of, and quite diffimilar from any which had ever been thought on, pre- vious to its publication. No other ever drew fo juft a portrait of the worthlefTnefs of this world, and all its purfuits, nor exhibited fuch difiinft, lively, and exquiiite piftures of the joys of another ; of the refurre6tion of the dead, the laft judgment, and the triumphs of the righteous in that tremendous day, " when this corruptible fhall put on incor- "^ ruption, and this mortal fhall put on im- " mortality *." No other has ever repre- fcnted the Supreme Being in the charac- ter of three perfons united in one God f . , * r Cor- XV. 53. f That there fubfifts fome fuch union in the divine na- ture, the whole tenour of the New Teftament feems to exprefs, and it was fo undcrllood in the carUeft ages : but whether this union does, or does not imply equality, or whe- ther it fubfifts in general, or only in particular circumftan- ces, we are not inforinedj and tlierefore on thefe queilions it is not only unnecellary, but improper for us to decide. No I ^^9 J Xo other has attempted to reconcile thoie feeming contradictory but both true propo- litions,"the contingency of future events, and the foreknowledge of God, or the free will of the creature with the over-ruling grace of the Creator : no other has fo fully declar- ed the neceflity of wickednefs and punifh- ment, yet fo effeClually inftrucled indivi- duals, to relift the one, and to efcape the other : no other has ever pretended to give any account of the depravity of man, or to point out any remedy for it : no other has ventured to declare the unpardonable nature of fin without the influence of a mediato- rial interpolation, and a vicarious atone- ment from the fufferings of a fuperior be- ing*. Whether thefe wonderful do61:rines are worthy of our belief muft depend on the opinion, which we entertain of the authority of thofe, who publifbied them to the w^orld ; but certain it is, that they are all fo far re- moved from every tra6l of the human imagi- nation, that it feemsequfilly impofiible, that they fhould ever have been derived from the knowledge or the artifice of man. • That Chrifl; fuffered and died as an atonement for the fins of mankuid, is a docSlrhie fo conftantly and fo ftronpjly enforced through every part of the New Teftament, that v.'hoever will ferioufly perufe thofe writings, and deny that it is there, may, with as much reafon and truth, after read- ing the works of Thucydides and Livy, aflert, that in them no mention is made of any facts relative to theliiftories of Greece and Rome, Some [ 230 ] Some indeed there are, who, by pervert- ing the eftabliHied lignification of words, (which they call explaining) have ventured to expunge all thefe doctrines out of the fcriptures, for no other reafon than that they are not able to comprehend them ; and ar- gue thus : — The fcriptures are the Vvord of God : in his word no proportions contra- di6tory to reafon can have a place; thefe propoiitions are contradi6tory to reafon, and therefore they are not there. But if thefe bold affertors would claim any regard, they lliould. revife their argument, and fay-— Thefe doctrines make a part, and a material part of the fcriptures, they are contradi61:ory to reafon; no propoiitions contradi61:ory to reafon can be a part of the word of God, and therefore neither the fcriptures, nor the pre- tended revelation contained in them, can be derived from him: This v>"'ould be an argument worthy of rational and candid Beiils, and demand a refpe6tful attention; but when men pretend to difprove fa6ls by reafoning, they have no right to expecl an anfwer. And here I cannot omit obferving, that the perfonal chara61er of the author of this religion is no lefs new, and extraordinary, than the religion itfelf, who " fpake as never ''^ man fpake ^," and lii^ed as never man Uved : in proof of this, I do not mean to al- * John vii. 46. ledge, ledge, that he was born of a virgin, that he fafted forty days, that he performed a varie- ty of miracles, and after being buried three davs, that he arofe from the dead,; becaufe thele accounts will have but little effect on the minds of unbelievers, who, if they be- lieve not the religion, will give no credit to the relation of thefe fa6ts ; but I will prove it from facts which cannot be difputed ; for inftance, he is the only founder of a religion in the hiftory of mankind, which is totally unconnected with all human policy and go- vernment, and tlierefore totally unconducive to any worldly purpofe whatever : all others, Mahomet, Numa, and even Mofcs himfclf, blended their religious inftitutions with their civil, and by them obtained dominion over their refpeftive people ; but Chrift neither aimed at, nor would accept of, any fuch power ; he rejefted every objecl, w^iich all other men purfue, and made choice of all thofe which others fly from, and are afraid of: he refufed power, riches, honours, and pleafure, and courted poverty, ignominy, tortures, and death. Many have been the enthufiafts and impoftors, who have endea- voured to impofe on the world pretended re- velations, and fome of them from pride, ob- ftinacy, or principle, have gone fo far, as to lay down their lives, rather than retra6l ; but I defy hiftory to ihew one, who ever made his own fufferings and death a necel^ fary part of his original plan, and ejrentialto his [ 233 ] his miffion; this Chrift a61ually did, he fore- fa w, foretold, declared, their neceffity, and voluntarily endured them. If we ferioufly contemplate the divine leirons, the perfe6l precepts, the beautiful difcourfes, and the coniiilent condu6l of this wonderful perfon, we cannot poffibly imagine, that he could have been either an idiot or a madman; and yet, if he was not what he pretended to be, he can be conlidered in no other light; and even under this chara6ter he would deferve fome attention, becaufe of fo fublime and rational an infanity there is no other inftance in the liiftory of mankind. If any one can doubt of the fuperior ex-^ cellence of this religion above all which preceded it, let him but perufe with atten- tion thofe unparalleled writings in which it is traniiXiitted to the prefent times, and com- pare them with the moll celebrated produc- tions of the Pagan world; and if he is not feniible of their faperior beauty, limplicity, and originality, I will venture to pronounce, that he is as deficient in tafte as in faith, and that he is as bad a critic as a Chriflian : for in what fchool of ancient philofophy can he find a lelfon of morality fo perfect as Chrift's fermon on the mount ? From which of them can he colle6l an addrefs to the Deity fo concife, and yet fo comprehenfive, fo expref^ live of all that we want, and all that we could deprecate, as that fhort prayer, which he formed for, and recommended tO; his difci- pies ? [ "^33 ] pies ? From the works of what fage of anti- quity can he produce fo pathetic a recom- niciidation of benevolence to the diftrelTed, and enforced by fuch afTurances of a reward, as in thofe words of Chrift? " Come, ye " blefTed of my Father ! inherit the kingdom " prepared for you from the foundation of " the world : for I was an hungred, and ye " gave me meat ; I was thirfty, and ye gave " me drink; I was a ftranger, and ye took " me in ; I was naked, and ye clothed me ; " I was fick, and ye vifited me; I was in " prifon, and ye came unto me. Then fhall *' the righteous anfwer him, faying— Lord, " when faw v/e thee an hungred, and fed '' thee, or thirfly, and gave thee drink? when " faw we thee a ftranger, and took thee in, " or naked, and clothed thee? or when faw ^' we thee lick and in prifon, and came unto ^' thee? Then fhall I anfwer an:l fay unto " them, — Verily, I fay unto vou, inafmuch " as you have done it to the leaft of thefe " my brethren, ye have done it unto me */' "Where is there fo juft, and fo elegant a re- proof of eagernefs and anxiety in worldly purfuits, clofed with fo forcible an exhorta- tion to confidence in the goodnels of our Crea- tor, as in thefe words? — " Behold the fowls " of the air; for they fow not, neither do " they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your " heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not * Matt. XXV. 34. " much [ 234 1 "^ much better than they? Conlider the lilieg *' of the field, how they grow ; they toil not, ^ neither do they fpin; and yet I fay unto ^ you, that even Solomon in all his glory " was not arrayed like one of thefe : where- " fore, if God fo clothe the grafs of the field, " which to-day is, and to-morrow is caf^ into " the oven, fhail he not much more clothe " you? O ye of little faith*!" By which of their moft celebrated poets are the joys re- ferved for the righteous in a future ftate, fo fublimely defcribed, as by this fhort decla- ration, that they are fuperior to all defcrip- tion? " Eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, " neither have entered into the heart of man, " the things, which God hath prepared for " them that love him f." Where amidft the dar'k clouds of Pagan philofophy can he fhew us fuch a clear profpe6l of a future fl:ate, the immortality of the foul, the refurre6tion of the dead, and the general judgment, as in St. Paul's firft epiftle to the' Corinthians? Or from whence can he produce fuch cogent exhortations to the pra6lice of every virtue, fuch ardent incitements to piety and devo- tion, and fuch aflifi:ances to attain them, as thofe which are to be met with throughout every page of thefe inimitable writings ? To quote all the palfages in them relative to thefe fubje6ls, would be almoft to tranfcribe the whole; it is fufficicnt to obferve, that * Matt. vi. 26, 28. i I Cor. ii. 9. they [ 235 ] tliey are every where ftamped with fueh ap- parent marks of fupernatural afliftance, as render them indifputably fuperior to, and to- tally unlike, all human compolitions what- ever; and this fuperiority and difiimilarity is lull more ftrongly marked by one remark- able circumftance peculiar to thcmlelves, which is, that whilfl: the moral parts, being of the moft general ufe, are intelligible to the meaneft capacities, the learned and in« quifitive throughout all ages, perpetually find in them inexhauftible difcovcries, con. cerning the nature, attributes, and difpenfa- tions of Providence. To fay the truth, before the appearance of Chriftianity there exifted nothing like reli- gion on the face of the earth ; the Jew^ifh only excepted : all other nations w^ere im- merfed in the grolTefl idolatry, which had little or no conne6lion v/ith morality, except to corrupt it by the infamous examples of their * imaginary deities : they all worfhipped a mul- tiplicity of gods and daemons, whofe favour they courted by impious, obfcene, and ridicu- lous ceremonies, and whofe anger they endea- voured to appeafe by the moft abominable cruelties. In the politeft ages of the politeft nations in the world, at a time when Greece and Rome had carried the arts of oratory, poetry, hiftory, archite6lure, and fculpture to the higheft perfe61:ion, and made no in- coniiderable advances in thofe of mathema- tics, natural, and even moral philofophy, in religious [ 236 ] religious knowledge they had made none at all ; a ftrong prefumption, that the nobleft efforts of the mind of man, unaffifted by re- velation, were unequal to the tafk- Some few indeed of their philofophers were wife enough to reje61: thefe general abfurdities, and dared to attempt a loftier fjght : Plato introduced many fublime ideas of nature, and its firft caufe, and of the imrnortality of the foul, which being above his own and all human difcovcry, he probably acquired firom the books of Mofes or the converfation of fome Jewifh rabbles, which he might have met with in Egypt, where he redded, and ftudied for feveral years : from him Ariftotle, and from both Cicero and fome few others drew mofi: amazing ftores of philofophical fcience, and carried their refearches into di- vine truths as far as human genius alone could penetrate. But thefe were bright con- llellations, which appeared lingly in feveral centuries, and even thefe with all this know- led e:e were very deficient in true theologv. From the vlfible works of the creation they traced the being and principal attributes of the Creator; but the relation which his be- ing and attributes bear to man they little underftood ; of piety and devotion they had fcarce any fenfe, nor could they form any mode of worfhip worthy of the purity and perfe6lion of the divine nature: they occa- fionally flung out many elegant encomiums on the native beauty, and excellence of i^ir- tue : [ "-o1 ] tue: but they lounded it not on the com- mands of God, nor connected it with a holy life, nor hung; out the happinefs of heaven as its reward, or its obje6l. They fometimes talked of virtue carrying men to heaven, and placing them amongft the gods; but by this virtue they meant only the invention of arts, or feats of arms : for with them heaven was open only to legiilators, and conquerors, the civilizers, or deftroyers of mankind. This was then the fummit of religion in the moft polifhed nations in the world, and even this was confined to a few philofophers, prodigies of genius and literature, who were little at- tended to, and lefs underftood by the gene- rality of mankind in their own countries; whilft all the reft were involved in one com- mon cloud of ignorance and fuperftition. At this time Chriftianity broke forth from the eaft like a riling fun, and difpelled this univerfal darknefs, which obfcured every part of the globe, and even at this day pre- vails in all thofe remoter regions, to which its falutary influence has not as yet extended. From all thofe which it has reached, it has, notwithftanding its corruptions, banifhed all thofe enormities, and introduced a more ra- tional devotion, and purer morals: it has taught men the unity, and attributes of the Supreme Being, the remiffion of tins, the refurreilion of the dead, life everlafting, and the kingdom of heaven; do6trines as incon- ceivable to the wifeft of njankind, antecedent to [ 238 ] to its appearance, as the Nev/tonian fyitem is at this day to the moft ignorant tribes of fa^ vages in the wilds of America; do6trines, which human reafon never could have dif- covered, but v/hich, when difcovered, coincide with, and are confirmed by it; and which, though beyond the reach of all the learning and penetration of Plato, Arifrotle, and Ci- cero, are now clearly laid open to the eye of every peafant and mechanic with the bible in his hand. Thefe are all plain fa61:s too glaring to be contradi6led, and therefore, v/hatever we may think of the authority of thefe books, the relations which they con- tain, or the infpiration of their authors, of thefe fa61s no man, v/ho has eyes to read, or ears to hear, can entertain a doubt; becaufe there are the books, and in them is this re^ iigion. PROPOSITION III. y third proportion is this, That fron; this book, called the New Teftament, may be colle6led a fyftem of ethics, in which every moral precept founded on reafon is carried to a higher degree of purity and pcr- feftion, than in any other of the antient philofopliers of preceding ages; every moral precept [ -39 ] precept founded on falfe principles is entire- ly omitted, and many new precepts added, peculiarly correfponding with the new ob- je6l of this religion. By moral precepts founded on reafon, I mean all thofe which enforce tlie pra6lice of fuch duties as reafon informs us muft im- prove our natures, and conduce to the hap- pinefs of mankind : fuch are piety to God, benevolence to men, juiVice, charity, tempe- rance, and fobriety^ With all thofe v^^hich prohibit the commiffion of the contrary vices, all which debafe our pr.turcs, and, by mutual injuries, introduce univerfal diforder, and confequently univerfal mifery. By precepcs founded on falfe principles, I mean thofe which recommend li61itious virtues produc- tive of none of thefe falutary effecfts, and therefore, however celebrated and admired, are in fact no virtues at all; fuch are va- lour, patriotifm, and friendfnip. That virtues of the firif kind are carried to a higher degree of purity and perfe6lioii by the Chriftian religion than by any other, it is here unneceiTary to prove, becaufe this is a truth which has been frequently demon- ftrated by her friends, and never once denied by the moft determined of her adverfaries; but it will be proper to fhew, that thofe of the latter fort are moft judicioufly omitted; becaufe they, have really no intrinfic merit in them, and are totally incompatible with the genius and ipirit of .this inftitution. Valour, t ^40 ] Valour, for inftance, or a6llve courage, i^ for the mofl: part conftitutional, and there- fore can have no more claim to moral merit, than wit, beauty, health, ftrength, or any other endowment of the mind or body ; and fo far is it front producing any falutary ef- fe6ts by introducing peace, order, or happi- nefs into fociety, that it is the ufual perpetra- tor of all the violesices, which from reta- liated injuries diftract the world with blood- fhed and devaftation. It is the engine by \vhich the ftrong are enabled to plunder the weak, the proud to tr^nmple upon the hum- ble, and the guilty to opprefs the innocent; it is the chief inftrument which Ambition employs in her unjuft purfuits of wealth and power, and is therefore fo much extolled by her votaries : it was indeed congenial with the religion of Pagans, whofe gods were for lihe moll part made out of deceafed heroes, exalted to heaven as a reward for the mif- chiefs which they had perpetrated upon earth, and therefore with them this was the firft of virtues, and had even engrofTed that de- nomination to itfelf; but whatever merit it mav have aflumed among Pagans, with Chnftians it can pretend to none, and few • or none are the occafions in which they are permitted to exert it . they are fo far from being allowed to infii61: evil, that they are forbid even to reiift it : they are fo far from being encouraged ,to revenge injuries, that one of their firfl duties is to forgive them; fo [ 24' ] fo far from being incited to dcflroy their enemies, that they are commanded to love them, and to ferve them to the utmoft of their power. If ChrilHan nations therefore were nations of Chriifians, all war would be impofiible and unknown amongft them, and valour could be neither of ufe nor elUma- tion, and therefore could never have a place in the catalogue of ChriRian virtues, being irreconcileable w'wh all its precepts. I objeft not to the praife and honours bellowed on the valiant, they are the leail tribute which can be paid them by thofe who enjoy fafety and affluence by the intervention of their dangers and fufferings: I alfert only that a6live courage can never be a Chrillian vir- tue, becaufe a Chriftian can have nothing to do w^ith it. PafTive courage is indeed fre- quently, and properly inculcated by this meek and fufFeri ng religion, under the titles of patience and relignation : a real and fub- ftantial virtue this, and a direct contraft to the former; for pallive courage arifes from the noblefl: difpofitions of the human mind, from a contempt of misfortunes, pain, and death, and a confidence in the protection of the Almighty; aftive, from the meaneft; from paflion, vanity, and felf-dependence : paffive courage is derived ftom a zeal for truth, and a perfeverance in duty; adtive, is the offspring of pride and revenge, and the parent of cruelty and injuftice: in fhort, pafUve courage is the refolution of a philo- Vol. II. Q^ fopher; [ 24^ ] foplier; a611ve, the ferocity of afavage. Nor is this more incompatible with the precepts^ than with the obje6t of this rehgion, which is the attainment of the kingdom of heaven; for valour is not that fort of violence, by which that kingdom is to be taken; nor are the turbulent fpirits of heroes and conque- rors admilTible into thofe regions of peace, fubordination, and tranquillity. Patriotifm alfo, that celebrated virtue fo much practifed in antient, and fo much pro- felfed in modern times, that virtue, which fo long preferved the liberties of Greece, and exalted Rome to the empire of the world : this celebrated virtue, I fay, mufl alfo be excluded ; becaufe it not only falls fhort of, but dire61:ly countera61s, the extenfive bene- volence of this religion. A Chrirtian is of 110 country, he is a citizen of the world; and his neighbours and countrymen are the inhabitants cf the remotefl: regions, when- ever their diftreifes demand his friendly af- lillance: Chriilianity commands us to love all mankind, patriotifm to opprefs all other countries to advance the imaginary profpe- rity of our own : Chriftianity enjoins us to imitate the univerfal benevolence of our Creator, who pours forth his bleffuigs on every nation upon earth; patriotiiin, to copy the mean partiality of an Englifh parifh of- ficer, who thinks injui^ice and cruelty meri- torious, v/henever they promote the interefls of his own inconfiderabie village. This has [ ^43 ] ever been a favourite virtue with mankind, hecaule it conceals felf-interefl: under the malk of public fpirit, not only from otheiiij but even from themfelves, and gives a li- cence to iniii6l v^rongs and injuries not only with impunity, but with applaufe; but it is fo diametrically oppofite to the great cha- radleriftic of this inftitution, that it never could have been admitted into the lift of Chriftian virtues. Friendfhip likewife, although more con- genial to the principles of Chriftianity, ariiing from more tender and amiable difpoiltions, could never gain admittance amongft her benevolent precepts, for the fame reafon; becaufe it is too narrov/ and confined, and appropriates that benevolence to a iingle obje6l, which is here commanded to be ex- tended over all. Where friendftiips arife from limilarity of fentiments, and difinte- reftcd affedlions, they are advantageous, agreeable, and innocent, but have little pre- tenlions to merit ; for it is julily obferved, " If ye love them, which love you, what " thanks have ye? foriinners alfo love thofe " that love them ^"." But if they are formed from alliances in parties, fa6lions, and inte- refts, or from a participation of vices, tl:ie ufual parents of what are called friendfljips among mankind, they are then both mif- chievous and criminal, and confequently for- * Luke vi. 32. 0^2 biddenj [ ^44 ] bidden i but in their utmoft purity deferve no recommendation from this religion. To the judicious omiffion of thefe falfe virtues we may add that remarkable filence, which the Chriftian legiilator every where preferves on fubje6\s efteemed by all others of the higheft importance, civil government, national policy, and the rights of war and peace ; of thefe he has not taken the leaft notice, probably for this plain reafon, be- caufe it would have been impoflible to have formed any explicit regulations concerning them, which muft not have been inconiiftent with the purity of his religion, or with the pra6lical obfervance of fuch imperfe6l crea- tures as men ruling over, and contending with each other : for inftance, had he abfo- lutely forbid all reiifiance to the reigning powers, he had conftituted a plan of defpo- tifm, and made men flaves; had he allowed it, he mull: i:ave authorifed difobedience, and made them rebels; had he in dire6l terms prohibited all war, he mull have left his followers for ever an eafy prey to every infidel invader; had he permitted it, he mull have licenfed all that rapine and murder, with wh.ich it is unavoidably attended. Let us now examine what .are thofe new precepts in this religion peculiarly corre- Iponding with the new object of it, that is, preparing us for the kingdom of heaven : ot thefe the chief are poorrjefs of fpirit, for^ givenefs of injuries, and charity to all men^ to [ ^45 ] to thcfc we may add repentance, faith, felf- ahaicmcnt, and a detachment from the world, all moral duties peculiar to this religion, and abfolutely necelfary to the attainment of its end. " BlcfTed are the poor in fpirit ; for theirs " is the kingdom of heaven*: by which poornefs of fpirit is to be undcrf^ood a dif- polition of mind, meek, humble, fubn^ifli\^e to power, void of ambition, patient of inju- ries, and free from all refentment. This was lb new, and fo oppofite to the ideas of all Pagan moralifts, that they thought this tem- per of mind a criminal and contemptible meannefs, which muft induce men to facri- fice the glory of their country, and their own honour, to a fhamcful pufillanimity ; and fuch it appears to almoft all who are called Chriftians even at this day, who not only re- je6t it in praitice, but difavowit in principle, notwithftanding this explicit declaration of their mafter. We fee them revenging the fmalleft affronts by premeditated murder, as individuals, on principles of honour; and, in their national capacities, defrroying each other with fire and fword, for the low con- fiderations of commercial interefls, the ba- lance of rival powers, or the ambition of princes : we fee them with their lad breath animating each other to a favage revenge, ^nd, in the agonies of death, plunging with * Matt, V. ^. feeble [ 246 ] feeble arras their daggers into the hearts of their opponents: and, what is ftill worfe, we hear all thefe barbarifms celebrated by hiftorians, flattered by poets, applauded iri theatres, approved in fenates, and even fanc- tified in pulpits. But univerfal practice can- not alter the nature of truth: pride was not made for man; but humility, meeknefs, and reiignation, that is, poornefs of fpirit, was made for man ; and properly belongs to his dependent and precarious iituation ; and is the only difpolition of mind which can enable him to enjoy eafe and quiet here, and happi- nefs hereafter : yet was this important pre- cept entirely unknown until it was promul- gated by him, who faid, "Suffer little chil- '' dren to come unto me, and forbid them " not ; for of fuch is the kingdom of hea- " ven : Verily I fay unto you, whoever fhall " not receive the kingdom of God as a little " child, he Ihall not enter therein *." Another precept, equally new and no lefs excellent, is forgivenefs of injuries : " Ye " have heard," fays Chrifl to his difciples, " Thou fhalt love thy neighbour, and hate " thine enemy; but I fay unto you, love '■^ your enemies, blefs them that curfe you, " do good to them that hate you, and pray " for them which defpitefully ufe you, and " perlecute you |." This was a lelfon fo new, and fo utterly unknown, till taught by his ^'f Matt. X. 14. t Matt. v. 43. do<^rines. [ 247 J do6lrines, and enforced by his example, thai the vvileil moraliRs of the vvifefl nations and ages reprefented the dciire of revenge as a mark or a noble mind, and the accomplifh- ment of it as one of the chief felicities at- tendant on a fortunate man. But how much more magnanimous, how much more bene- ficial to mankind, is forgivenefs I it is niore magnanimous, becaufe every generous and exalted difpolition of the human mind is re- quiiite to the pra61:ice of it : for thefe alone**^ can enable us to bear the wrongs and infults of wickednefs and folly with patience, and to look down on the perpetrators of them with pity, rather than indignation ; thefe alone can teach us, that fuch are but a part of thofe fufierings allotted to us in that Itate of probation, and to know, that to overcome evil with good, is the moft glorious of all vi61:ories : it is the moft beneftcial, becaufe this amiable condu6l alone can put an end to an eternal fucceflion of injuries and retalia- tions ; for every retaliation becomes a new injury, and requires another acl of revenge for fatisfaclion. But would we obferve this falutary precept, to love our enemies, and to do good to thofe who defpitcfully ufe us, this obftinate benevolence would at lall con- quer the moft inveterate hearts, and we fhould have no enemies to forgi\ e. How much more exalted a chara^ler therefore isaChrif- tian martyr, fuffering with refignation, and jpraying for the guilty, than that of a Pagan . hero, [ 348 ] hero, breathing revenge, and deftroying the innocent ! Yet, noble and ufefnl as this vir- tue is, before the appearance of this religion it v/as not only unpraftifed, but decried in principle as mean and ignominious, though fo obvious a remedy for moft of the miferies of this life, and fo neceffary a qualification for the happinefs of another, A third precept, firft noticed and firft en- joined by this inftitution, is charity to all men. What this is, we maybeft learn from this admirable defcription, painted in the following words : *' Charity luffereth long, ••' and is kind ; charity envieth not ; charity " vaunteth not itfelf ; is not puffed up; doth '-"^ not behave itfelf unfeemly; leeketh not " her own ; is not ealily provoked ; think- ^- eth no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but " rejoiceth in truth ; feareth all things ; be- " lieveth all things ; hopeth all things ; en- '' dureth all things "'." Here we have an accurate delineation of this bright conftella- tion of all virtues ; which confifts not, as many imagine, in the building of monaf^e- ries, endowment of hofpitals, or the diflri- bution of alms ; but in fuch an amiable dif- poiition of mind, as exercifes itfelf every hour in a6ls of kindnefs, patience, compla- cency, and benevolence to all around us, and which alone is able to promote happi- nefs in the prefent life, or render us capable * I Qqx. xiii. 4, of [ 249 ] of receiving it in another: and yet this is totally new, and fo it is declared to be by the author ofit: " A new commandment I '* give unto you, that ye love one another ; ''^ as I have loved you, that ye love one ano- " ther ; by this Iliall all men know that ye " are my difciples, if ye have love one to *' another*/' This benevolent difpoiition is made the great chara61:erifl:ic of a ChrilU- an, the teft of his obedience, and the mark by which he is to be diftinguifhed. This love for each other is that charity juft now defcribed, and contains all thofe qualities, which are there attributed to it ; humility, patience, meeknefs, and beneficence: with- out which we muft live in perpetual difcord, and confequently cannot pay obedience to this commandment by loving one another; a commandment fo fublime, fo rational, and fo beneficial, fo wifely calculated to cor- re6t the depravity, diminifli the wickednefs, and abate the miferies of human nature, that did we univerfally comply v/ith it, we fhould foon be relieved from all the inquietudes arifing from our own unruly pafiTions, anger, envy, revenge, malice, and ambition, as well as from all thofe injuries to which v/e are perpetually expofed from the indulgence of the fame paflions in others. It would alfo preferve our minds in fuch a ftate of tran- quillity, and fo prepare them for the king- dom of heaven, that v/e fhould flidc out of * John xiii. 34. a life [ 350 ] a life of peace, love, and benevolence, into that celeitial fociety, by an almoft imper- ceptible traniition. Yet was this command- ment entirely new, when given by him, who lb intitles it, and has made it the capital duty of his religion, becaufe the moft in- difpenfably neceirary to the attainment of its great object, the kingdom of heaven ; into which if proud, turbulent, and vindi6live fpirits were permitted to enter, they muft un- avoidably deftroy the happinefs of that ftate by the operations of the fame paffions and vices by which they difturb the prefent; and therefore all fuch muft be eternally ex- cluded, not only as a punifhment, but alfo from incapacity. Repentance, by this we plainly fee, is another new moral duty ftrenuoufly inlifted on by this religion, and by no other, becaufe abfolutely necefTary to the accomplifhment of its end ; for this alone can purge us from thofetranfgreffions from which we cannot be totally exempted in this ftate of trial and temptation, and purify us from that depra- x'ity in our nature, which renders us incapa- ble of attaining this end. Hence alfo we - may learn, that no repentance can remove this incapacity, but fuch as entirely changes the nature and difpoiition of the offender; which, in the language of fcripture, is called " being born again." Mere contrition for his paft crimes, nor even the pardon of them, cannot effe6t this, unlefs it operates to this entire [ 251 ] entire converlion or new birth, as it is pro- perly and emphatically named : for forrow can no more puriiy a mind corrupted by a long continuance in vicious habits, than it can rellore health to a body diftempered by a long courfe of vice and intemperance. Hence alfo every one, who is in the leaft acquainted with himfelf, may judge of the realbnablenefs of the hope that is in him, and of his iituation in a future ftate by that of his prefent. If he feels in himfelf a temper proud, turbulent, vindi61ive, and malevo- lent, and a violent attachment to the plea- fures or buiinefs of the world, he may be all fured, that he muft be excluded from the kingdom of heaven ; not only becaufe his condu6l can merit no fuch reward, but be- caufe, if admitted, he would find there no obje6^s fatisfa6lory to his pafTions, inclina- tions, and purfuits, and therefore could only difturb the happinefs of others v/ithout en- joying any fhare of it himfelf. Faith is another moral duty injoined by this inftitution, of a fpecics fo new, that the philofophers of antiquity had no word ex- prefiive of this idea, nor any fuch idea to be exprefTed ; for the word 'cyia-ni or fdes^ which we tranflate faith, was never uled by any Pagan writer in a fenfe the leaft limilar to that, to which it is applied in the New Tef- tament : where in general it iignifies an humble, teachable, and candid difpoiition, a truft in Goclj and confidence in his promife i wlicn [ 252 ] ^vhen applied particularly to Chriftianitv, it means no more than a belief of t'.is iingle propofition,' That Chrift was the fon of God; that is, in the language of thofe writings,}the MeiTiah, who was foretold by the prophets, and expe6led by the Jews; who was fent by God into the world to preach righteoufnefs, judgment, and everlafting life, and to die as an atonement for the lins of mankind. This was all that Chrift required to be believed by thofe who were willing to become his difci- ples : he who does not believe this, is not a Chriftian, and he who does, believes the whole that is elFential to his profeffion, and all that is properly comprehended under the name of faith. This unfortunate word has indeed been fo tortured and fo mifapplied to mean every abfurdity, which artifice could impofe upon ignorance, that it has loft all pretenftons to the title of virtue ; but if brought back to the iimplicity of its origi- nal iignification, it will deferve that name, becaule it ufually arifes from the moft amia- ble difpofitions, and is always a dire6l con- traft. to pride, obftinacy, and felf- conceit. If taken in the extenlive fenfe of an alTent to the evidence of things not feen, it com- prehends the exiftence of a God, and a fu- ture ftate, and is therefore not only itfelf a moral virtue, but the fcurce from whence all others muft proceed ; ior on the belief of vhefe all religion and morality muft entirely depend. It. cannot be altogether void of moral [ 253 ] moral n^erit, (as fome would reprefent it) becaufe it is in a degree voluntary; for daily experience Ihews us, that men not only pretend to, but actually do believe, and dis- believe, almoil any propoiitions, which befl fuit their interefts, or inclinations, and un- feignedly change their fincere opinions wuth their lituations and circumftances. For we have power over the mind's eye, as well as over the body's, to fhut it againft the ftrongeft rays of truth and religion, whenever they be- come painful to us, anrl to open it again to the faint glimmerings of fcepticifm and in, fidelity when we "love darknefs rather than " light, becaufe our deeds are evil*." And this, I think, fuflBciently refutes all objecti- ons to the moral nature of faith, drawn from the fuppofition of its being quite involuntary, and neceflarily dependent on the degree of evidence, which is offered to our underftand- ings. Self-abafement is another moral duty in- culcated by this religion only; which re- quires us to impute even our own virtues to the grace and favour of our Creator, and to acknowledge, that we can do nothing good by our own powers, unlefs affifted by liis over-ruling influence. This doctrine feems at firft light to infringe on our free-will, and to deprive us of all merit; but, on a clofer examination, the truth of it may be demon- John lii. 15. Itrated [ 2S4 ] R rated both by reafon and experience, and that in fa6l it does not impair the one, or depreciate the other : and that it is produc- tive of fo much humility, relignation, and dependance on God, that it juftly claims a place amongft the moft illuftrious moral vir- tues. Yet was this duty utterly repugnant to the proud and felf-fufficient principles of the ancient philofophers as well as modern Deifts, and therefore before the publication of the gofpel totally unknown and uncompre- hended. Detachment from the world is another moral virtue conftituted by this religion alone : fo new, that even at this day few of its profefTors can be perfuaded, that it is re- quired, or that it is any virtue at all. By this detachment from the world is not to be underftood a feclufion from fociety, ab- ftrailion from allbufinefs, or retirement to a gloomy cloyfter. Induftryand labour, cheer- fulnefs and hofpitality are frequently recom- mended : nor is the acquifition of wealth and honours prohibited, it they can be obtained by honeft means, and a moderate degree of attention and care : but fuch an unremitted anxiety, and perpetual application as en- groffes our whole time and thoughts, are forbid, bccaufe they are incompatible with the fpirit of this religion, and muft utterly difqualify us for the attainment of its great end. We toil on in the vain purfuits and frivolous occupations of the world, die in our [ 2SS ] our harnefs, and then cxpe61, if no gigantic crime ftands in the way, to ftep immediately into the kingdom of heaven: but this is im- poflible; for without a previous detachment from the bufinefs of this world, we cannot be prepared for the happinefs of anotlicr. Yet this could make no part of the morality of Pagans, becaufe their virtues were altoge- ther conne6led with this bufinefs, and con- lifted chiefly in condu6ling it with honour to themfelvcs, and benefit to the public : but Chriftianity has a nobler obje6l in view, which, if not attended to, muft be loft for ever. This objeitis that celeftial manfion of which we fhould never lofe fight, and to which w^e fhould ever be advancing during our jour- ney through life : but this by no means pre- cludes us from performing the bufinefs, or enjoying the amufements of travellers, pro- vided they detain us not too long, or lead us too far out of our way. It cannot be denied, that the great author of the Chriftian inftitution, firft and fingly ventured to oppofe all the chief principles of Pagan virtue, and to introduce a religion di- rectly oppofite to thofe erroneous though long-eftablifhed opinions, both in its duties and in its obje6t. The moil celebrated vir- tues of the ancients were high fpirit, intrepid courage, and implacable refeutment. IvipigcKj iracunduSy inexorability ocer, was the portrait of the moft illuftricus hero, drawn [ SS6 ] drawn by one of the firft pcets of antiquity^ To all thefe admired qualities, thofe of a true Chrillian are an exa6l contraft ; for this religion conftantly enjoins poorneis of fpirit, meeknefs, patience, and forgiveneis of inju» lies. " But I fay unto you, that ye reiift " not evil; but whoever fhall fmite thee on " the right cheek, turn to him the other " alfo *.'"' The favourite chara6lers amons the Pagans were the turbulent, ambitious, and intrepid, who through toils and dangers acquired wealth, and fpent it in luxury, magnificence, and corruption ; but both thefe are equally adverfe to the Chriliian fyftem, which forbids all extraordinary efforts to obtain wealth, care to fecure, or thought concerning the enjoyment of it. " Lay not " up for yourfelves treafures on earth, &c. " Take no thought, faying w^hat fliall we " eat, or what fhall we drink, or wherewithal '' fhall we be cloathed ? for after all thefe « things, do the Gentiles feekf." The chief objeft of the Pagans was immortal fame : for this their poets fang, theh' heroes fought, and their patriots died ; and this was hung out by their philofophers and legifla-- tors, as the great incitement to all noble and virtuous deeds. But what fays the Chriftian legidator to his difciples on this fubje6l ? «"' Blefled are ye, when men fliall revile you, *' and fhall fay all manner of evil againft you, * Matt. V. 39. f Matt. vi. 31. '^ fur [ »57 ] " tor my fake; rejoice, and be exceeding " glad, for great is your reward in heaven */' So widely different is the genius of the Pagan and Chriftian morality, that I will venture to affirm, that the moft celebrated virtues of the former are moft oppolite to the fpirit, and more inconfiftent with the end ot the latter, than even their moft infamous vices; and that a Brutus wrenching vengeance out of his hands to whom alone it belongs, by murdering the opprelTor of his country, or a Cato murdering himfelf from an impatience of controul, leaves the world more unqua- lified for, and more inadmillible into, the kingdom of heaven, than even a Meflalina, or an Heliogabalus, with all their profligacy about them. Nothing, I believe, has fo much contri- buted to corrupt the true fpirit of the Chrif- tian inftitution, as that partiality, which we contra6t from our earlieft education for the manners of Pagan antiquity : from whence we learn to adopt every moral idea, which is repugnant to it; to applaud falfe virtues, which that difavows ; to be guided by laws of honour, which that abhors; to imitate chara6ters, which that detefts ; and to behold heroes, patriots, conquerors, and fuicides with admiration, whofe condu6t that utterly condemns. From a coalition of thefe oppo- lite principles was generated that monftrous * Matt. V. II. Vol. II. R fyftem [ 358 ] iyii:em of cruelty and benevolence, of bai*- harifm and civility, of rapine and juftice, of fighting and devotion, of revenge and ge- iieroiity, which harralfed the world for fe- veral centuries with crufades, holy wars, knight-errantry, and lingle combats, and even ftiil retains influence enough, under the name of honour, to defeat the moft benefi- cent ends of this holy inftitution. I mean not by this to pafs any cenfure on the prin- ciples of valour, patriotifm, or honour : they may be ufeful, and perhaps neceflary, in the commerce and bufinefs of the prefent turbu- lent and imperfect ftate; and thofe who are a6luated by them may be virtuous, honefi, and even religious men : all that I afTert is, that they cannot be Chrifiians. A profligate may be a Chrifiian, though a bad one, be- caufe he may be overpowered by paffions and temptations, and his a6^ions may con- tradi6l his principles; but a man, whole ruling principle is honour, however virtuous he may be, cannot be a Chriftian, becaufe he ere6ls a flandard of duty, and deliberate- ly adheres to it, diametrically oppolite to the whole tenour of that religion. The contraft between the Chriflian, and all other inftitutions religious or moral, pre- vious to its appearance, is fufficiently evi- dent, and furely the fuperiority of the for- mer is as little to be difputed ; unlefs any one ihall undertake to prove, that humility, pa- tience, forgivenefs, and benevolence are lefs amiable. [ 259 1 amiable, and lefs beneficial qualities, than pride, turbulence, revenge, and malignity: that the contempt of riches is lefs noble, than the acquiiition by fraud and villainy, or the diftribution of them to the poor, lefs commendable than avarice or profufion ; or that a real immortality in the kingdom of heaven is an obje6t lels exalted, lefs rational, and lefs worthy of purfuit, than an imagi- nary immortality in the applaufe of men: that w^rthlefs tribute, which the folly of one part of mankind pays to the wicked nefs of the other; a tribute, which a wife man ought always to defpife, becaufe a good man can fcarce ever obtain. CONCLUSION. I F I miftake not, I have now fully efta- blifhed the truth of my three propolitions. Firft, That there is now extant a book in- titled the New Teftament. Secondly, That from this book may be ex- tra6led a fyftem of religion entirely new ; both in its objeft, and its do6lrines, not only fuperior to, but totally unlike, every thing, which had ever before entered into the mind of man. Thirdly, That from this book may like- wife be colledted a i}djem of ethics, in which I^ every [ 36o ] every moral precept founded on reafon is carried to a higher degree of purity and per- fe6tion, than in any other of the wifeft phi- lofophers of preceding ages; every moral precept founded on falfe principles totally omitted, and many new precepts added, pe- culiarly correfponding with the new obje6l of this religion. Every one of thefe propoiitions, I am per- fuaded, is incontrovertibly true; and if true, this fhort but certain conclulion muft ine- vitably follow ; that fuch a fyftem of religion and morality could not poffibly have been the work of any man, or fet of men, much lefs of thofe obfcure, ignorant, and illiterate perfons who aftually did difcover, and pub- lifh it to the world ; and that therefore it muft have been effefted by the fupernatural interpofition of divine power and wifdom ; that is, that it muft derive its origin from God. This argument feems to me little fhort of demonftration, and is indeed founded on the x^ery fame reafoning, by which the material world is proved to be the work of his invift- ble hand. We view with admiration the heavens and the earth, and all therein con- tained ; we contemplate with amazement the minute bodies of animals too fmall for per- ception, and the immenfe planetary orbs too vaft for imagination : We are certain that thefe cannot be the works of man; and therefore we conclude with reafon, that they ^ muft [ 261 ] ttinft be the proclu6\ions of an omnipotent Creator. In the fame manner we fee here a fchcme of religion and morality unlike and fuperior to all ideas of the human mind, equally impoffible to have been difcovered by the knowledge, as invented by the artifice of man ; and therefore by the very fame mode of reafoning, and with the fame jufticc, we conclude, that it muft derive its origin from the fame omnipotent and omnifcient Being. IS! or was the propagation of this religion lefs extraordinary than the religion itfelf, or lefs above the reach of all human power, than the difcovery of it was above that of all hu- man underftanding. It is well known, that in the courfe of a very few years it was fpread over all the principal parts of Afia and of Europe, and this by the minifiry only of an inconfiderable number of the moll: inconli- derable perfons; that at this time Paganifm was in the higheft repute, believed univer- fally by the vulgar, and patronifed by the great; that the wifeft men of the wifeft na- tions alTifted at its facrifices, and confulted its oracles on the moft important occafions : Whether thefe were the tricks of the priefts or of the devil, is of no confequence, as they were both equally unlikely to be converted, or overcome ; the fact is certain, that on the preaching of a few fifhcrmen, their altars were deferted, and their deities were dumb. This miracle they undoubtedly performed, whatever [ z6% ] whatever we may think of the reft : and this is furely fufficient to prove the authority of their com million; and to convince us, that neither their undertaking nor the execution of it could poffibly be their own. How much this divine inftitution has been corrupted, or how foon thefe corruptions be- gan, how far it has been difcoloured by the falfe notions of illiterate ages, or blended with fi6lions by pious frauds, or how early thefe notions and fi6lions were introduced, no learning or fagacity is now able precifely to afcertain; but furely no man, who fe- riouily conliders the excellence and novelty of its do6lrines, the manner in which it was at firft propagated through the world, the perfons who atchieved that wonderful work, and the originality of thofe writings in which it is ftiil recorded, can poffibly be- lieve that it could ever have been the proj du6lion of impofture, or chance; or that from an impofture the moft wicked and blaf- phemous (for if an impofture, fuch it is) all the religion and virtue now exifting on earth can derive their fource. But notwithftanding what has been here urged, if any man can believe, that at a time when the literature of Greece and Rome, then in their meridian luftre, were infuffi- cient for the taflc, the fon of a carpenter, to- gether with twelve of the mcaneft and moft illiterate mechanics, his affiociates, unaffiftcd by any fupernatural power, fbould be able to [ 263 ] to difcover or invent a fyileni of theology the moll: fublime, and of ethics the moftper- fe6t, which had elcaped the penetration and learning of Plato, Ariftotle, and Cicero; and that from this fyftem, by their own fagacity, they had excluded every falfe virtue, though univerfally admired, and admitted every true virtue, though defpifed and ridiculed by all the reft of the v\^orld : If any one can believe that thefe men could become impoftors, for no other purpofe than the propagation of truth, villains for no end but to teach ho- nefty, and martyrs without the leaft profpeft of honour or advantage ; or that, if all this fnould have been poffible, thefe few incon- liderable perfons Ihould have been able, in the courfe of a few years, to have fpread this their religion over moft parts of the then known world, in oppoHtion to the interefts, pleafures, ambition, prejudices, and even reafon of mankind ; to have triumphed over the power of princes, the intrigues offtates, the force of cuftom, the blindnefs of zeal, the influence of priefts, the arguments of orators, and the philofophy of the world, without any fupernatural affiftance; if any one can believe all thefe miraculous events, contradictory to the conftant experience of the pov/ers and difpolitions of human nature, he muft be pofTefied of much more faith than is neceffary to make him a Chriftian, and remain an unbeliever from mere credu- lity. But [ 264 ] But iliould thefe credulous inf dels after all be in the right, and this pretended reve- lation be all a fable; from believiLg it what harm could enfue? Would it render princes more tyrannical, or fubje6ts more ungovern- able? the rich more infolent, or the poor more diforderly? Would it make worfe pa- rents cr children, hulbands or wives, mailers or fervants, friends or neighbours? Or would it not make men more virtuous, and confe- quentjy more happy in every fituation ? It could not be criminal; it could not be detri- mental. It could not be criminal, becaufe it cannot be a crime to aiTent to fuch evi- dence, as has been able to convince the beft and wifeft of mankind ; by which, if falfe. Providence muft have permitted men to de- ceive each other, for the moll beneficial ends, and which therefore it would be furely more meritorious to believe, from a difpoiition of faith and charity, which believeth all things, than to rejeft with fcorn from obftinacy and felf-conceit . It cannot be detrimental, be- caufe if Chrifl.ianity is a fable, it is a fable, the belief of which is the only principle w^hich can retain men in a ileady and uni- form courle of virtue, piety, and devotion, cr can liipport them in the hour of diftrefs, of ficknefs, and of death. Whatever might be the operations of true deifm on the minds of Fagan philofophers, that can now avail us nothing: for that light which once light- ened the Gentiles, is now abforbed in the brighter brighter illumination of the gofnel ; we can now Ibrm no rational fyfiem of deifm, but what muft be borrowed from that fource, and, as far as it reaches towards perfection, mul^ be exa6lly the fame; and therefore if we will not accept of Chrittianity, we can have no religion at all. Accordingly we fee, that thofe who fly from this, fcarce ever ftop at deifm ; but haften on with great ala- crity to a total reje(Slion of all religious and moral principles whatever. If I have here demonftrated the divine origin of the Chriftian relieion by an argu- ment which cannot be confuted ; no others, however plaulible or numerous, founded on probabilities, doubts, and conje6lures, can ever difprove it, becaufe if it is once fhewn to be true, it cannot be falfe. But as many arguments of this kind have bewildered fome candid and ingenuous minds, I fhall here beftow a few lines on thofe which have the moft weight, in order to wipe out, or at leafl to diminifh, their perplexing influence. But here I muft previoully obferve, that- the moft unfurmountable, as well as the moft ufual obftacle to our belief, arifes from our paftions, appetites, and interefts; for faith being an acl of the will as much as of the underftanding, we oftener dilbelieve for want of inclination, than want of evidence. The firft ftep towards thinking this revela- tion true, is our hopes that it is fo; for when- ever we much wifh any propoiition to be true, [ %6G ] true, we are not far from believing it. It is certainly for the intereft of all good men, that its authority fhould be well founded; and ftill more beneficial to the bad, if ever they intend to be better i be- caufe it is the only fyftem either of reafon or religion which can give them any alTur- ance of pardon. The punifhment of vice is a debt due to juftice, which cannot be re- mitted without corapenfation : repentance can be no compenfation; it may change a wicked man's difpolitions, and prevent his oftending for the future, but can lay no claim to pardon for what is paft. If any one by profligacy and extravagance contra61s a debt, repentance may make him wifer, and hinder him from running into further dif- trelTes, but can never pay off his old bonds ; for which he muft be ever accountable, un- lels they are difcharged by himfelf, or fome other in his ftead : this very difcharge Chriltianity alone holds forth on our repent- ance, and, if true, will certainly perform : the trutli of it therefore muft ardently be wifhed for by all, except the wicked, who are determined neither to repent or reform. It is well worth every man's while, who ei- ther is, or intends to be virtuous, to believe Chiliianity, if he can; becaufe he will find it the fureil: prefervative againft all vicious habits and their attendant evils, the heft re- fource under diifrefTes and difappointments, ill health, and ill fortune, and the firmefl baiis on which contemplation can red ; and without [ 267 ] without fome, the human mind is never per- fedlly at eafe. But if any one is attached to a favourite pleafure, or eagerly engaged in worldly purfuits incompatible with the pre- cepts of this religion, and he believes it, he muft either relinquilh thofe purfuits Vv'ith uneafinefs, or periill in them with remorie and diiratisfa61ion, and therefore muR com- mence unbeliever in his own defence. With fuch I fhall not difpute, nor pretend to per- fuade men by arguments to make them- felves miferable : but to thofe, who, not afraid that this religion may be true, are really affe^led by fuch objeclions, I will offer the following anfvvers, which, though flriort, will, I doubt not, be fufficient to fhew them their weaknefs and futility. In the firft place, then, fome have been fo bold as to ftrike at the root of all revelation from God, by afTerting, that it is incredible, becaufe unnecelTary, and unnecefTary, be- caufe the reafon which he has beftowed on mankind is fufficiently able to difcover all the religious and moral duties which he re- quires of them, if they would but attend to her precepts, and be guided by her friendly admonitions. Mankind have undoubtedly at various times from the remoteft ages re- ceived fo much knowledge by divine com- munications, and have ever been fo much inclined to impute it all to their own fuf- ficiency, that it is now difficult to determine what human reafon unaffifted can effe6l : ^ut to form a true judgment on this fubjedl, let [ 268 ] let us turn our eyes to thofe remote regions of the globe, to v/hich this fupernatural af» liftance has never yet extended, and we fhall there fee men endued with fenfe and reafon not inferior to our own, fo far from being capable of forming fyftems of religion and morality, that they are at this day totally unable to make a nail or a hatchet : from whence we may furely be convinced, that reafon alone is fo far from being fufficient to offer to mankind a perfe6l religion, that it has nei^er yet been able to lead them to any degree of culture or civilization v^hat- ever. Thefe have uniformly flowed from that great fountain of divine communica- tion opened in the eaft, in the earlieft ages, and thence been gradually diffufed in falu* brious ftreams, tliroughout the various re- gions of the earth. Their rife and progrels, by furveying the hif^ory of the world, may eaiily be traced backwards to their fource; and wherever thefe have not as yet been able to penetrate, we there find the human fpe- cies not only void of all true religious and moral fentiments, but not the leaft emerged from their original ignorance and barbarity ; which feems a demonftration, that although human reafon is capable of progreffion in fcicnce, yet tlie firft founda- tions mufi: be laid by fuoernatural inll:ruc- tions : for furely no other probable caufe can be affigned, why one part of mankind fhould have made fuch an amazing progrefs in re- ligious, moralj m.etaphylical, and philofo- phical [ 2^9 J phical enquiries; fuch wonderful improve- ments in policy, legiflation, commerce, and manuiaOftures, while the other part, formed with the fame natural capacities, and divided only by feas and mountains, fhould remain, during the fame number of ages, in a ftate little fuperior to brutes, without government, without laws or letters, and even without clothes and habitations; murdering each other to fatiate their revenge, and devouring each other to appeafe their hunger : I fay, no caufe can be affigned for this amazing dif- ference, except that the firft have received information from thofe divine communica- tions recorded in the fcriptures, and the lat- ter have never yet been favoured with fuch alliftance. This remarkable contrail feems an imanfwerable, though perhaps a new proof of the neceffity of revelation, and a fo- lid refutation of all arguments againft it, drawn from the fufficiency of human reafon. And as reafon in her natural ftate is thus in- capable of making any progrefs in know- ledge ; fo when furnifhed with materials by fupernatural aid, if left to the guidance of her own wild imaginations, fhe falls into more numerous and more grofs errors than her own native ignorance could ever have fuggefted. There is then no abfurdity fo extravagant, which fhe is not ready to adopt: fhe has perfuaded fome, that there is no God ; others, that there can be no fu- ture fiate : flie has taught fome, that there is [ 270 ] is no difference between vice and virtue, and that to cut a man's throat and to relieve his neceffities are aclions equally meritorious: llie has convinced many, that they have no free-will, in oppolition to their own experi- ence I fome, that there can be no fuch thing as foul, or fpirit, contrary to their own per- ceptions ; and others, no fuch thing as mat- ter or body, in contradi6lion to their fenfes. By analyiing all things fhe can fhew, that there is nothing in any thing ; by perpetual iifting Ihe can reduce all exiftence to the in- X'iiibie duft of fcepticifm ; and by recurring to firft principles, prove to the fatisfa6lion of her followers, that there are no principles at all. How far fuch a guide is to be depended on in the important concerns of religion, and morals, T leave to the judgment of every confiderate man to determine. This is cer- tain, that human reafon in its higheft ftate of culti\^ation amongft the philofophers of Greece and Rome, was never able to form a religion comparable to Chriftianity; nor have all thofe fources of moral virtue, fuch as truth, beauty, and the fitnefs of things, which modern philofophers have endea- x^oured to fubftitute in its ftead, ever been effectual to produce good men, and have themfelves often been the produ61:ions of fome of the worfi:. Others there arc, who allow, that a re^'c- lation from God may be both neccffary and credible; but alledge, that the fcriptures, that [ ^71 ] that is, the books of the Old and New Tcf- tamcnt, cannot be that revelation ; bccaufc in them are to be found errors and incon- liftencies, fabulous ftories, falfe fadts, and falfe philofophy ; which can never be de- rived from the fountain of all wifdom and truth. To this I reply, that I readily ac- knowledge, that the fcriptures are not reve- lations from God, but the hiftory of them : This revelation itfelf is derived from God ; but the hiftory of it is the produ61ion of men, and therefore the truth of it is not in the leaft afFe6led by their fallibility, but de- pends on the internal evidence of its own lupernatural excellence. If in thefe books fuch a religion, as has been here defcribed, aJlually exifts, no feeming, or even real de- fe6lsto be found in them can difprove the di- vine origin of this religion, or invalidate my argument. Let us, for inftance, grant that the Mofaic hifiory of the creation was founded on the erroneous but popular prin- ciples of thofe early ages, who imagined the earth to be a vaft plain, and the celeftial bo- dies no more than luminaries hung up in the concave tirmament to enlighten it ; will it from thence follow, that Mofes could not be a proper inftrument in the hands of Pro- vidence, to impart to the Jews a divine law, becaufe he was not infpired with a fore- knov/ledge of the Copernican and Kev/- tonian fvftems? or that Chrift muft be an impoflor, becaufe Mofes v/as not an aftro- nomer? [ :^72 ] Fiomer? Let us alfo fuppofe, that the ac= •counts of Chrift's temptation in the wilder- nefsj thedevirs taking refuge in the herd of fwine, with feveral other narrations in the New Teftament, frequently ridiculed by un- believers, were all but ftories accommodated to the ignorance and fuperftitions of the times and countries in which they were writ- ten, or pious frauds intended to imprefs on vulgar minds a higher reverence of the power and fan6lity of Chrift; will this in the leaft impeach the excellence of his reli- gion, or the authority of its founder? or is Chriftianity anfwerable for all the fables of which it may have been the innocent occa- lion? The w^ant of this obvious diftin6lion has much injured the Chriftian caufe; be- caufe on this ground it has ever been moft fuccefsfully attacked, and on this ground it is not eaiily to be defended : for if the records of this revelation are fuppofed to be the re- velation itfelf, the leaft defe6l diicovered in them muft be fatal to the v/hole. What has led many to overlook this diftin6lion, is that common phrafe, that the fcriptures are the word of God; and in one fenfe they cer- tainly are; that is, they are thefacred repo- iitory of all the revelations, difpenfations, promifes, and precepts, which God has vouchfaxed to communicate to mankind; but by this expreflion we are not to underftand, that every part of this voluminous collec- tion of hiftorical, poetical, prophetical, theo- logical, ■ [ ^73 ] logical, and moral writing?, which we call the Bible, was didated by the immediate in- fluence of Divine infpiration: the authors of thefe hooks pretend to no fuch infalhbility, and if they claim it not for them felves, who has the authority to claim it for them ? Chrift required no fuch belief from thole who were willing to be his difciples. He fays, " He " that believeth on me, hath everlafting " life ■' " but where does he fav, Pie that believeth not every word contained in the Old Teftament, which was then extant, or every word in the New Teftament, which was to be wrote for the inftruclion of future generations, hath not everlafting life? There are innumerable occurrences related in the fcriptures, fome of greater, fome of lefs, and fome of no importance at all; the truth of which we can have no reafon to queftion, but the belief of them is furely not elTential to the faith of aChriftian: I have no doubt but that St. Paul was fhipwrecked, and that he left his cloak and his parchments at Troas; but the belief of thefe fa6ls makes no part of Chriflianity, nor is the truth of them any proof of its authority. It proves only that this Apoftle could not in common life be un- der the perpetual influence of infallible in- fpiration; for, had he been fo, he would not have put to fea before a ftorm, nor have for- got his cloak. Thefe writers were undoubt- * John vi. 47, Vol. II. S edly [ 274 ] edly directed by fupcrnatural influence in all tilings necelFary to the great work, which they were appointed to perform: At parti- cular times, and on particular occalions, they were enabled to utter prophecies, to fpeak languages, and to work miracles; but in all other circumftances, they leem to have been left to the dire6lion of their own underftand- ings, like other men. In the fciences of hifl tory, geography, aftronomy, and philofophy, they appear to have been no better inftru6led than others, and therefore were not lefs liable to be milled by the errors and prejudices of the times and countries in which they lived. They related fa by defjltory converfation or fuperfcial readi^Tg, and have thence determined with them fe Ives, that a pretended revelation, founded on fo ftrange and improba1)le a fto- ry, fo contradi61:ory to reafon^ fo adverfe to the t -91 ] the world and all its occupations, fo incre- dible in its doftrines, and in its precepts fo impra61:icable, can be nothing more than the impolition of prieftcraft upon ignorant and illiterate ages, and artfully continued as an engine well adapted to awe and govern the fuperftitious vulgar. To talk to fuch about the Chriftian religion, is to converfe with the deaf concerning mulic, or with the blind on the beauties of painting : they want all ideas relative to the fubje61:, and therefore can never be made to comprehend it : to en- able them to do this, their minds muft be formed for thefe conceptions by contempla- tion, retirement, and abftra61ion from bufi- nefs and diffipation; by ill-health, difap- pointmcnts, and diftrelles; and poifibly by divine interpolition, or by enthuiiafm, which is ufually miilaken for it. Without fome of thefe preparatory aids, together with a com- petent degree of learning and application, it is impoffible that they can thiiik or know, underftand or believe, any thing about it. If they profefs to believe, they deceive others; if they fancy that they believe, thev deceive themfelves. I am ready to acknowledge, that thefe gentlemen, as far as their infor- mation reaches, are perfe6tly in the right; and if they are endued with good under- ftandings, which have been intirely devoted to the bulinefs or amufements of the world, they can pafs no other judgment, and muft revolt from the hiftory and doctrines of this religion. [ 298 ] religion. " The preaching Chrift crucified " was to the Jews a ftumbling block, and " to the Greeks foolifhnels *;"' and fo it muft appear to all, who, like them, judge from eftablifhed prejudices, falfe learning, and fu- perficial knowledge ; for thofe who are quite unable to follow the chain of its prophecy, to fee the beauty and juftnefs of its moral precepts, and to enter into the wonders of its difpenfations, can form no other idea of this revelation, but that of a confufed rhap^ fody of fi6lions and abfurdities. If it is aflced, Was Chriftianity then in- tended only for learned divines and profound philofophers? I anfwer. No : it was .at firft preached by the illiterate, and received by the ignorant ; and to fuch are the pra6lical, which are the moft necelTary parts of it, fuf- ficiently intelligible : but the proofs of its authority undoubtedly are not, becaufe thefe muft be chiefly drawn from other parts, of a fpeculative nature, opening to our inqui- ries inexhauftible difcoveries concerning the nature, attributes, and difpenfations of God, v/hich cannot be underftood without fome learning and much attention. From thefe the generality of mankind muft neceffarily be excluded, and muft therefore truft to others for the grounds of their belief^ if they believe at all. And hence perhaps it is, that faith, or eahnefs of belief, is fo frequently * I Cor. i. 26. and [ ^99 ] and fo ftrongly recommended in the gofpel; becaufc if men require proofs, of which they themfelves are incapable, and thofc who have no knowledge on this important fubje6t will not place fome confidence in thofe who have; the illiterate and unattentive muftever continue in a flate of unbelief: but then all fuch fhould remember, that in all fciences, even in mathematics themfelves, there are many propoiitions, which on a curfory view appear to the moft acute underftandings, un- inftru6led in that fcience, to be impollible to be true, which yet on a clofer examinati- on are found to be truths capable of the ftri61:eft demonftration; and that therefore, in difquifitions on which we cannot deter- mine without much learned inveftigation, reafon uninformed is by no means to be de- pended on ; and firom hence they ought furely to conclude, that it may be at leaft as pofli- ble for them to be miftaken in difbelieving this revelation, who know nothing of the matter, as for thofe great matters of reafon and erudition, Grotius, Bacon, Newton, Boyle, Locke, Addifon, and Lyttelton, to be deceiv- ed in their belief: a belief, to which they firmly adhered after the moft diligent and learned refearches into the authenticity of its records, the completion of the prophecies, the fublimity of its do61:rines, the purity of its precepts, and the arguments of its adver- faries; a belief^ which they have teftified to the wcrld by their writings, without any other [ 300 ] other motive, than their regard for truth and the benefit of mankind. Should the few foregoing pages add but one mite to the treafures with which thefe learned writers have enriched the world ; if they fhould be lb fortunate as to perfuade any of thefe mi- nute philofophers to place fome confidence in thefe great opinions, and to diftruft their own ; if they fhould be able to convince them, that notwithftanding all unfavourable ap- pearances, Chriftianity may not be altogether artifice and error. ; if they fhould prevail on them to examine it with fome attention, or, if that is too much trouble, not to re- je61: it without any examination at all ; the purpofe of this little work will be fufliciently anfwered. Had the arguments herein ufed, and the new hints here flung out, been more largely difcuffed, it might eaiily have been extended to a more confider- able bulk; but then the bufy would not have had leifure, nor the idle inclination to have read it. Should it ever have the ho- nour to be admitted into fuch good company, they will immediately, I know, determine, that it muft be the work of fome enthuliafl or method ift, fome beggar, or fome mad- man. I fhall therefore beg leave to afTure them, that the author is very far rernox'ed from all thefe characlers : that he once per- haps believed as little as themfelves ; bnt having fome leifure and more curiofity, he employed them both in refolving a quell ion which [ 301 ] which fecmcd to him of fome importance — Whether Chriilianity was really an impol- ture founded on an abfurd, incredible, and obfolete fable, as many fuppofe it ? Or whe- ther it is, what it pretends to be, a revelati- on communicated to mankind by the interpo- fition of fupernatural power ? On a candid enquiry, he foon found, that the firfl was an abfolute impoffibility, and that its pre- tenlions to the latter were founded on the moll folid grounds ; in the further purfuit of his examination, he perceived, at every ftep, new lights ariling, and fome of the brighteft from parts of it the moft obfcure, but pro- ductive of the cleareft proofs, becaufe equally beyond the power of human artifice to in- vent, and human reafon to difcover. Thefe arguments, which have convinced him of the divine origin of this religion, he has here put together in as clear and concife a manner as he was able, thinking they might have the fame efFe6t upon others, and being of opinion, that if there were a few more true Chriftians in the world, it would be beneficial to themfelves, and by no means detrimental to the Dublic. SHORT SHORT AND CURSORY OBSERVATIONS O N SEVERAL PASSAGES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. Matt. v. 3. tipavuvt Blejfed are the poor hi fp'trit^ for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. XNthis declaration ofChrift, two queftions offer themfelves to our confideratlon : ift, Who are the poor in fpirit ? — And iSd, What is the kingdom of heaven ? By the poor in fpirit are here meant, thofe who, by their natural difpofitions, are meek, quiet, teachable, and fubmiffive ; or thofe who, by refleftion and cultivation, have rendered their difpofitions fuch, and have eradicated from their hearts pride, envy, and ambition, thofe high-fpirited paffions, fo deftrudlive C 304 ] dell:ru6live of the happinels of fociet/, a^ well as of their own. What portion of mankind comes under this defcription is known only to the fearcher of all hearts ; but we may reafonably conclude^ that neither heroes, conquerors, or any of thofe whom the world dignifies with the titles of great men, can be of the number. By the kingdom of heaven is here to be underftood, that celeftial community of the fpirits * of juft men made perfect, over which God more immediately prelides, and which is therefore fometimes called the kingdom of God; in which there are no wars, factions, ikuggles, or contentions, but all is benevo- lence, peace, concord, or fubordination : a kingdom frequently hung out to our view in the New Teftament, of Vv^hich we are promif* ed to be made fubje61:s in a future life, pro- vided we fhall be properly qualified for it by our behaviour in the prefent. To fele6t the moft excellent of mankind, and to qualify them for admiiTion into this holy and happy fociety, feems to be the chief objecl of the Chriftian difpenfation. What that qualification muft be, we are fufficiently informed by the author of it — Calling to him little children, he fays, " Of *' fuch is the kingdom of God ;" and again, " Verily I fay unto you, Whofoever fnallnot *' receive the kingdom of God as a little cliiid, •Hcb. xli. 23. « he [ 305 ] " he fliall not enter therein'." It^ is alfo evident from the nature of this community, that none but the poor in fpirit can he ad- mitted ; becaufe, were the proud, fk6tious5 turbulent, and ambitious to find entrance, they would immediately deilroy that tran- quillity and happinefs with which it is bleired ; and this kingdom, though not of this world, would foon become exa6ilylimi- lar to thofe which are. It is faid, " Many are called, but few are " chofen ;" but we are not therefore to con- clude, that all who are not chofen are to be configned to a ftate of mifery ; many who are deficient in this neceifary qualification, and therefore inadmiflible into this ftate of pu- rity and perfe61ion, may deferve no greater punifhment than the lois of fo ineftimablean acquifition ; and fome perhaps may have vir- tues which may entitle them to rewards of an inferior kind. Mankind are by no means diviiible into two clafTes only — the righteous and the wicked. We find them indeed io divided in many paifages of the New Telia- ment, all vv^hich muft be underflood but as general declarations, that the righteous fhall be rewarded, and the wicked punifhed, in a future life ; but cannot be applied to indi- viduals, becaufe in fa61 no fuch line of dif- tin61ion can be drawn between them. The generality of mankind are compleatly nei- '* Mark x. 14, 15. Vol. IL U ther [ 3^^ 3 ther the one or the other : none are fo good as to be guilty of no crimes, and few fo bad as to be pofTefTed of no virtues ; and in moft men they are intermixed, though in very different proportions. The juftice of Providence muft have prepared many inter- mediate ftates of happinefs and mifery, in which every individual will receive reward or punifhment in exa6i proportion to his merits, Aflronomy has opened to our view innumerable worlds, fome of v/hich are pro- bably happier, and fome more milerable than this which we at prefent inhabit; in them there is ample room for the difplay of the divine juftice and benevolence, as in fome of them fuch a fituation may be allot- ed to every one as his condu6f has delerved. Matt. v. 5. BleJJed are the meeh, for they Jhall htherit the earth. I T appears by no means eafy to reconcile the promife with fa6fs and experience; for eartli- \y profperity, wealth, power, and pre-emi- nence, are fo far from beinsr the inheritance of the meek, that they fee m to be entirely monopolized by the bold, turbulent, and ambitious; and w^emay {-ay with Cato, This world was made for Ccefar. To t 307 ] To extricate themfelves from this ditfi- culty, fome commentators have been in- duced to look out for another earth, which they at laft fortunately found in the words of St. Peter ; who fays, " Neverthelefs we, ac^ " cording to promife, look for new heavens " and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righte- " oufnefs *." To this new earth, they would perfuade us, this promife may with propriety be applied, and that therein it will certainly be fulfilled. But in explaining this paiTage, there is no occaiion to have recourfe to fo far-fetched and fanciful an interpretation, nor to call in the alTiftance of a new world. By the meek inheriting the earth, nothing more is meant, than that perfons of meek, quiet, and peace- able difpolitions, enjoy more happineis on earth, and fuffer lefs difquietude in the prc- fentlife, than thofe of oppolite chara6f ers : and this is verified by the experience of every day; they acquire more, friends, and fewer enemies, they meet with fewer injuries and difappointments, and bear thofe which they cannot avoid with lefs uneafineis, and pais through the world as they do through a crowd, lefs obfl:ru6f^ed, lefs bruifed and joftled, than thofe who force their way by violence and impetuofity. To which we may add, that a meek and quiet temper is the moft effica- cious prefervative of health, the firfl of ali * 2 Pet. iii. 13. U 2 earthly I 3oS ] earthly bleffiiigs, and without which we are incapable of enjoying any other. Wealth, power, and grandeur, are by no means ef- fential to earthly happinefs ; but Hiould we admit that they are, and are included in this promife, we fhould not find it altogether unfulfilled ; for, though the turbulent and overbearing may fometimesfeize on them by violence, they much oftener fail in their at- tempts, and link by their own infolence into ruin and contempt ; whilil: thofe of ealy and conciliating manners, lilently climb above them, lefs envied, and lefs oppofed, becaufe lefs noticed and lefs offending. It is univerfally allowed, that nothing fo much advances our worldly intereffs, and fb much aflifiS us in our purfuits of wealth and honours, as good-breeding ; and what is good-breeding, but an afFe^iation of meek- nefs, humility, and complacency ? if, there- fore, the pretence to thefe amiable qualities can do fo much, furely the poffeflion of them will do a great deal more. In fact it does, and feldom fails to gain us favour, increafe our friends, and advance our interelts. — Thus we fee this promife is generally accomplifh- ed ; the meek do inherit the earth, that is, have . the bei^ chance oi acquiring and en- joying the blelTmgs of this lite, as well as the happinefs of another. Matt. [ 309 ] Matt. v. 7. Bh'Jfcd are the merciful y for tl}^^ fimll ohtaiu mercy. RUELTY is the moft unpardonable of all crimes, becaufe it is without temptation, and therefore without exciife. Mercy is the nioft amiable attribute of God ; and a virtue moll becoming the iituation of man, becaufe ^the fins which he perpetual 1)* commits, and the dangers with which he is conftantly fur- rounded, oblige him to ftand in need of it every hour : it is peculiarly congenial to the benevolent fpirit of the Chriftian religion, and as fuch is here enforced by the Author of it, in this fhort but cmphatical declaration ; in which it is remarkable, that we find no^ thing which limits our cxcrcife of this ami- able virtue within any bounds, or confines it to any defcription ; not to our relation:, our our friends, neighbours our countrymen, nor even to mankind : from whence we may re a- fonably conclude, that he requires us to extend it to every thing that has life and fenlibility. The words feem to regard more the difpoii- tion of the a6for than the obje6t on which it Is exerted : " BleiTed are the merciful," that is, thofe who are of a tender and compalfi- oiiate temper, who feel for the miferies ot every thing that has life, and endeavour all in their power to relieve them. Whoever, therefore. [ 310 ] therefore, can wantonly infii6l pain on the meaneft animal, or receive a diabolical plea- lire from its fufferings, can have no claim to his blelling, nor to obtain that mercy to fi th Vi/hich he is a ftranger. Matt. vi. i6. Moreover y ivhen yefajl^ be not as the hypocrites^ J ESUS Chrift having been born and edu- cated under the Jewifh inftitution, complied with all the ceremonies and cuftoms of that law, and required none of his difciples to relinquifh them, in order to receive the religion which he came to teach. Among thefe, faftiiig at particular feafons was one, which was commanded by their law, obferved by all, and particularly by the Pharifees, viiXh fuperftitious rigour and hypocritical ofteiitation ; which he here with fome afperity reprehends. He reproves them, not for fafting, the ufe of which, as well as that of all the reil of their religious rites, he approved and encouraged ; but it is obfervable, that in thefe words there is nothing which requires it ; taking it for granted, that they would faft in obedience to tlicir law, he only fays, " When ye fall, be '• not as the hypocrites ;" and then proceeds to [ 311 ] to infi:ru6\ them how to perform this duty iii a proper manner : but does not command them to perform it at all. This filence of their mafter, on a fubje6t which they thought fo important, induced many of the Jews, who had become his dif^ ciples, to excufe themfelves from complying with this unpleafant ceremony ; as is evident from the queflion put to him by the difciples of John the Baptill, who faid, " Why do we " and the Pharifees fall: often *, but thy dill " ciples faft not?" From hence it appears plainly, that though Chrift obferved this, as well as all the ceremonies of the Mofaiclaw, it was no part of his inflitution, nor was en- joined by him as a Chriftian, or a moral duty. This indeed, and every other mode of felf-punifhment, are fo oppoiite to the benevolent fpirit of" the religion which he taught that, it is impofTible they can make a part of it. ChriRianity requires us to make every one as happy as we are able, to re- lieve the poor, vilit the iick, and comfort the diftrelTed ; but if every man was obliged to inflict fufferings upon himfelf, inftead of excluding mifery at every avenue, as V\^e are benevolently com.manded, we fhould intro- duce as much as if every man was permitted to injure and torment his neighbour. There are many precepts in the New 'I eflament, which require us to fufier v^ith fortitude and * Matt. ix. 14. refig nation. [ 3ia 3 relignation, for righteoufnels fake, for truth, for our religion, or the benefit of mankind ; but we find none which enjoin fufferings for their own fake, or reprefent them as merito- rious in themfelves. St. Peter exhorts his difciples to fuffer patiently for thefe great ends, '' becaufe Chrift alfo fuffered for them, " leaving us an example that we fhould fol- *^' low his fteps */' but he does not advife us to fuffer for no end at all. Faffing, with all the refl of their religious rites, are continued to the Jews after their convcrfion to Chrif^ianity, but were never impofed on the profelytes of any other na- tion; from whence it is evident, that Chrill: never intended by the gofpel to abolifii the Mofaic law, with regard to the Jews, nor to extend it to any other people. Hence arifes that remarkable difference, which can- not efcape our notice, between the religion of Chrift and that of his Apoftles, and parti- cularly of St. Paul; a difference fo great, that, if we attend not to the caule of it, we muft confider them as two religious inftitu- tions contradictory to each other. Chrift: commands his difciples to perform the moft minute ceremonies of the Jewifh law, to pay tithes even of mint, annifeed, and cummin |; St. Paul reprefents the moft important, as ufelefs and inngnificant, and fays, " Circum- " cifion is nothing, and uncircumciiion isno- * I Pet. ii. 21. t Matt, xxlii. 23. « thing, [ 313 ] '•' thing, but the keeping the commandments "' of God f." Ihc caulc is fufficiently evi- dent : Chrift preached to the Jews, and tlierefore his religion is founded on and in- corporated with theirs, which he did not re- quire them to relinquifh, in order to accept it, and alVures them, that he did not come '" to deftroy their law, but to fulfil it." St. Paul preached chiefly to the Gentiles, but was not commiffioned to convert them to Ju- daifm, in order to their becoming Chriflians ; and therefore we do not find, that he, or any of the Apoftles, impofed the obfervance of fafts, or any other ceremonials of the Mofaic law, on their Gentile profelytes. Matt. x. ^9. 'Ot/j^» ovo r^u^ici carax^iH 'ZTu7.nra,i, y.ca h If clvruv a 's;t(Tmai ^re not tivo fpcirrows fold for a farthing P And one of thefe ffiall not fall to the ground without your heavenly Father. M ANY have been the controverfies amOngft philofophers, in all times, concern- ing a general and a particular Providence. Some have been of opinion, that the great Creator of all things fo framed the univerfal fyf^em, that every part of it is carried on by f I Cor. vii. 19. a regular [ 314 ] a regular procefs of caufes and confequences, without his farther interpolition ; and that he cannot interpofe, without changing the courfe of nature by a miraculous act of di- vine power, which he rarely, if ever, thinks proper to exert : that both the material and moral world are governed by general laws, which cannot be fufpended for the fake of individuals, who muft therefore fubmit to this neceffity, though rewards and punifh- ments are not always diftributed in the pre- fent life in proportion to their merits; and that a machine fo conftituted is a more con- fpicuous inftance of infinite wifdom and power, than the one which ftands in need of the continual interference of its author, for regulation and fupport. — Others have thought, that God not only created the world, but perpetually fuftains, invigorates, and di- re6ls every part of it; and that, if this energy of divine power was withdrawn but for a mo- ment, the whole would inftantly be annihi- lated. — The latter is undoubtedly the truth, and is confirmed by reafon, fcripture, and experience. Reaion teaches us that the re- volutions of the vaft and innumerable celef^ tial orbs, through immenfe fpaces, or the delicate movements in animal and vegetable bodies, can never poflibly be performed by any principles originally imprelfed on matter by attra61ion, coheiion, elafticity, or electri- city; becaufe they a6t in contradiction to them ^11 : and therefore they mufl be effect- ed [ 3IS ] cd bvthe continual dlre6^tion of fome omni- potent hand : it allures n?, that the moral, as well as the material world, mull be under the continual influence of the fame power; becaufe, without it, the great deliens of Providence could never be accomplifhed. The moft important events in life are de- rived from the operations of matter and will, peace and war, plenty and famine, our health and difeafes, our happinefs and mi- fery, our fafety and deil;ru6tion. Ko plan, therefore, could be purfued, if thefe were all left to the blind movement of the one, or the capricious ele61ionsof the others but hap- pily for us, they are both under the controul of an omnifcient and omnipotent governor, who difpenfes them as feems beft to his infi- nite wifdom ; and this he can do by a perpe- tual though inviiible influence, without the expence of any miracle; for, if his interfer- ence in any event conftitutes a miracle^ every event is a miracle in nature, becaufe there can be no event without it. The whole tenour of the fcriptures implies the conftant fuperintendcncy of the Creator over all his works, his continual attention to the moft inconfiderable, as v;ell as to the moll: important events, to the fall of a Iparrow and to the fall of an empire, to ourfelves, our behaviour, our happinefs and fufferings, our enjoyments, and our wants ; thefe are all reprefented as the effecls of his will, and therefore the objects of his knowledge and his [ 316 ] his care; and on this principle we are every where enjoined to love him, to fear him, to praife him, to adore him, to obey his com- mands, to implore his forgivenefs, to thank him for his mercy, and to deprecate his wrath. Experience teaches us the fame lefTon; and a man muft be poiTeifed of very little obfervation, and lefs faith, who does not re- coiled daily inftances of the apparent inter- poiition of Providence in the dete61:ion of crimes, the punifhment of guilt, and the prote6lion of innocence, which fall within the circle of his own knowledge, and are recorded in the moft authentic hiftories of all ages. Matt. x. 34, 35. Think not that I am to come to fend peace on earth ; I came not to fend peace ^ hut a /word. For I am come to fet a man at variance agalnjl his father y and the daughter againfl her mother ^ and the dai/ghter-in-la'm ngainji her mother-in-law. i HIS prophecy of Chrift was loon com- picated and dreadfully fulfilled, particularly in that city, and amongll: that people to whom it was fpoken ) for tlie Jews were fo far [ SI7 ] tar troni acccptino- that pacific and benevo- lent religion which he taught, that they per- verted it into a new caiife of increaling thole national contentions and private animoiitics in which they were then univerfliUy involv- ed, and were jul\ly puniflicd for their enor- mous wickednefs, obftinacy, and increduli- ty, by the fwords of their enemies and their own, with fuch calamities as are unexam- pled in the hiftory of mankind. This is an nndifputed fa6l; but how is it reconcileablc with his frequent declarations on other occa- fions, and the whole tenour of the New Tef- tament, in which Chrift every where is ftyled the Prince of Peace, and his Gofpel repre. fented as introdu6live of peace and good-will towards men? The ufual folution of this difficulty is this ; that fuch it was intended to be by its bene- volent author, but that it was fo far per- verted by the wickednefs of man, that the effecls of it proved to be the very rtverfe of its original deiign, and it became produc- tive of all the evils which it was intended to prevent. — But this, I think, is by no means fatisfa6lory ; becaufe I cannot be perfuaded that the wife and beneficent intentions of Providence can ever be defeated by the folly and wickednefs of man ; their eifedls, indeed, may fometirnes be delayed by events, which to us may feem adverfe, but which, in fa(5l, are neceffary to their final completion; and this, in the prefent infiance, I take to be the cafe. [ 3iS ] cafe. The great end of Chrift's coming was to fend peace una good-will amongil men^ and this it has undoubtedly efie6ied to a cer» tain degree: his mild and pacific religion has much abated their native ferocity, cru- elty, and depravity, and is making a daily progrefs in this falutary work; but he found it neceiiliry to fend with it a fwcrd, to lop off fome part of that enormous wickednefs, which, at its firll: appearance, had overfpread the world, and to make men by their fuffer- ings capable of its reception; as foi'ne inve- terate difeafes v;ill admit of no remedy with- out a fevere and painful amputation. This prophecy of Chrift, therefore, is not in the leaft contradictory to his ovv^n declara- tions, or the fenfe of the fcriptures, becaufe they relate to different obje6is ; the firft fore- tells the many miferies which he forefaw men would bring upon themfelves, by the abufe and perveriion of the religion which he taught them ; the latter informs us of the pacific fpirit and benevolent deiign of that religion, and the falutary eiTe61s which it mufi ultimately produce on the m.orals and happinefs of mankind. Matt. [ 319 ] Matt. x. 41. He that receivfth a prophet y in the name of a prophet ^ JJjall re- ceive a prophet* s reward. B lY "a prophet" is here to be underHood, a holy, religious, and good man; and the mean- ing of the whole fentence is this : — <■' He " that receiveth a prophet," that is, he that entertains, allifts, and patronifes a religious and good man ; "in the name of a prophet," that is, bccaufe he is, and has the name and character of a religious and good man ; " fhall receive a prophet's reward ;" that is, is entitled to, and fhall receive as great are- w^ard as the religious and good man himfelf. That he fhould receive an equal reward is perfe6lly agreeable to divine juftice, becaufe, entertaining and patroniling a pious and vir- tuous man, from the fole coniideration of his merit, demonftrates a heart as much devoted to piety and virtue as any a6lion which the worthy object of his favour can poffibly perform. If this is true, the converfe muft be true likewife; that is, that he that entertains, protects, and patronifes an impious, a pro- fligate man, for the fake of his vices, is as criminal, and fhall receive as fevere a pu- nifhment, as the moft abandoned of his favourites : and this with equal juftice, be- caufe [ 320 ] caufe the approbation ofwlckediieis in othets^ having no temptation for an excufe, is more atrocious, and demonftrates a more de- praved diipolition, than even the praftice of it. The fedu6lion of pleafure, the lure of intereft, or the violence of our paffions, may be fome, though a poor apology, for the commiffion of crimes; but to lit coolly by and view with pleafure the iniquities and profligacy of others, and to encourage them by our favour, approbation, and re- wards, indicates a difpoiition more com- pleatly depraved than the commiflion ofthem, but depraved as it is, we fee inftances of it every day ; we fee the moft impious and profane, the moft corrupt and diflblute, fometimcs the idols of the vulgar, and more frequently the idols of the great ; we fee them, without any introduction or recom- mendation, except their vices, entertained, carelfed, and patronifed by the rich and powerful, who look with envy and admira- tion on a degree of profligacy in them, which they thcmfelves are unable to arrive at. Matt. r 321 ]■ Matt, xi.25. 'E» tKtifU Til xon^u onroK^i^in; o 'lr,a»i;, (jTrif* E^o^ioXoyv^otk (rot TuxTiPf xffH TM ii^ati/a Koti Trii yijc, on cc'jrtK^v^eci; tocvtu awe o-o(J5ufi' TtyJ/j- anfivered andfaidy I thanh thee^ O Father y Lord of heaven and earthy becaiife thou haft hid thefe things from the luije and prudent i and hafl revealed them unto babes. *3f I T feems not a little extraordinary, that Jefus fhould, in this folenin manner, return thanks to his heavenly Father, for having hid from the wife and prudent the myfteries of that gofpel, which he himfelf came into the world to promulgate, on the knowledge of which the falvation of mankind depended ; but this may be very well accounted for by a proper explanation of thefe words. By the " wife," I apprehend, are to be here underftood, thofe felt-fufficient reafoners who will believe no divine revelation Vv^hich does not exadlly tally with their own imperfeft ideas of truth, nor obey any precepts which are not comformable to their notions of juf- tice and the fitnefs of things. By the " pru- •' dent," are meant thofe, who pay little at- tention to any religion, but are perpetually employed in worldly occupations, and the purfuits of intereft and ambition. Jefus, having experienced the obftinacy and per- verfenefs, with which perfons under both thefe defcriptions reje^cd the revelation Vol. if. X which [ :5^2 ] which he offered them, and at the fametime the readinefs with which it was thankfully received by the meek, the humble, the teach- able, and the innocent, returns thanks to his heavenly Father, (that is, in the form of an addrefs, adores and admires the wifdom and juflice oi God), for having fo contrived the nature of the Gofpel, that it was lefs accepta- ble, and lefs intelligible to thofe who, from their evil difpolitions, deferved not to par- take of the benefits which it confers, than to thofe who are more worthy to receive them : and this feems to be nothing m.ore than what, we all do, or ought to do, which is, to thank, admire, and^ adore our gracious Creator, for having fo conftituted the eifence of all human vices and virtues, that each are naturally productive of their own pu- nifhments and rewards. Matt. xvi. i8. U^'on this rock will I build my church. _r ROM this declaration of Chrift it plainly appears, that he intended to be the founder of a church, that is, a fociety of perfons be- lieving his divine miflion, and openly pro- fefling the religion which he came to publifla to mankind ; which fociety fliould be veiled with the powers and privileges of a corpo- rate L 3'^3 ] rate body, and exercife them under his pro- tection to the end of the world ; but we do not Hnd that, by any precepts delivered dur- ing his life, or any inftru6lions left behind him at his death, he ever communicated to his difciples any plan of the formation of this church, or any rules for the government of it when formed. The reafon of which I take to be this : — He knew the adminiflra- tion of this government muft fall into the hands of men, be blended with their world- ly interefts, and in confequence be foon cor- rupted and abufed, and therefore unworthy of divine authority; and that, if he appoint- ed any particular form, or fpecific regulati- ons for the management of it, he muft have given fome degree of fan6\ion to thofe future corruptions and abufes. He knew, likewife, that it was unneccfTary ; becaufe a commu- nity, once eftablifhed, muft naturally produce rule and fubordination, that is, a government, becaufe it cannot fublift without one. He inftituted a church, becaufe, without fome inftitution of that kind, his religion muft quickly have been banifhed from the world, and known no where but intheclofetsof a few fpeculative philofophers, and therefore had little influence on the general conducl of mankind ; but he chofe rather to truft the form and regulations of it to the nature of man, and the nature of governnient, than to any politive command. He did not ordain that when his religion ftiould have fpread. over every quarter of the globe, this church X z ' fticuld [ 324 ] fhould become equally extenfive, and be go- verned by one fupreme head his fuccefTor and reprefentative. He did not command, that in every refpe61ive country this church fhould be placed under the dominion of bi- fhops or prefbyters, of councils, convocati- ons, or fynods. He has prefcribed no forms of worfhip, except onefhort prayer; no par- ticular habits for the minifters who offici- ate ; no places fet apart for the performance of religious duties, or decorations for thofe places to excite reverence and devotion in the performers. All thefe he has left to the decilion of future ages, to be ordered by dif- ferent communities, in different countries, in a manner that fhall beft fuit the tempers of the people, the genius of their government, and the opinions of the times ;■ provided no- thing is introduced inconliftent with the pu- rity of his original inftitution. From hence evidently appears the ignorance and abfur- dity of thofe who reje6l ^11 ecclefiaftical au- thority as human impofitions, and deny the very exiftence of any ChrilHan church, in contradi6\ion to the exprefs declarations of its founder • and not lefs of thofe who refufe compliance with any national religious efta- blifhment, becaufethey cannot find the form and ceremonies of k exa6fly delineated and prefcribed in any part of the New Tefia- ment. Chrift has inflituted ecclefiaftical, in the fame manner that God has civil, govern- ment. I [ 325 J ment, that is, by making it neceirary, witlir out dirc6ting the mode of its adminiftration; bccaufe, though the thing itfelf is necellary, the mode is not fo. Matt. xix. 4, 5. *0 Si aVoxftOjtf, ii^tv avron' Ovk avtyvuley ot» o ■cronjo'a? utt* Ka» utrtv' Evfxtv T«Ta y.ct\a.'\n-\'H at»^^u'ir<^ rov tBocrt^ot, axi mv And he anfivered and faidy Have ye not read, that he ivhich made them at the heginning, made them male and female ; Andfaidy For this canfe Jliall a man leave father and mother y undfJjall cleave to kis ivfe :' atid they tivamfiiall he one JJefJj ? s 'HOULD there be any controverfy con- cerning the lavvfulnefs of polygamy under the Chriftian difpenfation, this declaration of its author is fureiy fufficiently decilive in the negative, becaufe, if a man and a wo- man, by marriage, become one flefh, it feems impoflible that a greater number than two fhould be incorporated by that union ; and, if a man is commanded to, leave his father and mother, and cleave to one wife, he is fureiy not at liberty to cleave to ano~ ther. The queftion here put to Jefus was not, indeed, concerning polygamy, but divorce; but his anfwer comprehended them both, ^nd declares, by the' clcareft implicaticn, that [ 326 J that the firft ought not to be permitted, and, in exprels words, that the laft is abfolutely unlawful in all cafes, except in that of adul- tery. The advocates for polygamy alledge, That the pra61:ice of it is recorded as far back as hiftory carries us, to the earlieft ages of the world j that it was allowed during the whole period of the Jewifh theocracy, and conti- nued by that people till the coming of Chrift, and then not prohibited by any politive com- mand : and that, therefore, though from a change of circumftances in the prefent times it may not be expedient, it cannot certainly be unlawful. This argument has furely much weight; but in anfwer it may be faid. That, although we do not find it any where in the New Teftament abfolutely forbid, it is, in this and feveral other places, highly difapproved of by the clearefl: implications ; and indeed it is by no means credible, that a cuilom fo licentious, fo injurious to one, and fo deilru6tive to the domeftic happinefs of both fexes; a cuftom, even at that time, reje61ed by almoft all the Gentile nations; ihould be adopted or permitted under the purity of the Chriili^n inftitution. The true ftate of the cafe I take to be this: -—Multitudes of the Jews, unable to reiift the preaching of Chnft, and the evidence of his divine million enforced by fo many mi^ racles, every day became converts to his re- ligion ; but, being extremely fond of the ce- remonies [ 3^7 ] remoiiics and cuftoms of their own, could not fuddenly be prevailed on to relinquifh them. Of none were they more tenacious than of this of polygamy, in which they and their forefathers had been indulged for fo many centuries, and which had been autho- rifed by the example of characters, to whom they looked up with the moft profound ve- neration ; and therefore many of them, after their converiion, continued in the pra6lice of it. That they did fo, feems to be confirmed by what ^^t. Paul writes to Titus, that " a " bifhop muft be blamelefs, the hufband of " one wile;'' that is, that although polygamy might be overlooked in fome of the Jewifb converts, who could not be prevailed on to accept Chriftianity on any other terms, it could not be fufiered in any one who under- took fo important and fo facred an office as that of a bifhop; whofe life ought to be ex- emplary, and his condu6t free even from the imputation of all blam.e.— From hence it appears evident, that polygamy was alvv^ays conlidercd, by Chrift and his Apoftles, as in- compatible with the religion which they taught; and that, although it might be to- lerated in fome of the Jewifn profelvtes, who had immemorial cuRom to plead in its behalf, yet, even in them, it was looked upon as extremely blameable, and was never claimed by or permitted to any of the Gen- tiles who were converted. Matt, [ 338 ] Matt. xx. 15, 16. H UK i^iri fi-ot itTOivaoci SsXiw evtoi; l/^oi? ', r) of9a?i^o? ca 'mavnpoi L it not kiiufulfor me to do what I will with mine own ? Is thine eye evily becaufe I am good ? So the lajljhall he frf, and the Jirji laji. I N order to underftand this parable of the houfeholder, who paid his labourers not in proportion to the time in which they worked, or the work which they had per- ibrjued, but according to his own pleafure; it is neceflary to remember to whom, and on what occaiion it was Ipoken. Jcfus had juft before declared, that when he fhould lit on his ihrone of glory, his twelve Apoftles ihould lit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael. Many of his au- ditors, who had but lately i^etxi thele men employed in the lov^eft occupations, and by no means eminent for their virtues or abili- ties, thought this a very partial declaration, and this promifed exaltation far fuperior to their merits. To thefe this parable was par- ticularly addreifed ; intended to teach them, that all power, glory, and happinefs, are the fole property of God, and that he alone has a right to difpofe of them according to his pleafure; that all which we enjoy is a free gift from his benevolence, and not a compenfation for our merits j tj;iat our me- rits. [ 3^9 ] vitSj if we have any, arc (leiived from liim; tliat even thcfe merits proceed from his grace, and the rewards of them from his bounty; that we ought to be thankful for the benefits we receive from his favour, and have no pretence to complain of his partiality, if we fee greater conferred on thofe wdio may appear to us to defcrve them lels; that we are bad judges of tlie merits of others, and worfe of our own, and that therefore, in a future litl?, many who are now laft in our eftimation, w-ill be firft in happinels and olorv; and many whom we now admire for their virtues, and imagine wall be firft in that ftate, will be the laft, that is, leaft merito- rious in the fight of their juft and all-dif^ cerning judge. From whence we may learn, that it is the higheft prefumption in us to cir- cumfcribe the right of our Creator, in the diftribution of his favours, by our imperfecSl notion of fitnefs and equity, to fet bounds to the operations of any one of his attributes by confronting it wdth another, to limit his power by the efre61s of his mercy, or the effe61:s of his mercy by thofe of his jullice. His attributes are all above our comprehen- iion, and therefore we ought only to adore th^m in lilence, and fubmit to his deciiion with gratitude and refignation. Matt. [ 330 ] Matt. xxii. a I. ToT£ %iyn auTOK* 'AttoMe iv rot K«K7a§<^j Ka^a'a^^' x«t r» TB ©IK, Ti) ©ElU. Then /aid he unto them^ Render unto Cafar the things *which are C^far^s ; and unto God, the things which are God's, I N order to enfnare Jefus into offending either their own nation, or the Roman go- vernment, under which they were then fub- jecled, the Jews faid unto him, <' Tell us, " therefore, what thinkeft thou, Is it law- " ful to give tribute unto Caefar, or not?" A queftion the mofl: infidious, and moft dan- gerous to decide on, that art or malice could have contrived ; becaufe,. in the decifion of it, the moft important political rights were to be determined : Whether they, being a people chofen by God, could lawfully fub- mit to the government of any but God ; or fome one of their own nation, deputed by his immediate dire6lion?- — Whether conqueft, which is but unjuft, though fuccefsful vio- lence, can give a juft right to govern? — Whether one nation can have a right to rule over, and confequently to impofe tribute on another? — And, Whether any fovereign can lawfully compel fubje6ls to pay taxes, with- out their own confent? If Chrift had thought it ever proper for him to give diredlions on political topics, he certainly would not have jiegle6\ed this opportunity ; but he now, and at [ 331 ] at all times, induflrioufly avoided it, and faid, " Shew me the tribute money :" thca replies to their queftion, by afking them ano- ther, " W'hofe is this image and fiiperfcrip- " tion?" They anfvvered, " Caefar's." Then faid he unto them, " Render, therefore, unto " Csefar the things which are Caefar's; and " unto God, tiie things which are God's." Many opinions, by the ingenuity of com- mentators, have been extra6ied from thefe few words of Chrift. Some have thought, that, by them, he intended to explode that favourite notion, that they could not be law-* fully governed by any except God. Some have alferted, that, by here acknowledging the title of Csefar, he had eftablifhed the right of all conquerors to rule over the peo- ple whom they had fubdued. Others would perfuade us, that, by the things v^hich are Caefar's, are to be underftood, taxes impofed bytheftate; and, by the things which are God's, the revenues of the church : and it is furpriiing, that no courtly divine has un- dertaken to prove, from this Ihort decifion, that every fovereign has a right to feize on all the money w^hich bears his image and fu^ perfcription. But certainly none of thefe fanciful conjectures have any foundation iu thefe w^ords of Chrift; which are no more than an evafive anfwer to an iniidious quef. tion, and a declaration of what he takes every opportunity of declaring, That he did ;iot come to decide political contrcvernes, to. fettk- [ ^r-* ] fettle the rights of conquerors and the con- quered, or of fovereigns and fubjedts; and that the only inftru6lions which he could give on that head were, to pay quietly tri- bute and fubmiffion to whatever government they lived under, without unnecefTary in- quiries into the lawfulnels of their claims; but to inquire diligently after the will of God, and pay the ftri6left obedience to it on every occafion. Matt. xxvi. 39. ^iluv, UscTt^ fM^y It ^ivotrov ifiy 'mx^iX^tru) oiir i/as to morn^iov t«to» y^nd heiuenta little farther ^ and fell on his face y and prayings fayingy O my Father, if it be pofflbky let this cup pafsfrom vie. Jl he hypothetical words, infcrted in this fervent addrels of Chrift to his heavenly Fa- ther, feem to eftablilh the truth of two im- portant propofitions : Firll, That there may be, and a6iualiy are, evils inherent in the nature of things, which even Omnipotence cannot prevent; and, that we have reafon to conclude, that all which we fuffer in this life, except fuch as we bring upon ourfelvcs by our mifcondu6l or mutual injuries, are of this kind ; that is, fuch as cannot be prevented v/ithout the admiiTion of greater evils, or the [ 333 ] the lofs of good more than equivalent; be-' caufe we cannot fuppofe that a Creator of in- finite power and goodnefs, would admit any others into any part of his works. The fccond proportion is, That the" fuf- ferings and death of Chrift are likewife of this kind 3 abfolutely necefTary as an atone- ment for the fins of mankind, and therefore unpreventable by any power, without de- feating the great deiign of the benevolent but dreadful tafk which he had undertaken. As fuch they are reprefented, by himfelf and his Apoftles, through every part of the New Teftament; not as contingencies, like thofe of other martyrs in the caufe of religion, but as an efTential part of the original plan of his mlffion. From whence this neceffity arifes, we have not faculties to conceive : but it muft be certainly from fome connedlions between fuffering and fin, that is, between na- tural and moral evil, totally beyond the reach of our comprehenfions. Chrifl, under the mofl terrible apprehenfi. ens of his approaching execution, fell on his face, and prayed, faying, " O my Father, if " it be pollible, let this cup pafs from me;" that is, if it be poflible to procure the re- demption of mankind without this facrifice : but it was not pofTible, and therefore he vo- luntarily fubmitted to drink it, as the only means to accomplifh that benevolent end ; and, in proof of it, fays, " No man taketh *' my [ 334 ] " my life from me, but I lay it down of my- " felf *." No doubt of its poffibility could arife from any other caufe, for furely it was not only poiTible, but very eafy, for the power of God to have delivered him out of the hands of man. He might have changed the iiearts of his enemies : he might have de- feated their malice, by placing him in a litu- ation beyond their reach, or by fending twelve legions of angels to his affiftance : " But how then fhall the fcriptures be ful- " filled, tliatthus itmuftbe f ?" that is. How then fhall the prophecies and promifes be ful- filled, which alTure us, that this important purpofe can be effe61ed by no other means, nor fatisfa61ion made for the iins of the world on any other terms ? BaOBMiBSSBa Mark ii. 57. ait^pwiT©^ o(«. TO crccQQoclov, And he /aid unto thetriy The Jahhath ivas made for many and not man for the fahbath. X HIS was the reply which Chrift made to the Pharifees, who had frequently reproved him for healing the lick on the fabbath-day; and, in the prefent inftance, for fuilering his difciples to pluck a few ears of corn as they Vv/alked through the fields on that day; by v^hich we are to underfland,that his opinion on thisfubje6t was, that the keeping * John X. 1 8. tMatt. xxvi. 53. holy [ 335 ] holy the fabbath-day was a wife and excellent inftitution, admirably contrived for the be-* netit of mankind, but not of fuch indifpenfa- ble importance, that we fhould think it is the chiefdutyof our lives, orthat we were placed in this world on purpofe to perform it. The Pharifees were a feft of the Jews, noted for their fpiritual pride and hypocrify, who pretended to extraordinary fan6lity, by a ftri6l and fuperftitious obfervance of every ceremony appointed by the Mofaic law, par- ticularly that of keeping holy the fabbath, with a rigour beyond w^hat the good of fo- ciety would admit, or the inftitution itfelf required ; and it is not a little remarkable, that the fe6laries of all times have followed their example in this inftance ; they have all thought, or pretended to think, that a ri- gorous obfervance ot this day is the firft of all Chriftian duties, and the negleft of it the moft enormous of all crimes ; whereas, properly fpeaking, it is no Chriftian duty at all, in any other fenfe, than that it is the duty of every Chriftian to comply with every inftitution, from whatfoever fourceit maybe derived, which tends to promote religion and virtue amongft mankind. The keeping holy the fabbath-day was originally enjoined, by a pofitive command- ment, to the Jews in the Mofaic law ; and, as fuch, v/as obfcrved by Chrift and his Apoftles, as was every other part of that lav/, and was afterwards retained by the Chriftians [ 336 ] Chriflians of all fucceeding ages, for its pe-= culiar excellence and utility, when all the reft were laid aEde. But I do not recolleft that it is any where injoined by Chrift or his Apoftles, or even mentioned in the New Teftament, except in this and fome other places in which he reproves the Pharifees for their hypocritical and fuperftitious obferv- ance of it, by converting a day that was in- tended to be fet apart for reft, joy, and thankfgiving, into a feafon of mortification and felf-denial of all comforts and conveni- ences of life. But this leiTens not the force of our obli- gation to keep this day in a proper manner; that is, to abftain from labour and all world- ly cares and occupations, and to employ it in a6ls of devotion, charity, and hofpitality ; for which we have the example of Chrift and his Apoftles, and of every Chriftian church from their times to the prefent day. The excellence, likewife, of the inftitution itfelf cannot fail to recomm€nd it; for cer- tainly, there never was any other fo well calculated to promote the interefts of piety and virtue, to call oft' the worldly-minded from the perpetual toils of ambition and avarice, and to give leifure to thofe who are better difpofed, to improve and cultivate thofe better difpoiitions ; to aftbrd relief to the poor from inccifant labour, and to the rich from continual diftipation, and to pro- duce fome fcnfe of religion in the. vulgar, and fome appearance of it in the great. MaK k [ 537 ] Mark viii. 38. 'O? yap dv iTTxiT^vp^ri fjn y.ai tovs £//.«.,- "hoyti^ h T-r, ymx ravrri tt} Jt«» lAOrj £» T*) 00^7) rn Tcol^oj auT«, ftelac twi' a.yfe?\uv tuv uyiuv, Whofoever^ therefore^ Jljall be nJJjamed of me, and of tm •words y in this adulterous andfinfulgenerationy of him alfofhall the Son of w.in be afljamedy ivhen he comcth in the glory of his Father. M ANY and fevere are the threats which we find denounced by Chrift againft hypo- crites; that is, againft thofe who pretended an extraordinary fan6lity in their manners and converfation, without having any true fenfe of religion or morality in their hearts. The words before us are a threat, likewife, againft hypocrites, but hypocrites of a i^ery different fort; thofe who pretend to be more profligate than they really are, and there- fore may properly be called hypocrites in wickednefs. Thefe are much more nume- rous in the prefent times, and perhaps more mifchievous than the former; as thofe do honour to religion and virtue by their pre- tences to them, thefe affront them by an open difavowal. Thofe make others better than themfelves, and thefe worfe, by their exam- ple. We meet with this ridiculous and cri- minal kind of hypocrify every day; v\'e fee men affe6ting to be guilty of vices for which they have no relifh, of profligacy for which they have not conftitutions, and of crimes Vol. II.. Y which [ 338 ] which they have not courage to perform. They lay claim to the honour of cheating, at the time they are cheated, and endeavour to pafs for knaves, when, in fa6l, they are but fools. Thefe are the offenders of whom Chriif will be afhamed when he con'ieth in the glory of his Father; which will be a dreadful but juft punifhment, and a proper retaliation of that foolifh and impious mo. defty, which induced them to be afhamed of him and his word, in complaifance to a fin- ful and adulterous generation ; and tobelels afraid of incurring thedifpleafureof the beft of all Beings, than the profane ridicule of the worft of men. Mark xvi. 15, 1 6. ^nd he /aid unto them, Go ye into all the nvarld, and preach the go/pel to e-'iery creature. He that believeth, and Is haptifed, Jhall be faved ; but he that helieveth noij Jfjall be damned. X HIS is the commilTion, together with the promiles and threats annexed to it, which Clirift gave to his Apoftles when he fent them forth to preach the goipel to every part of the world : in which thefc three im- portant [ 339 ] portant queftions offer themfclves to our fe- rious conlideration ; What is meant by be- lieving? What is meant by being faved? and, What by being damned? — ^Believing cannot here be underftood to lignify the giv- ing affent to the tradition of one church, or. to the creeds and articles of another, or even to the hiftorical fa6ts recorded in the New ' Teftament; becaufe, at the time when this commiffion was delivered, no church exift- ed, no creeds or articles were formed, nor was the New Teftament written. Believino-, in the language of that book, is for the moft part ufed as a term fynonymous to that of becoming a Chriftian. Thus it is related of the nobleman, whofe fon Jefus had cured, " Himfelf believed, and his whole houfe*;" and thus it is faid, that " many of the Jews, " which had feenthe things which Jefus did, " believed onhimf ;" that is, were converted to the religion which he taught, and became Chriftians ; for which purpofe nothing more was then required, than to acknov/ledge that Jefus was the Son of God (that is, the Mef- liah expected by the Jews and foretold by the Prophets), and to receive baptifm as an external and vilible fign of their initiation into his holy fraternity, which was immedi- ately adminiftered to them on their aifent- ing to this iingle propoiition, as we find it * John iv. 53. f John xi. 45. Y ^ was [ 340 ] was by Philip to the eunuch, without aiking any further queftions. In the next place, What is meant by be- ing laved ? In order to underftand this ex- preffion, it is necefTary to recoUeit that, throughout the New Teftament, we are every where informed, that mankind, intheprefent life, are in aftate of guilt and depravity, un- der fentence of condemnation, and incapable of admiffion into the kingdom of Heaven that, in order to redeem them from this unhappy fituation, Chrift came into the world, and ofiered them a religion which was effe6lual for that purpofe ; and that, whoever fhall believe on him (that is, ac- knowledge his divine authority, accept the j-eligion wdiich he taught, and teftify this ac- ceptance by baptifm^ Ihall by this, and the atonement made for iin by his fufferings and death, be faved (that is, abfolved from their guilt, excufed from that fentence, freed from that incapacity, and placed in a ftate, which, although it may be forfeited by their future mifbehaviour, is, in the language of fcrip- ture, called falvation). This I take to be the true meaning of being faved ; which, with- out fomc retrofpe6i, can have no meaning at all. By being damned, is not here to be un- derftood, being conligned to a fiate of ever- lafling punifhment, according to the vulgar acceptation of that phrafe in our tranflation, in which fenfe, I believe, it is no where ufed bv [ 341 ] by the writers of the New Teftament^ — the original word is «aTa>;(r.e»;:rtT«., condemnahitur^ which lignifies fimply, ivill he CGnde?nned or foiaid guilty^ without referring to any punifh^ ment whatever. In the prefent inttance, it means nothing more than the reverfe of be- ing faved. " He that believeth will be fav- edj but he that believeth not cannot be faved ;'' that is. Whoever relufes this gracious offer can receive no benefit from it, but mufl remain in the fame ftate of guilt, condemnation, and excluiion from the king- dom of Heaven, as if no fuch offer had been made ; not as a punifhment,butasa ne- cefTary conf equence of his unbelief. This is not a threat, but a declaration; in wiiich there is no more injuf^ice or feverity, than in that of a phyiician, who, having prefcribed a fpecific medicine to a patient labouring under an inveterate difeafe, affures him, that if he takes it, he will certainly recover; but if he v/ill not, he will as certainly die. — This fair interpretation of this paffage I think a full vindication of the juflice and goodnefs of God, from the blafphemous imputations fometimes thrown on the divine conduit, in condemning his creatures to eternal mifery, merely for not affenling to propoiitions v;hich many cannot believe, and more cannot underftand ; for which there is not the leail fouridation in the words before us. Luke [ 343 ] Luke xi. 8. Kiya J/*n'» s» xav a ^j^an avru eiva,(;ctqj hx to iivai aura ^»Xo>'j| o(a» yz TV'' dvxihiav avrH lyi^^uq ^taan avru ha-uv xpn^st, I fay vnto yoUy Though he nvill not rife and give him becatfe he is his friend ; yety becaufe of his importunity^ he ivill rife and give him as many as he needeth. 3l his parable, and alfo another of the im- portunate widovv'-, in the fecond chapter, feems to reprefent the Deity as teazed into compliance, and granting requefts not from the reafonablenefs of the petition, or the me- rits of the petitioners, but merely to put an end to their troublefome importunities. This in man would certainly be a weaknefs, but in the Supreme Judge and difpofer of all things isanabfolute impoffibility ; and there- fore cannot be the intention of this parable. But, in order to underiiand the fenfe of this, and many other palTages in both the Old and NewTeitament, we ihould remember, that although thefe, as well as other writings of remoter ages, abound in morefublime ideas, and more beautiful figures, than the compo- iitions of later ages ; yet we mufl not ex- pect to find in them the fame corre61:nefs and preciiion. In tlieir iimiles, provided there were fome refemblance in their prin- cipal features, little regard was paid to their difagrcement in all the reft. Thus the Pfal- mift compares the unity of brethren to the precious [ 343 ] precious ointment on the liead of Aaron, which ran down to his beard, and even to the Ikirts of his cloathing ; between which there is not the leaft limilitude, except that they were both precious and pleafant things. In their parables and tables, provid- ed the great outlines correfponded with the moral which theydeiigned to inculcate, they attended not to the collateral circumftances which were introduced into the ftory; and therefore we ought never to draw any con- clulions from them. Thus, in the parable of the marriage of the king's fon, the king, ob- ferving that one of the guefts had not a wed- ding-garment, commanded him to be bound hand and foot, and call into outer darkuefs ; by which we are taught, that whofbever comes to Chrift, that is, pretends to be a Chriftian, Vv^thout the proper cloathing of righteoufnefs and faith, will incur his dif- pleafure, and be feverely punifhed. — But we muft not compare the juft difpenfations of Providence, vvuth the unjuft (cntence of the king, who puniflicda man for not having on a wedding-garment, who had been but juft before picked up in the highway, and could not have been expected to have been properly drelfed for fuch an entertainment. In like manner, in this parable, the fole intention is to inculcate the duty of fervent and importunate prayer, together with the deferved fuccels which attends it. This is very v,^ell illuiirated by the perievering im- portunity [ 344 ] portunity of the petitioner, and the com- pleat, though late, compliance of his friend. The motive which at laft induced him to comply, after fo long and obftinate a refufal, is a collateral circumftance, vvhich makes no part of the pp.rable. The parable applies only to the fa6l, not to the motive, which produced it; and therefore that is not to be attended to. Luke xi. 34, 2^5, 36. Orccv TO ccy.a.^ccproi' ruHVjA^ix. l^iMri oaro ra ayii^wTis, anp^ilai cil tif rov olnov fjiH, oitv e^^xSgv. Ton 'SJopiViToci xcii 'SjCc^ay.ajji.QxvBi i'rncc Irtfcc •mvivjx.cc^icc tnovvj^ort^cc tavrHf tat ei<7£?.6ovTa xctlo'.y.n ikh' xch ytvilati to. \ay(a.i:oi. T» avd^uTra When the unclean fpirit is g07ie out cf a mati^ he ivalkeih through dry places yfeehing rejl : and finding notie, he faith y I will return to my houfe whence I came out. And %vhe7i he comethy he fndeth it fivept and garmfjed. Then goeth hey andtaketh to him [even other fpirit s more luicked than himfelfy and they enter in and dwell there : and the lajl Jlate of that man is worfe than ihefirjh KNOW of no paflage throughout the New Teftament fo obfcure as this, nor onewhic h the commentators have been fo little able to explain : — for which end, it is in the firft place necelfary to obferve, that, in the times in which the gofpels were written, an opi- nion [ 345 ] nion was univerfally adopted, both by Jews and Gentiles, that madnefsj idiotilm, man/ of the difeafes and much of the wickednels of mankind, were occaiioned by evil fpirits, who got polFefTion of their minds and bodies; and that thefe fpirits, when caft out by fome fuperior power, wandered about in folitary and uninhabited defarts, reftlefs and mife- rable, until they were able to return to their old, or to occupy fome new habitation. This palTage is plainly founded on this idea, and on this fuppofition will be found not altogether unintelligible ; but may be fairly explained in the following manner: — " When the unclean fpirit goeth out of a man, he, the fpirit, walketh in dry places, (that is, wandcreth about in dry and fandy defarts) feeking reft; and finding none, he faith to himfelf, I will return to my houfc whence I came out (that is, to the poflcffioii of the fame perfon from whom I have been expelled); and when he cometh there, if he findeth it fwept and garnifhed, (that is, pre- pared and made ready for his reception by the perfon's relapfe into his former ftate of depravity) then taketh he to him feven Ipirits more wicked than himfelfj and they enter and dwell there (that is, they enter and fix their habitation there, and cannot again be caft out) ; fo the laft ftate of that man is worfe than the firft." — The meaning of all which, divefted of metaphor and reduced to pommon language, I take to be this: — When any [ 346 ] any one, who has by the power of reafon and religion, expelled from his heart impious and malevolent difpolitions, infufed into it by the operations of evil fpirits, fhall fuffer himfelf again to fall under their dominion, they will return with fevenfold ftrength, and the man will be many degrees more wicked than he was before. That evil fpirits did, in thofe ages, take poiTeilion of the minds and bodies of human beings, we cannot doubt, if we give any credit to hiiiory, facred or profane; and, although the fagacity of the prefent more enlightened times hath exploded this opi- nion with contempt and ridicule, yet we fee daily inftances, which mufi; induce us to believe, that their power is not even now totally at an end. We fee fome labouring under difeafes which the moft fkilful phy- iicians are unable to account for oj* to cure ; others perpetrating the moft horrid crimes vvithout provocation, temptation, or advan- tage : we fee the hand of the fuicide plung- ing the dagger into his own breaft, in con- tradiition to his reafon, his principles, and his corporal feelings : And mufi: we not con- clude, that all thefe unaccountable a6lions proceed from the dire6tions of fome exter- nal powers, which the a6loiS are unable to relill? In madnefs we plainly perceive two diftin6l wills operating at the fame time, one of Vx^hich compels a man to commit the moft outrageous ads, which the other difap- proves. [ 347 ] proves, but cannot controul ; nay, fomelimes forclecs, for a conlidcrahle time, that he 111 all be fo compelled, but is unable to pre- vent it. I cannot conclude this obfervation, with- out adding another, on the next fuccecding verfe, in which we are informed, that, '^ as " he fpake thele things, a certain woman of " the company lift up her voice, and faid " unto him, Bleired is the womb that hare " thee, and the paps which thou hail fucked." She had liftened to his excellent and intelli- gible difcourfe for fome time, which fhe per- fe6tly underflood ; but when he fpake thefe things, which v/ere above her comprehenli- on, fhe could no longer forbear lifting up her voice and uttering this pathetic exclamation, to exprefs her applaufe and admiration. This is a picture fo exa6lly copied from na- ture and experience, that we can have no doubt of its truth ; and is here only menti- oned as a mark of the fidelity with v^^hich the moft minute incidents are recorded by the Evangelical hiftorians. Luke [ 348 ] Luke xiv. lo. But ivhen thou art bidden ^ po and Jit doivn In thelonvejl room. HRISTIANITY is the beft-bred re- ligion in the world, ahhough the manners of fome of its moft rigid profefTors feem to contradi6t this allertion. There is not a fin- gle quality required in the compoiition of a true Chriftian, which is not equally requifite in the chara6ler of a well bred man \ nor a iingle deviation from politenefs, which does not, under the ChriPdan law, become a crime, becaufe it tends to defeat the two great ob- je6ls of that holy inftitution, which are to promote peace and good- will on earth, and to qualify us for the kingdom of heaven. Many were the klTons hy which Chrift endeavoured to infufe this amiable virtue into the minds of his difciples; in the com- mand before us he forbids every infolent attempt to precedence, as equally adverfe to Ghriftianity as to good manners, as it de- notes a proud heart and high fpirit, incon» lifient with the humble precepts of that re- ligion. He fays, " Whofoever fhall com- " pel thee to go a mile, go with him twain," that is. In the intercourfes of focial life, be ready to comply with every innocent propo- fal, and in every office of civility perform tv/ice [ 349 ] twice as mnch, as is either required or ex*- pe61ed. This, therefore, is Chriftianity, as vvellas politenefs. — Again, he fays, "W'hofo- " ever fhallbe angry with his brother, vvith- " out a caufe,"(that is, fhall enter into vio- lent, angry, and peevifh difputes about no- thing) " fliall be in danger of the judgment " [or difpleafure of God]; but whofoever " fhall fay to his brother, Thou fool! fhall " be in danger of hell-fire;" that is. Who fhall make ufe of fuch opprobrious and af- fronting cxpreffions as may provoke retalia- tion and refentment, which may end in vio- lence and blood fhed, is anfwerable for the confequences, and therefore fhall be in dan- ger of the feverettpunifhment. — Thus we fee, that every virtue enjoined byChriftianityasa duty, is recommended by politenefs as an accomplifhment. Gentlenefs, humility, de- ference, affability, and a readinefs to affift and ferve on all occafions, are as necefTary in the compolition of a true Chrif^ian as in that of a well-bred man; paffion, morofc- nels, peevifhnefs, and fupercilious felf-fuflti- ciency, are equally repugnant to the charac- ters of both : — who differ in this only, that the true Chriftian really is what the well- bred man but pretends to be, and would be ftill better bred if he was. Luke [ Sgo ] Luke xv. 7. I fay unto you. That joy Jhall be in heaven over one finner that repentethy more than over ninety and nine jujl perfons ivho need no repentance. l^ O M E modern enthufiafts entertain fuch favourable ideas of repentance, as to place it higher, in the catalogue of Chriftian vir- tues, than even perfe6l innocence itfelf. They feem to think, that a man muft be a iinner before he can be a faint; and that, if his repentance be iincere, his merits will rife in proportion to his paft offences. Nay, fome have gone fo far as to recommend wickednefs as preparatory to repentance, and therefore necelTary to infure our falvation. Falfe and impious as thefe principles are, thev may, perhaps, like moil errors, have fome foundation in truth mifunderftood ; for we certainly fee in this, and many other parts of the New Telfament, an extraordi- nary degree of merit imputed, and an extra- ordinary degree of favour fhewn, to earneft and fmcere repentance; although repent- ance, however lincere and fuccefsful, can do no more than place the (inner in the fame ftate as if he had never offended. How then comes it to pafs, that we find here a more joyful reception into heaven be- flowed [ 35i ] ftovved upon the (inner who hath repented, than upon ninety- nine juft perfons who need no repentance? This feems to be a difpenfation not ealily reconcileable with the wifdom and juftice of God ; and therefore I do not apprehend that, by thefe words, any preference is given to iinners who repent, above the righteous who need no repentance, becaufe, in liich a ftate of perfe6lion no hu- man being ever exifted : and therefore the competition can only lie between thofe who have committed great crimes, of which they are truly feniible, and have lincerely re- pented, and thofe who have been daily guil- ty of many fmaller offences, of which they are fo little confcious as to think they need no repentance. This is clearly exemplified by the parable of the Pharifee and the Publi- can, who went up to the temple to pray ^. The Pharifee, unconfcious of his unworthi- nefs, thought he needed no repentance, and therefore only thanked God that he was not as other men ; extortioners, unjuft, adulte- rous, or even as this Publican : the Publican, fenfible of the many crimes which he had committed, and iincerely forry for them, ftood afar off, and would not fo much as lift up his eyes to heaven, but fmote upon his breaft, faying, " God be merciful to me a fmner/' " I tell you," fays Chrift, " this • Lukexviii. lo. " man t 3Sa 3 *• man v/ent down to his lioufe juftiHed fa* " ther than the other." Perhaps, alfo, there may be fomething in a lincere repentance for paR: offences, more acceptable to God, and more congenial to the true fpirit of Chriftianity, and therefore more produdlive of joy in heaven, than in any degree of original righteoufnefs of which human nature is capable. The painter and the fculptor fhew, that beauty cannot be formed by compaffes and a rule ; a face in which every feature v/as faultlefs would be ftiif, formal, and unpleafing; there muft be fome fmall deviations from exa6t fymmetry to enable it to firike the eye and captivate the heart of every beholder, juft fo in our morals, was it poflible for any one to a6l at all times, and on all occafions, as he ought, his conduct would form a charai^er rather admirable than amiable, unnatural to man, and miiike that of a Chriftian, becaufe it would certainly be accompanied vv'ith fome kind of arrogance, felf-fufficicncy, and inde- pendence, inconiiftent with tiie lowlinefs, humility, and diffidence, ellential to that re- ligion. Chrifiianity does not expc6lthat we fhould be guilty of no oliences, but that we be forry for them. It does not require per- fe6lion, of which we are incapable ; but a broken and contrite heart, repentance for fins pafr, and perpetual endeavours after fu- ture amendment, which is in every man's power. 1 his is the fole principle on which this [ 353 ] this holy hiftitution is founded, and there- fore it is not furpriling that there fhoukl be extraordinary joy in heaven on every in- ftance of the falutary eflc6is of it, in the converfion and falvation of a iinner. Experience teaches us, that we receive more joy from the unexpe61cd return of any good, than from the uninterrupted poilenion* of it; from regaining a loft treafure, than from its undifturbed enjoyment; or the re- covery of a beloved friend from a dangerous difeafe, than from the knowledge of his con- tinual health. This is both natural and ra- tional. Why then ftiould not the angels in heaven be afFe61:ed with the fame fenfations from the fame caufe? Luke xvi. 9. And I fay unto youy make to ycurfelves friends of the inarn' tnon of unr'tghteoufnefs ; thaty ivhen ye fatly they may receive you into everlafling habitations. N O commentator, ancient or modern, has yet been able to give us a fatisfa6lory ex- planation of this exhortation, delivered by Chrift to a very numerous audience: the moit plauiible is this — That by the mam- mon of unrighteoufnefs, w^e arc to under- ftand ill-gotten wealth; and the advice Vol. II. Z which [ 354 3 wliich Chrlil here gives to thofe who havfi; lo acquired it, is to employ it in a61s of charity and beneficence, by which meane-^ though they fail in other parts of their duty^ they may obtain admiffion into everlafting life.— This interpretation might do very well, if the words w^ould bear it; but it is certainly impoiTible, by an}^ torture, to extract out of them fuch a meaning; and if fuch a mean- ing could be allow^ed, it would not in the leaft correfpond w^ilh the preceding parable : in order to underftand wdiich, as well as the words before us, it is necelfary to recolle6l, both on what occalion they w^ere fpoken, and to whom they were addreffed. V»'e find, in the foregoing chapter, that whilft Jeliis was delivering thefe leveral pa- rables to a very great multitude, he obferv- ed amongft them ibme Phanfees attending in the crowd; a fet of men wdio were per- petually employed in external a61:s of piety and devotion, and as conftantly buiied in every fpecies of extortion and fraud. To thefe Pharifees, equally remarkable for their religion and their roguery, this exhortation was w^ith peculiar propriety addrefled ; in w^hich, I apprehend, we are to underftand, by the mammon of unrightcoulhefs, the kingdom of Satan; the exiftence of which v/as univerl'ally believed in thole times, and is frequently mentioned or alluded to in the Icriptures, and placed in oppolition to the kingdom of God. The advice here given to [ 355 j to thefe men is this — not to attempt, at the fame time, to Icrve God and Mammon; but, when they, by their iniquities, have loll all hopes oF admillion into the kingdom of light, to fecure a reception in the kingdom of darknefs, and to imitate the example of the unjulf ftevvard, in the parable which he had juft before delivered to them, who, hav- ing abandoned all expe6lations of future fup- port from his lord, on account of his mifbe- hai^iour, had endeavoured to conciliate to himfelf the goodnefs of his tenants, that when he was put out of the ftevvardfliip, they might receix^e him into their houlcs; for which artful precaution his lord commended him, becaufe he had done wifely, but totally rejefted him becaufe he had not done ho- neftly. — This, I think, is a juft and fair ex- planation of this abftrufe palTage; which feems to be rather an ironical reproof of the Pharifees for their hypocrify and avarice, than a ferious dire61ion for their conduct, and bears fome refemblance to vdiat Jofhua faid to the Ifraelites; " If it feem evil unto " you to ferve the Lord, choofe you this day " whom you will ferve*:" fo Chrift fays, If you will not be fubjefts of the kingdom of God, make yourfelves friends in the king- dom of Satan. * Jofliua xxiv. 1 3. Z % Luke [ 35<5 ] Luke xvi. 25. h Tvj ^f'^») era, y.Ui AaQa^oi; 6(u.tj(w? ra >iay.a.' vvv ob oh 'zaa.^ety.ctKiHoHf Bid Abraham /aid. Son, retv.embei' that thou in thy life- time receivedji thy good things^ and likewife Lazarus evil things : but noiv he is comforted, and thou art tormented. LL the commentators on this parable feemto have miftaken the intention and mo- ral of it ; the_y have all underftood it, as de- iigned only to inform us, that no judgmient can be formed of men's condition in a future life, by the appearances in the prefent, of ei- ther their profperity or difirefs : that the rich and great will, if criminal, certainly meet with the puniHiment due to their ofl- fences, in another flate, which, by the influence of their power, they may have evaded in this ; and the poor and difeafed, if virtuous, will there receive retribution for all the miferies and ill-treatment which they have undefervedly fuffered. In order to accommoc'ate the parai^le to this interpre- tation, they have conitantly painted the cha- ra6ler of Dives in the blackeft, and that of Lazarus in the brighteft colours; for which there is not the leaft foundation in the para- ble itfelf, as there is not one word faid of the criminality of the one, or the merits of tlie other; Abraham, in his anfwer to th : rJch man. [ 357 ] man, does not bid him to remember, that he acquired his wealth by iraud or rapine, or that he had expended it in profligacy or op- preffion ; and that, therefore, he ought not to complain of puniihment which he had fo juilly deferved. He fays nothing ot the vir- tues of Lazarus, that he liad been pious, fo- ber, honelt, and patient; he only anfwers the complainant in a friendly manner, " Son, " remember that thou in thy life -time re- " ceivcdft good things, and likewife Lazarus " evil things; but now he is comforted, and " thou art tormented :" by which I apprehend, he means to addrefs him : — " Son, although thyprefent iituation is very wretched, and that of Lazarus no lels happy, thou halt no rcalon to arraign the partiality of God ; but ought- eft to remember, that thou, in a former ftate, enjoy edll all the pleafures of wealth and prof- perity, and that then Lazarus fuffered all the miferies of poverty, anddifeafe, but that now he is comforted, and thou art tormented, in conformity to that impartial and eternal law of Providence, which inllituted the perpetual rotation of good and evil." From this parable we may karn, that the Supreme difpofer of all things diilributes good and evil amongft his creatures, not only withjufticc, but with a greater degree of equality than we imagine; and that this he is enabled to perform by having fo won-, derfully contrived the difpoiition ot things, and the conftitutiou of man, that riches^ power, [ 358 ] power, wealthy and profperity, in this life, a61:ually lead him into many vices, which will incur punifhrnent in another; and iick- nefs, poverty, and diftrefs, are as naturally produ61ive of many virtues, which will there merit a reward ; by which means happinefa and mifery are more equally diftributed, at the fame time that Urift juftice is done to every individual according to his deferts, and no one can have any caufe to complain. This idea of the rotation of good and evil, of enjoyments and fufferings, is con- firmed by the clearefl: alluiions in feveral parts of the New Teftament; for inftance, we there read, that, " it is eafier for a ca- " mel to go through the eye of a needle, " than for a rich man to enter into the " kingdom of God *;" not becaufe, it is cri- minal to be rich, but becaufe, Vv^hilft riches bellow on their poirefTors many prefent gra- tifications, they ufually make them proud, infolent and profligate, which incapacitates tliem from becoming members of that holy and happy community. Again, it is faid, <^' Blelfed are thofe that mourn, for they •^ fhall be comforted f ;" not becaufe there is any merit in mournino;, but becaufe afflic- tions naturally tend to make men humble, fober, patient, and virtuous in this life, for which they will deferve and receive a re- compence of comfort in another. This wife * Matt. xix. 24. t Matt. v. 4. difpolition [ 359 ] difpoiition of Providence, in the general courle of things^ although it marks his im- partiaHty, is no impediment to his juftice, becaufe it lays no one under compuliion, and may be interrupted by the conduit of every individual. The rich are not obliged to be wicked, nor the poor to be virtuous; a rich man may employ his v/ealth in fuch a man- ner in this life, as to acquire happinefs by it in another ; and a poor man may be fo in- corrigible as to make himfelf very mife- rable in both. All that we are to learn from it is, to take extraordinary care to avoid thofe crimes to which our lituatiou renders us peculiarly liable. John iii. 3. Ttj yBvtft^ti uiiuOiv, » ^uvaPicti Ihiv rw f?ae,criXetciv ra ©sa. Jefus an/ivered, and /aid unto hiniy Verily, verily^ I fay unto thee^ Except a man be horn ogain^ he cannot fee the king- dom oj God. A HE meaning of which is this: — That mankind ure born or come into the v/orld with difpolitions fo depraved, fo prone to anger, malice, revenge, avarice, and am- bition, that it is impomble for them ever to enter into the kingdom of Heaven, except they are fo totally changed as to become new creatures. No partial alteration will do; it muft be an entii-e change of temper, fentimentSj [ 36o ] ientiments, habits, manners, inclinations, and purfuiis. Ail thefe turbulent and high-fpi- rited paffions muft be eradicated, and meek- nefs, gentlenefs, and poornefs of fpirit, in- troduced in their room ; anger muft give place to patience, malice to benevolence, re- venge to forgivenefs, and all worldly pur- fuits to a conflant habit of piety and devo- tion. This, in the language of fcripture, is properly and emphatically ftyled being born again ; becaufe it is a kind of entrance upon anew life, and a commencement of a ftate entirely different from the former. The ne- ceflity for this change is fufficiently evident, becaufe, if men could be permitted to carry thefe evil difpoiitions with them into the kingdom of God, they would not be happy themfelves, nor fuffer others to be fo. We fee that even upon earth, if a wicked, malignant, and turbulent man w^as confined for life, in a virtuous, peaceable, and pious fociety, it would be no inconliderable pu- iiifhment; and much more fevere w^ould it be in heaven, where the contrail is greater and the duration longer. Wickednefs and mifery are by nature fo clofely united, that they cannot be feparated, and therefore nei- ther of them can have a place in the king- dom of God. If any one's difpoiitions are cruel, malignant, envious, turbulent, fac- tious, and ambitious, though, in contradic- tion to their impulfe, he fhould perform all the duties of piety, benevolence, humility, and [ 36i J and fubmiiTioii, he could not become a mem- ber of this holy and happy fociety, becaufe his admiliion would be rather a punifhment than a reward : before he could attain this ftate of felicity, he muft be qualified to en- joy it, and this can only be efte6led by be- ing born again. How a man is to be born again, Jefus further informs us in the fuc- ceeding verfe; he there fays, " Except a " man be born of water and of the Spirit, " he cannot enter into the kingdom of God;" that is, except a man be born again, by em- bracing the doctrines and obeying the pre- cepts of his religion, for which purpofe the external iign of baptifm, and the internal affiftance of the Holy Spirit, are abfolutely necelTary. By thefe, together with iincere repentance and reformation, he may become a new perfon, and perfe6lly qualified to be, and to make others happy in that blefTed community; and when qualified, however great may have been his former offences, he will be readily admitted, and there will be joy in heaven at his reception. Jo^^NT [ 36a ] John vi. 44. JVi wj/; r<3/i ro;//^ /6pfc;7rtf, xa» 'smi uvra to aljACty trn tp^tre Then Jefus /aid unto them y Verily ^ verily , I fay unto you. Except ye eat the Jtejh of the Son of Man, and drink his bloody ye have no life in you* H E S E remarkable words of Chrift, lac- ing the very fame which he afterwards ufed in the inl^itution of the facrament of his laft fupper, we cannot but conclude that they muft have the fame meaning. Modern ex- politors have, indeed, in both places, ex- plained them in fuch a manner, as to leave them no meaning at all; they would per- fuade us, that they are merely figurative and metaphorical, and think, by eating the body., ■ and drinking the blood of Chrift, nothing more is to be underftood, than being inti- mately united to him, by believing his doc- trines and obeying his precepts ; and that, when applied to the bread and win* received in the facrament, they mean only that thefe are fymbolsof his fufferings and death. But they are furely too cxpreffive, too much in- iiiled on, and too often repeated, to admit of fo cold an interpretation; nor is it crcdi- l)le that Chrifl would have made ufe of an expreflion for the fake of metaphor, which fhocked his hearers, offended liis difciples, and [ 366 ] and has produced the moR: violent conten- tions amongft them from that time to the prefent hour. The Evangehfis who heard them, and have fo emphatically recorded them, had very different ideas of the importance of thefe words, and fo had St. Paul, who re- proved the Corinthtans who received un- worthily, by not difcerning the Lord's body; that is, by not perceiving that they were then not eating and drinking bread and wine as their daily food, but fomething which, by powers fu]^)ernaturaily annexed to it, would produce the moft important effe61:s on their prefent difpohtions and future happi- nefs. Our firft reformers, though they re^ jecSled tranfubftantiation, yet retained the higheft veneration for this facrament, the ianclity of the elements, and the import- ance of their effects on the communicants ; and I am inclined to think, that they under- ftood the ienfe of the fcriptures better, and the true fpirit of Chriftianity more corre6lly5 than our prefent reformers of reformation. Thefe fet up reafon as the meafure of truth, and then pare away the fcriptures to make them lit it : thofe fearched them with dili- gence and candour, to find out their true and genuine iignifications, without any regard to the decitions of human reafon; from hence they formed their opinions and dodfrincs, and from them their creeds and articles; and on this principle we ought to fubfcribethem -by f 367 ] — bv which we do not aflert their truth, but their contbrmity to the feufe of the lcri[> tures, which they were intended to explain: the truth and authority of* thofe writings is another queftion. Several ot our modern divines rcprefent the facrament of the Lord's Supper as a mere commemoration of his fuffcrings and death; by which they entirely defiroy the end and intent of it : for, although this is a politive infiitution, it is of a moral nature, becaufe it is defigned to drive the wicked into re- pentance and amendment; and for this pur- pofe it is moft admirably contrived, becaufe, if they have not totally r,eje6led theChriftian Icheme, it lays them under infupcrable dif- ficulties, as it obliges them either to aug- ment their guilt, by the negle61 of a poiitive command, or, by obeying it without re- pentance and reformation, to ratify their own condemnation. But if thefe very extraor- dinary words of Chrift have no meaning, or mean nothing more than a bare comme- moration — if confecration confers no fanctity on the bread and wine — if thofe who receive them v/orthily receive no benefit, nor thofe who receive them unworthily incur no dan- ger — the inftitution is vain and ufelefs, and has no more concern with our religion or morals than the commemoration of gun- powder treafon, or of any other event re- corded in the hiftory of former times. — AL though, therefore, we cannot believe, in contradi(5fion i 368 ] contradi6lion to our fenfes, that by thefe ern- phaticai words of Chriil: the material fub- ftance of the elements is changed ; yet, fure- ly, we may beUeve, without the imputation of credulity, that they have fome meaning; and that, by them, powers, property, and efFecls may be annexed to the proper ufe of the facrament, which may greatly contribute to our obtaining pardon for our paft offences, prevent us from falling into future tranf- greffions, and efTentially affift us in our pro-^ grefs to everlafting life. John vii. 46. Never man /pake like thismdU. I HAVE always been of opinion, that the" moR: convincing proof of the divine autho- rity of the Chriftian revelation may be drawn from the originality of its do6lrines, precepts, and the chara6ler of its author. This religi- on teaches us, that mankind come into the world in a Hate of depravity, guilt, and con- demnation, from which they cannot be re- deemed, but by the merits and mediation of Jefus Chrift, together with their own fin- cere repentance, reformation, and faith in him ; and that, on thefe terms, God will ac- cept i:iis fufferings and death, as an atone- ment [ 369 ] ment for tlieir lins; but that thefe terms they are unable to comply with, without the fuperintendency of his grace and alliftance, although they are endued with perfect free- will, and arc accountable for the ufe of it. — All thefe do6ti-ines are fo entirely new, that they had never entered into the head of any one before, and never any man, but this man, had thought or fpake any thing like them. Impolfure always puts on the garb of truth, and refembles her as near as fhecan ; but in all thefe propoiitions there appears not even a pretence to probability, and therefore, as they cannot be invention, we may reafonably conclude that they muft be true. The moral precepts of this inftitution are, indeed, limilar to thofe of all others ; but in this refpect they alfo are entirely new, that they are carried to a higher dcgreeof purity and perfeftion, than was ever thought of by the legiflators and philofophers of preceding ages. They had fome diftant profpect of a future ftate of rewards and punifhments, but they faw it through a glafs darkly, obfcured by clouds of doubt and uncertainty; but this man fpake of it with certainty and authority, re* moved all the intervening clouds, and fhew- ed it in the cleareft day-light. The chara6ter of the great author of this difpenfation, is not lefs new than the religi- on itfelf; there is no inftance, in the hif- tory of mankind, of the founder of a religion, who propofed by it no benefit to himfelf, as Vol. II. A a well [ 370 ] well as ti the world, who intended not to acquire wealth, power, and dominion over his followers; nor an inftitution in the con- fl:ru6tion of which this intention is not evi- dently vilible. But Chrift difavows all pre- tences to fuch acquilitions, chofe nothing for himfelfj and promifed nothing to his difciples but poverty, difgrace, fufferings, and death. The progrefs of this religion was equally new and unprecedented with all the reft ; for in the courfe of a few years it triumphed over all oppoiition, from reafon and philo- fophy, from principalities and powers, and fpread itfelf over all the moft civilized and learned countries then in the world. This verified the wife predi6tion of Gamaliel; who faid to the High-prieft, deiirous of per- fecuting the Apoftles, " Let them alone ; for " if this counfel or work be of men, it will " come to nought; but if it be of God, ye " cannot overthrow it *." * Acls V. 38, 3p. John [ 371 3 John viii. 57, gS. EiTor i» 01 'le^aioj cr^oi; uirut' TlinriKovla. irri tsvu i;^£K> «<*• AQcacufA iu^oiKOCi; ; Then faid the Jeivs tmto him, Thou art vot yet Jifty years oldf end hajl thou fecit Abrahavi ? Jefus /aid unto them, Verilyf verily, I fay unto you, Before Abraham ivas, I am. I N this fhort reply of Jefns to the Jews, there is fomething exceedingly remarkable; of which the commentators havetal^cen none- tice, though it is furpriiing that fo uncom- mon an expreffion fhould have efcaped their obfervation. Had he faid, " Before Abraham was, I " was," the obvious meaning would have been no more than this, that he had exifted from all eternity, and confequently before the time of Abraham, though he had not made his appearance in this world before that age which was then prefent; but the extraordi- nary phrafe here ufed, by applying the pre- fent tenfe to a paft event, muft imply a great deal more, and refer to the mode of that eternal exiftence. It feems, indeed, to amount to a plain declaration, that eternal exiftence is permanent and unfucceflive; not compofed of days, and months, and years, like ours in Aaa ^he " [ 373 ] the prefent life^ but one fixed unchangeable point bearing no relation to time at all; which we have no faculty to comprehend, no language to exprefs. If this is the true nature of eternity, of which I have no doubt, this extraordinary declaration is no inconiiderable proof of the fupernatural information of this extraordi- nary teacher; becaufe, in the ages and fitua- tion in which he lived, he never could have acquired fuch an idea by any human means. John xvii. 40. Then cried they all aga'tn^ f^y^^S* ^^^ ^^^^ tnan, but Barah- has. N01U Barcibbas ivas a robber. r has frequently been well obferved, that the Supreme dipofer of all things never in- terpofcs a fupernatural power, whenever his deiigns can be accomplifhed by ordinary means ; that is, by the paffions and a6tions of free beings; the effe6ls of wdiich are as certain and uniform, as thofe of matter and motion; and which, though to us not fo vifible, are as accurately known by him who is perfeiSUy acquainted with their frames and difpoiitions, from whence their a6lions mu'.l inevitably be derived. This is remarkably exemplified in the Evangelical hiftory of the life and death of Jefus [ 373 ] Jefus Chrift ; in which we fee that, hi order to afcertaiii his divine triifTion, and give a fanclity to the rehgion which he taught, mi- raculous works were every day performed, becaufe this could not have been effe^/ted without them; but the whole progrefs of his perfecutions, fufferings, and death, were left to the ordinary operations of the male- volence, wickednefs, and ignorance of man- kind, the ufual inflruments which Provi- dence employed to bring about the mofl important events: and by thefe wetindthat ihis^ the moft important of all others, v\'as effected, without the afliftance of a fuper- natural povv^er; for nofooner did Jefus enter upon his benevolent office of inftrudting and reforming mankind, than he v^^as mif- underil:ood by fome, and mifreprefented by others; he was reviled, infulted, and perfe- cuted, his do6lrines were called blafphemy, and his miracles imputed to the devil. In a little time the JewiHi priefthood (appre- henfivefrom his preaching of danger to their church) and the civil magiftrates (fearful of infurre6lion in the ftate) united to deftroy him. Falfe witneiTes were fuborned to ac- cufehim, and one of his own difciples was corrupted to betray him. He was then brought before the judgment-feat of a Roman governor, who though he declared that he found no fault in him, yet (fearing to offend the moil powerful part of the nation over which he prefided, and ftill more overawed by t 374 ] by the name of Cafar) preferred his own in- terefttotheprote61ion of friendlefs innocence, and condemned him to a cruel and ignomi- nious death. But it being cui\omary, at this time of the pafTover, to releafe one malefac- tor at the requilitionof the people, and there being now one under fentence of condemna* lion, called Barabbas, this timid judge pro- pofed an option to the populace, which of them he fhould releafe, hoping that they would do that juflice which he himfelf had not courage to perform. But here a meek and virtuous charafter had no chance, in a competition for popularity with one who, though a robber, had been the ringleader of an infurreclion ; and therefore they all cried out, again and again, " Not this man, but Barabbas." All this was but the ordinary procefs of human wickednefs, ignorance, and malevolence ; and no miraculous interference appears in any part of this trraifadlion, be- caufe none was wanted. For, certainly, no miracle is requifite to produce oppofers of truth, enemies to reformation, perfecutors of innocence, and magiftracy tenacious of their authority ; a priefthood jealous of their power, a fervant bribed to betray his mailer, falfe witnelTes, a felf-interefted judge, and a profligate and milled populace. Thefe are the growth of every age and country in the world, and were fully fufficient to accom- plifh this important and aftonifhing event; and will ever remain a remarkable inftance, that [ 375 ] thattlie vvorfl: acllon.s of tlie worfl ofirjcn are foiTietimes made ufe of, by the power and wifdom of God, to carry into execution his moft beneficent and falutary deiigns. John xx. 29. Jefus faith unto him, Thomas^ hecmife thou hajl feen me^ thou hnft believed : bh-Jfed are they that have not fen y and yet have believed. Wi HAT I fays the felf-fufficient reafon- er, are thofe the moft bleffed who believe without proof? And is the merit of faith greater, in proportion as the evidence for it is lefs ? — To fuch querifts I only anfwer, That they underftand not the nature of faith, nor m what the merit of it coniifts. In the mere afTent to a propofition, there is no me- rit ; becaufe, if the proof is obfcure, it is weaknefs ; if clear, it is compuliion. It is not the ^6?, but the dijpojition^ which places faith {o high in the catalogue of Chriftian virtues, and renders infidelity fo criminal. One of the chief chararine of Chriil himfelf, which he en- forced, both by his precepts and example, on all occaiions. When Pilate faid unto him, " Knoweft thou not that I have power to " crucify thee, and have power to releafe " thee?" he anfwered, "Thou couldft have ^' no power againft me, except it was given " thee [ 38a ] " thee from above ;" and therefore he fub- mitted. There may be cafes in which refiftance of the Supreme power may be juftified by ne- ceffity, but fuch ought never to be defined or pointed out before their arrival ; when they come, they will fpeak for themfelves, and men will be ready enough to hear them. Reliftance may fometimes be pra6lifed, but ought never to be preached, for we ftand in need of no lefTons to teach us difobedience ; and therefore we do not find, throughout the v/hole New Teftament, one definition or re- commendation of civil liberty, nor one com- mand to fight or die in its defence. Thefe may be the glorious atchievements of heroes and patriots ; but thefe are not lifted under the banners of Chrift ; the glory, as well as the duty, of his difciples are, to fuffer and fubmit. — We fhould remember alfo, that by reiiilance, not only force and open rebellion is here to be underlfood, but all fecret ma- chinations, and all turbulent and fa6lious en- deavours to diflrefs and impede government, arifing from motives of felf-interefl:, ambi- tion, or difappointment. Tiiefe are, in fa61", rebellion, with this only difierence, that they are more treacherous and cowardly, more likely to fucceed, and Icfsto be punifh- ed, and are therefore equally forbid under the denunciation of the fame tremendous pe- nalty. I CORIN. 0^3 I Corinthians i. lo. Ylx^oiy.aXu Ci vfjix^f adiX^oi, ^la T« o»9/Lta.lof ra Kwpa ^/a*;» Iija-8 Now Ibefeech yoUy brethren y by the name ef our Lord jfefus Chrlfty that ye all /peak the fame things and that there be no div't- Jions among you. JL ROM thefe words of St. Paul, it is evi- dent, that many difl^erent opinions, and many controveriies concerning them, had found their way into the Chriftian churches, at fo early a period as his life-time. Thefe he endeavoured to fupprels, by thus enjoin- ing them to fpeak the fame things ; that is, to fettle fome uniform rule of faith and mode of worfhip, afcertained by fomething like creeds or articles, to which they could all alTent; without which, no rule of faith, or form of worfhip, could be efiablifhed, nor diviiions am.ongil them be prevented, de- ftructive to every community civil or reli- gious. It is true, indeed, that at the firll promulgation of the gofpel, Chrift himfelf impofed no fuch on his difciples, who chiefly coniifted of the moll: ignorant and illiterate vulgar, from whom nothing more was re- quired than the bare acknowledgment that he was the Son of God, or the Meffiah, who had been long expe6led. As this is but a lingle propoiition, no difference of opinion concerning it could arife amongft thofe who believed. [ 384 ] believed, and therefore there could be nooc- cafion for any tefts to reconcile them. In a little time the great, the wife, and the learn- ed fages and. pbilofophers became profelytes, and brought with them a variety of opinions trom their refpe6live fchools in which they had been educated ; which were blended w'ith the doctrines of Chrift, and very foon corrupted the purity of his religion. It then became neceirary to fix fomeftandard of truth, to which every Chriftian might refort ; and when thefe do'ftrines were committed to writing, in the hooks of the New Teftament, from the uncertainty of all human language, and the various interpretations which they wall admit of, this neceffity was greatly in- creafed, and is daily increaling by time, which every day introduces new errors, and new difputes about them; fo that it feems impoiTibie, that without fome teft, any reli- gion can be eftabiiihed in any country ; and without fome eftablifhment no national reli- gion can fubiift at all. Hence appears the abfardity of thofe who would reje6l all religious tefts, becaufe Chrift impofed none on his difciples when there were no errors to encounter nor con- troveriies to decide, and therefore none were wanted : to reject them now, becaufe they w^ere then unnecefTary, is as ridiculous as to explode the ufe of all medicines, becaufe none were adminiftered before any.difeafcs had made their appearance. But, fay fome. If [ 3SS ] IFtefls are necefrary, let them be as compre- heiilive as poflible ; a declaration that we believe the fcriptures, would be fully fuffi- cient. They ought, undoubtedly, to be as comprehenlive as the end of their inftitution will admit ; which is, to exclude all thofe from a community, whofe principles muft induce them to betray and fubvert it : but fuch a declaration would, by no means, an- fwer this purpofe, becaufe our difputes are not about the truth, but the meaning, of thofe writings; and we fee many who be- lieve, or pretend to believe, them, and yet deny their affent to every material do6trine which they contain, and juftify their dilTent by their own interpretations : a teft, there- fore, muft fpecify and decide upon the par- ticular doftrines which are difputed, or it is entirely ufelefs and ineffeclual. Such are the articles of our church, interpretations of the fenfe of the fcriptures, and explanations of the doctrines therein contained ; as fuch only w^e fubfcribe them, not as objects of our reafon or belief, any farther than we believe them to be fo. This, lurely, is very different from aiferting their truth in the firft in- ftance; this depends on the veracity of the books which they profefs to explain ; and this on many other different coniiderations, as the authenticity of thofe writings, the in- fpiration, and degrees of infpiration, of their authors, and the purity of their preferva- lion ; with all which, in fubfcribing to thofe Vol. II. B b articles, [ 386 ] articles, we have nothing to do. All that is incumbent on us is, to compare them with the books themfelves, which, if we fairly and candidly perform, I am perfuaded, we fhall find them more confonant with their real and genuine ienfe, and more expreffive of their true meaning, than modern theolo- gical language and ideas will admit of. The compilers never coniidered whether they are comformable to reafon ; if they expreffed the true fenfe of the fcriptures, this was all they intended I Corinthians i. ^a^. The fooliJJjiiefs of God is nulfer than men. JL here is fomething, at firfi: light, in this exprellion, indecent, if not impious ; but it means no more than this ; that the do6lrines of Chriftianity, revealed by God, though they were "to the Jews a ftumbling- <' block, and to the Greeks foolifhnefs," are * wifer (that is, better fitted to inllru6l man- kind in the principles of true religion and ibund morality) than all the theological lef- fons of the Rabbis of the one, or the Philofo- phers of the other. St. Paul, who fays this, was. t 387 ] was, perhaps, as great a mafter of reafon as any man of his own orof allfucceedingageSj- but he never employed it on fuhjeits to which it cannot properly be applied . he ne- ver endeavours by it to explain the myfte- ries of the Chriftian religion, or to reject them becaufe he is not able ; he believed theni himfclf, and taught them to others, jufi: as they had been delivered by his Lord and Mafter, without attempting to reconcile them to his own reafon, or that of his dif^ ciples. Chrift frequently declared, that all man- kind come into this world in a ftate of de- pravity, guilt, and condemnation- that he was the Meffiah, or the Son of God, v/ho came to inftru6l and reform them, and to l^y down his life as a propitiation for their, tranfgreflions ; and that his heavenly Fa- ther, on their lincere repentance, would accept his fufferings and death as an atone- ment for their fins: that they were free agents, and as fuch accountable for their conduft; and yet conftantly afferts, that they can do nothing of themfelves, but that all their thoughts and a61:ions mull proceed from the influence of God, " in " whom they live, and move, and have their " being/'" Thefe doclrines appeared to the learned philofophers of Rome and Athens to be foolifhnefs (that is, abfurdities, contra- diftory to every principle of human rea- fon) and fo they muft have done to St. Paul, B b a had [ 388 ] liacl he brought them before the fame tribu- nal; but he never prefumed to fet up hu- man reafon as a judge of divine difpenfati- ons. He pretended not to controvert the truth of thefe doctrines, by arguing, that it \w:xs never poiTible that a wife, benevolent, and juft Creator fhould call into being crea- tures in a ftate of depravity, guilt, and con- demnation, and punifh them for what they could not prevent; nor that, if they could be criminal, he fhould accept the fufFerings cf the innocent as a fatisfa6tion for the crimes of the guilty : nor did he alledge, that Omnipotence itfelf could not create beings at the fariie time free agents, yet under perpetual influence and direcition : all thefe doubts and difficulties he left to the difcuffi- on of the reafoning divines and philofo- phers of later ages; for himfelf, he was fa- tisfied of the truth of thefe do61rines, by the authority from whence they were derived; and as fuch, has tranlmitted them to us, in words as clear and explicit as the power of language can furnifh. He does not attempt to explain thefe myiferies, nor enters into any metaphyiical fpeculations on the abftra61 nature of guilt and punifhment, of fufferings or atonement, of free will, pre- deftination, and divine influence. He afierts tliC fa6ts only as he received them ; which is all of which, in our prefent ftate, we can be informed. I CORIN- [ 3S9 J I Corinthians vii. 27. Art thou loofedfrom a ivifc ? jeek net a ivife. |3t. Paul, throughout this whole chapter, recommends celibacy to Cliriftians of both fexes, as mod acceptable to God, and moil: coniiftent with the purity of their religion. Commentators, I know, in order to extricate themfelves from fome dii^culties, have re- prefented this advice but as local and tem- poral, occafioned only by the diftrelfes and perfecutions under which the Chriftian churches at that time laboured ; but, if v/e believe his own words, we muft fee that this was not his only, nor yet his principal rea- fon for giving it ; but that he meant it gene- rally, becaufe he was cf opinion that mar- riage, in Chriftians of both fexes, multiplied their attachments, and iucreafed their cares concerning worldly affairs, and confequently diverted their attention from the fole object of their profeffion, which is the attainment of everlafting life. He fays, " I would ha\^e " you without carefulnefs. He that is un- " married careth for the things which be- " long to the Lord ; but he that is married " careth for the things of the world, how ^^ he may pleafe his wife. — The unmarried ^' woman careth for the things of the Lord, " that [ 390 ] " that fhe may be holy both in body and fpl- " rit; but Hie that is married carcth for the ^'- things of the world, how fhe may pleaie " her hufband." For this reafon, St. Paul here ventures to avow a do61rine contradic- tory to the moral and political fentiments of the wifeft philofophers and legiflg.tors of all times, deilru^tiveof domeftic happinefs and national profperity, and which, if univerfal- ly adopted, v/ould eradicate the human fpe- cies from the face of the earth. From hence, if we believe that this great •Apoftle underflood the fpirit of the religion v/hich he taught, we cannot avoid drawing thisconclufion — That there may be a61ions, the performance of which may effentially contribute to raife individuals nearer to Chriftian perfe6lion, and to qualify them for happinefs in a future life, which may yet widely difier, both in their principles and their end, from moral virtues, and v/hich, if univerfally pra61ifed, would be exceed- ingly detrimental to mankind in their pre- ient flate- Of thefe celibacy is one ; which, thougli deftru61ive of the happinefs, and even of the exiftence of mankind, may yet give Ici- fure to Ibme few individuals to carry their piety, devotion, virtue, and refignation, to a more exalted height than can be arrived at, under the many cares, conneclions, and em- barraffments incident to the married flate. in like manner, to fell all that a man hath, and [ oOI ] and give it to the poor, is an a6l vvhicb, if generally practilcd, muft put an end to all trade, manufa6lures, and induftry, and intro- duce univerfal idlenels and want ; yet, the performance of it muft proceed from fo ex- traordinary a degree of faith, obedience, and felf-denial, that it may deferve, and receive, an extraordinary reward. Precepts of this fort, I apprehend, are not enjoined, but only occafionally flung out, to teach us the nature of Chriftian perfe6lion; which is fo adverfe to the world, and all its ceconomy, purfuits, and occupations, that we are neither required or expected to attain it in our prefent liate, but ought to make as near approaches to it as our natural depravity and imperfedlion will permit. From hence I am inclined to think, that, if monaftic inftitutions were really what they pretend to be, voluntary retreats from all Vv^orldly cares, occupations, and con- nexions, v/holly appropriated to religious contemplation, piety, and devotion, they might confer very efTential benefits on the very few individuals who are capable of re- ceiving them, without any detriment to the bufinefs or population of the world. But the great objection to them is this — that they are not made for man, nor man for them. The generality of mankind are formed for action, and not for contemplation, and come into the world to do its bufinefs, without perceiving the folly and infignificance of what [ 392 ] what they are employed in. If multitudes - therefore, are confined in thefe gloomy mans iions, in contradi6lion to their inclination, and difpoiitions, they mull loon become, like other prifons, feminaries of ignorance, lazinefs, profligacy, and vice. I Corinthians xiii, 4, 5, 6, 7. iiK xay^vj-^oni, iS LTiTii TO. lavTYi^f a Tra^o^vi/sla;, a Xoyil^ircci to ■AXKOV, 'Hjccvra. fiyn, 'sjai/ra, 'miftvii, 'sjocvto, IXTCiC^Hy 'mce.vlce.v'iro^ivn. Charity fuffereth lotigy and is kind ; charity envieth not ; charity vaunteth not itfe'fy is not puffed up. Doth not behave itfelf unfeeinly,feeketh not her oiun^ is not eafily provoked, thinksth no evil ; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoicelh in the truth ; Bearcth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, en~ dureth all things. An this inimitable portrait of Charity, d rawn by the maii:erly hand of St. Paul, we iind every virtue which conftitutes the cha- raiSler of a Chriftian, who is a candidate for the kingdom of heaven; in which it is re- markable, that there is not one, which is not peculiarly calculated to qualify men to become members, and to enjoy and contri- bute to the felicity of that holy and happy fociety. " Charity fuffereth long, and is kind ;" that is, is patient, meek, and benevolent, quali- ties I 593 ] tics the moft eflential to focial happinels. " Charity cnvieth not ;" tor, as the envious are miierable, in proportion to thehappincfs they fee others enjoy, they would be more mi- ierable in heaven than they are upon earth. " Charity vaunteth not itfelf, is not puffed " up;'" becaufe nothing fo much difturbs the peace offociety, as pride, infolcnce, and ambition. '^ Doth not behave itfelf un. fcemly;" that is, is not in converfation ill- bred, felf-fufficient, difputatious, and over- bearing; offences, perhaps, more adverie to focial happineis, than many crimes of a more enormous kind. " Seeketh not her " own, is not eaBly provoked ;" that is, ra- ther chufes to give up fome part of her pro- perty, to which fhe has an undoubted right, than be the caufe of contefts, animofities, and litigations, and is not ealily provoked to enter into them, either by interefts or re- fentment. " Thinketh no evil;" that is, fufpecls no evil intentions in the hearts of others, as fhe feels none in her own. " Re- " joiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in " the truth ;" that is, takes no pleafurein any kind of wickednefs, nor fees it with appro- bation in others; but is happy in the prac- tice of every virtue which is prefcribed by reafon and truth, and rejoiceth to fee others follow her example. " Beareth all things,'* all injuries and infults, without anger, or a wifh for revenge or retaliation. " Believeth all things,'"' becaufe meek, docile, diffident of [ 394 ] of her own judgment, and unfufpicious of fraud and impoiition. " Hopeth all things," however unfavourable are their prefent ap- pearances, will turn out for the beft ; and therefore " endureth all things," pain, fick- nefs, poverty, and misfortunes, with pati- ence, and perfe6l reiignation to the will of God. We have here a compleat catalogue of all thofe virtues and difpolitions which are ne- ceiTary to qualify a Chriftian for the king- dom of heaven ; in any one of which, if he is deficient, he mull infallibly be excluded, however eminent his merits may be of ano- ther kind ; of this the fame Apoftle affures us, who fays, " Though I fpeak v/ith the " tongues of men and angels, and have not ^^' charity, I am become as founding brafs, " or a tinkling cymbal ; and though I have " the gift of prophecy, and underftand all " myfteries, and all knowledge, and though " I have all faith, fo that I could remove " mountains, and have not charity, I am " nothing. And though I beftow all my *' goods to feed the poor, and though I *' give my body to be burned, and have not " charity, it profiteth me nothing ;" that is, in regard to my attainment of tlie king- dom of heaven; becaufe there neither elo- quence, nor prophecy, nor theological know- ledge, nor faith, nor martyrdom, nor boun- ty to the poor, arc wanted ; but only fuch a meek, humble, patient, peaceable, forgiving, and [ 395 ] and benevolent temper and behaviour, as is here fpecified under the denomination of Charity, which alone can enable us to com- municate and participate happinefs, either in the prefent or a future ftate. I Corinthians xiii. ii. When I was a child^ I fpake as a childy I underjiccd as a child y I thought as a child ; but ivhen I became a man, I put aiuay ch'tldijlj things. Af we trace a man through the different periods of his life, from the cradle to the grave, he appears in fuch a variety of fbapes, that we can fcarcely believe him to be the fame creature. At firfl: he is an helplefs in- fant in his nurfe's arms, without fpeech, un- derftanding, or thought; then he is a child, fpeaking as a child, underftanding as a child, thinking as a child. He is next a rude, unformed, impetuous fchool-boy ; and then transformed into a youth, graceful, amiable, and amorous. At length, arrived at com- pleat manhood, he puts away childifh things, and becomes a philofopher, a war- rior, or a ftatefman. We then find him meafuring out the heavens, invefti gating other v/orlds, or bulled in the occupations of this. We fee him commanding fleets or armies. [ 395 J armies, or haranguing at the bar, in the pulpit, or the fenate ; and at lafl: returning back to his primitive Hate of childhood and imbecillity. Yet, under all thefe chara6ters, he is but the fame iingle individual. In what this identity conlifts, or where it refides, it is by no means eafy to afcer- tain. It cannot be in the body, becaufe every naturalift knows that the component parts of the body are in perpetual motion, are continually difcharged by various eva- cuations, and replaced by the particles of our daily food; fo that, in the courfe of a few years, not a fingle atom of our ori- ginal frame can poffibly remain. If a man lofes a leg or an arm, or even both legs and arms, he is not lefs the fame perfon; and therefore we have reafon to conclude, that his identity would not be affe6ced by. the lofs of his whole body ; and therefore in that it cannot relide. It cannot be in the mind, becaufe the changes of the mind are as great and as fre- quent as thofe of the body, throughout the different ffages of human life; the ideas of a man and thofe of a child are as unlike as his features and his feature ; at different ages we put away all our former modes of thinking and a6ling,and adopt new opinions, purfuits, inclinations, and attachments. Many difeafes dellroy all our mental faculties, derange our reafon, extinguifh our confcioufnels, and obliterate our memories; and yet our identity [ 397 ] identity remains unimpaired. If, tlicrefore, it is not to be found either in the body or the mind, there muft be fome permanent prin- ciple in the human compoiition, in which it does reiide, totally unafiecled by the conti- nual alterations of them both ; — and this, I think, is a new and unanfwerable proof of theexiftence and duration of the foul. I Corinthians xiii. i3. For now we fee through a glnfsy darkly. s, >0 darkly, indeed, do we fee the things of a future life, and fo erroneoufly thofe of the prefent, that we form very falfe eftimates of them both ; and a6t ftill more abfurd ly than we judge. There are few who are not convinced that there will be a future flate of retribution after death, and none who know not that the death of every man mav be inftantaneous, and cannot be far off; and yet they take no care to prepare themfelves for the former, and think fo little of the latter, that, on any unexpe6led event, it is become proverbial to fay, I thought'of it no more than of my dy- ing day. We fear nothing fo much as death; and yet there is nothing which we think of fo little. We are more tenacious of riches the lefs we want them, and toil away the beft part of our days to enable us to pafs a few in a quiet leifure, which no man could ever enjoy [ 398 ] enjoy who had ever been bufy. We infufe into our children the fame falfe ideas, and thus tranfmit abfurdities from generation to generation. We educate them all for this life ; there is not one fchool for the next. " What man is there of you,'* fays Chrift, " who, if his fon aikfor a fifh,will gix^ehim " a ferpent f ?'^ Few, indeed, with regard to this world are fb foolilh or fo cruel, but, with regard to another, it is univerfally prac^ tifed. Every prudent parent endeavours to infufe into his fon the wifdom of the ferpent, rather than the innocence of the filfi. He fpares no pains to qualify them for the higheft pofls in the kingdom of the earth, but his ambition extends not, like that of the mother of Zebedee, to gain them rank in the king- dom of heaven. Do we hear any father, however wortliy and refpe6lable, thus ad- drefs his fon, in the language of a philofo- pher and a Chriftian ? I fliall leave you, my fon, an eflate, fmall indeed in the eftima- tion of the world, but fufficient to afford you, not only the neceffaries but the comforts of life, and even to adminifter them to the wants of others : Vv^afie it not in vice and ex- travagance, nor yet labour to increafe it by frauds and rapine, nor even by honeft in- dulhy in profeffions which will not allow you lelfure, either to enjoy this life or pre- pare for another ; but, above all other me- fMatt. vii. 10. thods, t 399 ] thods, feck not to augment it by a merce- nary marriage, which cannot tail to lead you into an inextricable labyrinth of wickednels and mifery; and remember, that mutual fidelity and afFe61:ion will give you more happinels than wealth is able to bellow. I'he very reverfe of this is the Iclfon in- culcated by every prudent parent, and ra- tified by univerfal approbation. — My fon, he fays, you will inherit an ample fortune ; but let not this tempt you to lit down quietly in an indolent iniignificance : there are a va- riety of methods by which you may improve it, and advance yourfelf in the world; by a difcreet marriage, you, may double it, if you do not foolifhly facrifice your interefts; the laWj the church, and the army are all open to your endeavours, and may reward them with the higheii: pofts of honour and profit : the Eaft and Weft are ftill unexhaulled, and 'Teady to pour their treafures into the laps of the brave and enterprizing. By fuch inflru6lions are the feeds of avarice and ambition fown in the minds of youth, which afterwards infallibly produce the bit- ter fruits of iniquity and difappointment. That mankind fhould thus continue, through all ages and generations, to think, fpeak, and a6l in contradid^ion to their reafon, their principles, and their interefl, is a wonderful phsenomenon ; which can be occalioned folely by this iingle circumftance, that [ 400 ] that they " fee through a gl^fs, darkly :" whenever they fee clearly, they feldomjudge wrong I the defe6l is not in their reafon, but in their knowledge; every one would purfue his own intereft, if he knew what it was, and, in fa61, every one does purfue it, but the generality totally miftake it. No man would choofe riches before happinefs, power before quiet, or fame before fafety, if he knew the true value of each : no man would prefer the tranfitory and worthlels enjoyment of this world to the permanent and fublime felicity of a better, if he had a clear profpeft of them both ; but we fee the former through a mift, vv^hich always mag-- nifics, and the latter appears to be atfo great a diftance, that we fcarce fee it at all ; and therefore it makes little impreflion on our fenfcs, and has as little influence on ourcon- dua. Why our all- wife and benevolent Creator fhould have thought proper thus to prefent all objecls to our view, " through a glafs, " darkly/' is one of the many divine difpen- fations for which we are unable to account ; but this we may know, that if we faw the things of the world clearly, and in a true light, thebulinefsand ceconomy of it, confii- tuted as it is, could not go on; our purfuits would all be at an end, when we faw there was nothing worth purfuing, our hopes would vanifh, our expe6tations be extinguifhed, and an univerfal fiagnation would enfue : and [ 401 ] and from hence we have rcalon to conclude, that a dirtinit profpcct of the things of ano- ther world, while we refide in this, would be equally detrimental to the well-being of both, Philippians iv. 8. Finallyy brethren^ ivhatfoever ih'ings are triic^ ivhatfocver things are hotiejiy ivhatfoever things are jiijl^ ivhatfocver things are piircy ivhatfoever things are lovely , ivhatfoever things are of good report i if there be any virtue y and if there be any praif^^ think on thefe things. I T is not, I think, a little furprizing to fee many Chriftian divines, of the firft learn- ing and abilities, employing that learning and thofe abilities, and much of their time, in framing laborious fyflems of ethics from the law of nature, whilft they have the books of the New Teflament continually lying open before their eyes. In Plato and Ariftotlc, in Cicero and Seneca, this was a laudable and ufeful undertaking; but, in a Chriftian, it is neither ufeful or meritorious, nor wifer than if any one fhould chufe to fhut his eyes in the brighteft day-light, only to try if he v/as able to grope out his way in the dark. It is, now as impoffible for any man to form a reli- gious and moral infUtution by the mere efforts of human reafon, as to fee by a Vol. II. C c farthing [ 4^^ ] farthing candle in the midft of a meridian funfhine. He mull unavoidably adopt the do61rines and precepts of the Gofpel, and then mifiake them for his own. If his own are true and juif, they muft be exa6tly the fame; and if they differ, they are unworthy of notice. If we believe the do6trine and precepts tranfinitted to us in the NewTefta- ment to be a revelation from God, w^e can- not, without prefumption, fearch out for any other, nor even accept the fame on an infe- rior authority. Whatever may be their au- thority, their unrivalled excellence is indif- putable. The moral leifons of Chrifl: are all fo concife, fo clear, fo unencumbered with definitions and inquiries, and enforced by pa- rables fo appoiite and infi:ru6five, as brings them nearer to our hearts, and renders them not only fuperior to, but unlike all which had ever before been publifhed to the world. In omitting all unneceifary difqui- iitions on moral and religious fubjeiSls, the Apoftles imitated the example of their maf^ ter. In the paifage now before us, St. Paul, writing to the brethren at Philippi, enjoins them to think on, that is, not to forget to prac- tife, " whatfoever things are true, whatfoe- " ver things are honell, whatfoever things are iuH, whatfoever things arepure." He takesit for granted, that thofe to whom he wrote, as well as all mankind, knew what things are true, ho- neft, juft, and pure ; and therefore he enters not into any metaphyiical inquiries into the abftraft nature of truth, honeily, juflice, and purity, which [ 4^3 ] which are aUvays ufelefs, and fomethnes detrimental, a they never induce men to be virtuous, and fometimes ferve to f'urnifli them with excufes for vices. Men want not knowledge of their duty, but inclination to perform it. A definition of virtue will ne- ver make any one lefs profligate, nor an en- quiry concerning the origin of property make any one more honefl: ; no more than a diifertation on optics will make a man fee, or a receipt for dilHlling brandy or brewing ftrong beer will make him fober. 2 Thessalonians ii. II. Kat ^ix Turo •cte^/.^/ei avron; 5 ©eoj ive^yzictv w^ai'jjj, ek to •Zt7i)-£t,'irat aCTtii; Tw ■^cv^n. And for this cmife God JJjall fetid them firong dehfiotiy that thcyfljould believe a lie. 1 N this, and feveral other places in both the Old and New Teftament, God is rcpre- iented as leading men into errors deftru(itive to their innocence and happinefs, fometimes by his own, and fometimes by the influence of intermediate fpirits. How is this recon cileable with his juftice and goodnefs ? How can any evil proceed from infinite good- nels, or any deluiion from the fountain of all trufh ? No commentator or preacher on thefe texts, that I know of, has yet been able to anfwer thefe queftions in a manner fatisfac- tory to reafon or common fenfe. C c ^ But [ 404 ] But this difficulty, like moll others in our interpretations of fcripture, arifes from our own ignorance and our infenlibility of it. We boldly and prefumptuouily aflert, that God cannot do one thing, and that lie will not do another, becaufe fuch things feem to us to be inconiiftent with thofe attributes which we have thought proper to beftow upon him; but we know fo little of the na- ture of good and evil, of truth or falfehood, of God or man, or of the relations between a Creator and his creatures, that we are ut- terly incapable to prefcribe limits to his power, or rules to his will; as well might a vs^orm pretend to decide on the councils of princes, and the policies of empires, as man to pafs judgment on the difpenfations of the Almighty. We fay, God cannot be the caufe of any evil; but we know not what is evil ; he may be, and is, the caufe of many things which appear, and really are, evils to us, however they may be neceffary to the produ6tion of univerfal good. We fay, he cannot be the caufe of any delufion ; but why not? truth is by no micans the criterion of virtue, as fome philofophers would per- fuade us ; delufion, in itfelf, is neither good or e\ il ; its merit or criminality depends on the end for which it is intended : it is no crime to deceive men for their entertainment, much lefs for their benefit ; there is no im- morality in writing a play, a poem, or ro- mance, becaufe it is fi6tion, but great merit, if [ 4^5 ] if it is calculated to promote virtue, or to dilcourage vice. 1 lie vvhole of this life is a fuccefliou of delufions, kindly impofed upon us by our Creator, to enable us to fupport the fufferings, and carry on the bulincis of it. The fallacy of each we difcover in its turn, but never till it has attained its end. It is all mere fcenery, beautiful illuilon, in which every objecl, being placed at a pro- per diftance, and feen through a falfe me- dium, appears as it ought, but never as it is. Wealth, honours, and pleafures, are ex- hibited in the cleareil: light, to incite our in- duftry; but the vanity of their pofTeffions is hid for a time under a cloud, that we may not fink into floth and inactivity. Thus we may be faid to believe a lie, that is, what is not true ; unexperienced, we believe that the profperity of this world will make lis com- pleatly happy, that the period of life is of long duration^ and that the hour of death is ever at a great diftance ; in every one of which we find ourfelves conftantly deceived; on which beneficent deception all our enjoy- ments, hopes, expeftations, and purfuits in- tirely depend. If God, therefore, by means of thefe kind delusions, difpenfes undeferv- ed blefTmgs on mankind, why may he not fometimes infii6l fuch punifhments upon them as their offences may have deferved, by the fame means, either by his own power, or the operations of intermediate fpirits ? We know that he has given us power to deceive and [ 4^5 1 and enfhare, as well as to deflroy, inferior animals; a power which we daily exercife •without fcruple, without arraigning his jus- tice or our ov\rn. Why then may he not, with equal juftice, grant the fame power over us, to beings of fuperior orders ? We may further add, that there are many palTages, in both the Old and New Tefta- ment, limilar to this before us, which are, in fa6l, nothing more than modes of ex- preilion ufually made ufe of by the w^riters of thofe books, who generally impute every event and adlion, whether good or evil, juft or unjuft, to God himfelf, without any re- ference to fecond caufes. Every difpoiition of men's hearts, and every a6l proceeding from them, are afcribed immediately to God ; by which nothing more is to be under- ftood, than that fuch were mens hearts, and fuch things were done. This, in a large and extenfive view, is certainly right, becaufe the great Creator and difpofer of all things muft primarily be the caufe of all dilpoiiti- ons, anions, and events ; becaufe the Firft Cauie muft be the caufe of every caufe from v/hence they can proceed : but how this is coniiftent w^ith that freewill, of which we know and feel ourfelves are poifefTed, is far above the reach of our imperfe6t compre- heniions ; reafon alfures us that both are true, and fcripture every where confirms this con- clufion. James [ 407 ] James iv. i. From ivhence come nuars aiul fighting among you ? conic they 7iol hence, even of your lufis ? A S war and peace fo cfTcntially afre6l the morals, as well as the happinefs of mankindj it feems extraordinary that the great Author of the Chriftian religion fhould have given no dire6lions on fo important a fubje6t. The Apoftle here decides nothing concerning the lawfulnefs of -wars amongft ChriRians, but only informs us from whence they proceed, which is from their ungoverned paffions^ an- ger and revenge, avarice and ambition ; nor do we find, in any part of the New Tefta- rnent, that they are either abfolutely allow- ed or poiitively forbid. This remarkable iilence, I think, is not difficult to be account- ed for ; becaufe, if Chrifi had encouraged, or even exprefsly permitted, his difciples to carry on wars and fightings, he would have given tlie fanclion of divine authority to all the wickednefs andmifery which inevitabiy attend them; and if he had abfolutely for- bid them to fight on any occaiion, he muft have left every country, in which his religion fhould prevail, a defencelefs prey to every infidel invader; he prudently, therefore, ra- ther chofe to leave their defence to the ope. rations of their own paiTions and vices, which [ 4o8 ] which he knew, notwithftanding all his pa- cific precepts, would always be fufficient for that purpofe. — But although in this, as well as in many other inftances. Providence em- ploys the iniquities of men to bring about benelicial ends, this lelTens not their crimi- nality, or juflines thofe who commit them. All the precepts of Chrift, and every princi- ple of the religion which he taught, are dia- metrically oppolite -to thofe of war : thefe re- quire a poor, meek, and humble fpir it; which thofe reprefent as infamous and contempti- ble : thefe exhort us to live peaceably with all men ; which is certainly incompatible with a ft ate of war : thefe recommend patience and forbearance under the greateft infults; thofe the quickeft and moft violent refent- ment : thefe enjoin us to love and ferve our enemies ; thofe to deftroy them with fire and fword. How at the fame time we can ferve two mafters, or how their commands can be made coniiftent with each other, I muft leave to fome pious and valiant Chriftian hero to explain. FINIS. A i I "