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THE

PREVIOUS QUESTION,

With regard to

RELIGION.

A

The

S there is not any thing within the compass of human knowledge, which man is more concearn'd to discover, than what is true religion; fo there is not any fubject men have exercis'd their thoughts upon, which has been more controverted, or that has produced more direful effects amongst mankind. difputes betwixt Chriftians, Mahometans, Jews, and Pagans, and betwixt the feveral fests that take place amongst each of thefe, are generally about religion; each party thinking themselves obliged to defend and propagate what they esteem to be really fuch, and to root out, and abolish, what they judge to be otherwife. And, as the questions on this fubject are various, fo there is one queftion, namely, what true religion arifes from and is founded upon? that is previous to them all, the right understanding and fettling of which point is neceffary to the clearing and fettling of the reft. With regard to which, I obferve,

True religion, I think, muft árife from, and be founded upon, either the moral fitness of things, or the arbitrary will and pleasure of God: and this, I think, will plainly appear, when I have stated the notion, and fhewn in what fenfe I understand the feveral terms I here make ufe of, viz. by the term religion, I understand that which is the ground

of

of divine acceptance; or, in other words, it is that which does render men acceptable and pleafing to God. And, By true religion, I mean that which does really do fo; in oppofition to every thing, which men imagine or pretend will do it, when, in reality, it does not. By the moral fitness of things, I mean that fitness, which arifes from, and is found. ed in the nature and the relations of things; taking it for granted, that there is an effential difference betwixt good and evil, or fitness and unfitness, arifing from the nature and the relation of things, antecedent to, and independent of any divine or human determination concerning them: fo that, when I say true religion arifes from, and is founded upon the moral fitness of things, my meaning is (fuppofing that to be the cafe) that the duty which God requires at our hands is such, as, in the nature of things, is fit and proper to be requir ed of, and expected from creatures conftituted, circumstanced, and related as we are; and that the ground of his being pleased with, and fhewing us favour, is, because we are the suitable and per objects of his approbation and affection.

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The term arbitrary is opposed to restraint, and when it is apply'd to human actions, the restraint is of two kinds, namely, political and moral. Political restraint is that which arifes from the law and conftitution of every country, in which men live, or which they rule over. And men are faid to act or not to act arbritarily, as their actions are not, or as they are govern'd and reftrain'd by thofe laws. As thus, All thofe Princes, who act according to their own will and pleasure, and who have the fole power of making laws for, and the difpofing of the perfons and properties of their fubjects, fuch princes are faid to be arbitrary; and their government is called arbitrary government, be Caufe they are not under the direction nor the A a 3 restrains

reftraint of law, in the exercife of it. On the other fide, when men act, or rule, not according to their own will and pleasure, but by, according or to a precedent law, then they are faid not to act or rule arbitrarily. As, when the King of Great Britain acts agreeably to the laws of this kingdom, then he is faid not to act arbitrarily, that is, not to act againft, or above law; becaufe, in all fuch cafes, his actions are govern'd and restrain'd by the laws of his country. It is not the good or bad principle the action fprings from, nor yet the good or evil it produces, which denominates the action to be arbitrary in this respect, or to be the contrary; but only as the actor is under, or above the restraint of human laws, as aforefaid. Moralreftraint is that which arifes from the moral fitness of things; and men are faid to act arbitrarily, in this refpect, when they are under no fuch reftraint, that is, when they act without any regard to the fitnefs, or unfitnefs of things, as aforefaid. And on the other fide, they are faid not to act arbitrarily, in this refpect, when they make the moral fitness of things the rule and meafure of their actions.

To apply the term arbitrary to God, it can refpect only moral reftraint. For tho' human laws are rules for men to direct their behaviour by, and therefore men's actions may properly be faid to be arbitrary, or to be otherwife, as the actor is under, or above the restraint of fuch laws; yet thefe are not a rule to God. And therefore, if his actions are directed by any law, it must be by the fitnefs of things; and confequently he cannot properly be faid to act arbitrarily, or the contrary, any otherwife, than as he is not, or as he is influ enced, and restrained by the moral fitnefs of things as aforefaid. So that when I apply the term arbi trary to God, I oppofe it to moral restraint, as a bove explained. Which leads me to obferve, By

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the arbitrary will of God, I mean (fuppofing this to be the cafe) that he is not influenced and governed in his dealings with his creatures, by the moral fitness of things, but by fovereign pleafure; he commands and forbids, loves and hates, rewards and punishes arbitrarily, that is, without" regarding the fitnefs, or unfitnefs of what he requires, or difpenfes; or the fuitablenefs, or unfuitableness of the objects of his approbation, or diflike. And, when I fay true religion is founded upon the arbitrary will of God, my meaning is (fuppofing that to be the cafe) that the duty which God requires from us, and which, when complied with, will render us the objects of his favour, does not arife from its being right and fit, in the nature of things, but merely from fovereign pleafure: God makes whatever he pleases the conditions of his favour, without any regard to right or wrong in the cafe.

Having thus explain'd the terms, I think it evidently appears that true religion, or that which will render men acceptable to God, must be either, what God has arbitrarily made the conditions of his favour, or else, that which, in the nature of things, renders men the Juitable and proper objects of its which of these is the cafe is the prefent queftion. And that this question, in order of nature, goes before all other questions on this fubject; and that the fettling of it is neceffary to the fettlement of the reft, and confequently, that it is of the greateft importance to mankind, this, I think, will as evidently appear as the former, when I have fairly examined the point, and fhewn how the cafe will stand, in the feveral particulars following, whether we confider true religion, as founded on the moral fitnefs of things, or on arbitrary pleasure, as aforefaid. And,

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First, If true religion arifes from, and is founded upon the moral fitnefs of things, then God, in this refpect, anfwers the character, which the whole frame of nature gives him, that is, he acts the part of a wife and good Being. It is the utmoft perfection of wisdom and goodness, for a Being, who has all knowledge and all power, abfolutely and indepently in himself, and is at perfect liberty in the ufe and exercise of these, for fuch an one, when he has call'd moral agents into being, not to take advantage of the impotency and dependency of fuch creatures, by impofing upon them, or acting arbitrarily with them, or by them; but, on the contrary, to make the moral fitness of things the rule and measure of his actions, with regard to what he requires from, and dispenfes to them: This, I fay, is wifdom and goodnefs to perfection. And this is the very cafe, with refpect to God, fuppofing true religion arifes from, and is founded upon the moral fitness of things, as aforefaid. God can, with regard to his natural liberty and ability, command from us, and deal with us, as he pleases; he being all poffibility of controul; and therefore, for him not to make ufe of his knowledge and power difagreeably, or to the difadvantage of his creatures, but to direct thefe by the rules of wifdom and goodness, in all his dealings with them; this is truly valuable, and highly worthy of that God, who is, by his own choice, the common parent of every creature, as he voluntarily call'd them into being. On the other fide,

If true religion is founded on the arbitrary will of God, then God does not, in this refpect, anfwer the character which nature has given him, that is, he does not act the part of a wife and good being. One who has all knowledge and power abfolutely and independently in himfelf, and confequently

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