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attend our fearch after the ways of God, ferve only to darken the view ftill more, and multi

trouble in the gratifying, ferving, or fupporting others. And tho' fuch a deep difcovery of the Springs of Action may feem beft tothew us how men are most easily led, yet were it all true, it wou'd fhew at the fame time that fuch Creatures are scarcely worth the leading; fince it palls all the pleasure of converfing with them, ftrikes at the very root of universal Benevolence, which alone can fupply that pleasure, blasts every publickly focial difpofition, and all the Charities of private Life: in fhort, deftroys all that is great and good, or amiable in them, or which can make any fuperior Station eligible amongst them.

But farther, if there be a real Syftem of things pre-establish'd upon different Principles, then muft fuch Schemes of Government prove full as ufelefs, as uncomfortable, being wholly founded on a falfe bottom, and at every turn oppofing what they never can overthrow; fince he who framed this Syftem, will affuredly take care to fupport it in his own way, whether we will or no: and if the original Plan on which it was form'd, and the Laws calculated to direct it, be thought of themselves infufficient to that end, there is ftill ground [from Nature and Reason, fetting afide pofitive Declarations] to believe, that he would rather interpofe fometimes to secure the establishment thereof, than fuffer it to be quite ruin'd and revers'd. The Governour of which Syftem therefore ought to be attended to as fuch in all good Policy; and our political Syftem framed in fome kind of conformity to that great Model; by a careful contemplation of the chief End and prepollent Quality in each part of his Works; by a ftudious Survey of all the Dignity, and Harmony, and Happiness confpicuous in the general Conduct of them. But in fuch Schemes as we are now examining, the fupreme Governour of the World is either quite omitted, or introduced in fo degrading a manner, as makes him ev'n dependent on, and obliged to an evil Principle for moft part of the Beauty and chief Benefit of his Work: it gives fo bafe an Idea both of this Syftem and its Author, as muft fhock any one who is willing to entertain the leaft degree of Reverence or Regard for either; or has any juft Concern even for himself, as being unavoidably link'd in fo near a Relation to, and clofe Connection with thefe, from whence he is like to receive fo little either of true Honour or Advantage.

How

ply thefe very Difficulties. How much better, both the End and the Effect of those, which

How much more beautiful and juft a Theory might with lefs Labour be erected on found Morals, and a Senfe of Religion which would make all true, rational Pleafure, coincide, and render the prefent State of things not only uniform and abfolutely defirable in itself, but alfo the direct Road, the natural Paffport to a better: which, befide a deal of pure good in poffeffion, muft fill and extend the Soul with everlafting hope of infinitely greater. Where every Virtue would in every one effentially promote and perfect those of others, and each with infinite Confiftency confpire to exert the na tural Effects of all in univerfal Happiness; without that mot ley mixture of the contrary Qualities, which can at best but indirectly and accidentally, and by their being extraneoufly over-ruled, produce any fhare thereof. For after all, when once we come to understand ourselves, we fhall find that Vice in general does in its own Nature, and in every Degree of it, tend to produce Mifery, or prevent Happiness, either mediately or immediately in every Syftem [from whence indeed it has its Name, and on account of which only it ought to be, and has ever been, prohibited by Divine and Human Laws, tho' this its tendency may probably be over-ruled in many particular Cafes; or it may be fufpended or fuperfeded by the Introduction of oppofite Qualities; which, thro' the unavoidable Imperfection of Language, are often mistaken for it; or it may be in fuch a manner really blended and con founded with thefe, as to be hardly diftinguishable from them; or in fuch a degree counterpois'd and ballanc'd by fome jarr ing Principles, or inconfiftent Species of its own, that its Effects are not fo plain and obvious; efpecially in large Societies and complex Bodies, where more than ordinary Skill is requifite to compute the Confequences of each particular Act or Habit; and affign each Influence to its proper Caufe. But this grows more apparent in fmall Families and private Conftitutions, where Vice of every fort and fize is feen to create proportionable Corruption and Disorder in the Body politic, as furely as Venom, or a Poifon properly fo call'd, does in the natural one: tho' in fome critical Circumstances, such a violent Struggle and Convulfion may be rais'd thereby in both of them, as may occafion very extraordinary Effects; and two bad Qualities in conteft with each other, inftead of ruining, may poffibly relieve an opprefs'd Conftitution; as

fome

place Human Nature in its faireft Light, and reprefent the lovely Form as worthy of its Au

fometimes even bina Venena juvant. Yet ftill, notwithstandfome fuch very unusual Phænomena, the diftinct Properties and regular Production of natural Bodies, as well as thofe of moral Qualities, are both of them fix'd, and fairly dif coverable in the main; we are tolerably well apprised what naturally conduces to the prefervation and profperity of each; and on the whole may reft well satisfied, that if the latter were composed of fuch a Number of rank heterogeneous Principles as this fame Author is inclined to fuppofe, they would not long subsist as we now find them; nor could the World poffibly go on fo well as it has done, and does. So far is that Pofition therefore from being juft, which this fame Author has put into the very Title of his Book, viz. that Vice, properly fo call'd, whether private or public, is a real Benefit, that the reverfe is ftrictly true in general; which might be proved as clearly by an induction of particulars as Sir W Temple has made out the thing in one ftrong Cafe, which was unhappily this Author's leading Inftance, viz. that of Luxury, or Excefs, being of Advantage to a beneficial Trade. See Temple's Obfervations on the Netherlands, p. 66. Fol. [Comp. Huchefon's Remarks, No. 2.] But granting all the Facts to be juft as this Author ftates them; were the Bulk of Mankind altogether as vile and vicious as he reprefents them, yet would it be of no real Service to lay open fuch a Sink of Pollution, and thereby only (pread the Infection farther ftill, and fafter; it cannot be of so much use to exhibit Men entirely as they are, even in their very worft Light; as it must be to place them where they oft really have been, and where they always might and ought to be. Nor can fuch Views of the World prove any Entertainment to one that is either defirous of concurring in any thing for the Improvement of it, or of contributing at all to the Eafe and Agreeableness of his own Situation in it.

But I propofed to make only fome general Obfervations on the Genius and main Drift of this celebrated Book, as a Specimen of fuch fort of Writings; the Particulars of it having been fufficiently confuted long ago. I fhall conclude with obferving, that the celebrated Author of the Characteristicks, and thisWriter, who fo conftantly opposes him, are evidently in two Extremes; the firft contending for a Benevolence quite pure in kind, and perfectly difinterested, and without any

other

thor; as well as of those that display the Beauty, and Beneficence of the Divine Oeconomy; and produce an Affurance of that paternal Care, and Conduct of us here, which brings the trueft Enjoyment, and most grateful Acknowledgement of present Benefits; and likewife begets a joyful Hope, and stedfaft Expectation of more fubftantial ones hereafter !

The Confequences of the foregoing Doctrine might be urg'd farther, in regard both to the Atheist and Deift; to convince the one, that all things have not gone at random, but that there are plain tokens of a Plan, and Government; and from what has already past, reason to think that

other End than its own Exercife; which is neither reconcileable to Fact, nor to the Frame of fuch Beings as we are at prefent: the latter centering all in Self immediately, and conftituting its chief Good in fome of the very loweft Gratifications: which is alike ground lefs, but attended with worfe Confequences. Between thefe there is manifeftly a middle way, whereby the moral Senfe and that of Honour, &c. may be form'd by way of Habit, really diftinct from, and striking previously to any private Views, and generally with greater Force too than cou'd be produced by the moft vigorous and intenfe Reflection (which is ever of great ufe, and often neceffary in Matters of the laft Importance;) yet this may be fo far qualify'd by a Mixture of the other Paffions, and fo well directed to the best and nobleft Ends by Reafon, as to keep clear of all the Abfurdities of the former Syftem, which runs fo naturally into rank Enthufiafm; and likewife to avoid the ill Confequences that attend the latter, which is so apt to fink us into the very Dregs of Vice and Villany. This has been juft propofed above [Part 1. Not. a. p. 8, &c.] and I find no fufficient ground to doubt of its being in itself the most conformable to the true Nature of Mankind in general, and beft adapted to promote the higheft Degree of Happinefs in focial Life. A more particular Examination of both the Syftems abovemention'd, may be read with pleasure in Dr. Brown's Eflays on the Characteristicks.

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more of it will ever appear, and in a still more perfect manner: to fhew the other, that as the feveral Difpenfations of, what we call, Revealed Religion, have hitherto been in the main conformable to those of Providence, in both the natural and moral World, this poffibly may come from the fame Author; and receive yet farther increase, which these also do, as they are daily better understood.

But if this be not the Cafe in any Degree here, we feem to have nothing left whereon to ground an Analogical Argument (which yet is our beft, if not our only natural Argument) for an Hereafter; no vifible Footsteps of Wisdom and Goodnefs, to conduct us in our Search after a First Caufe; no fettled Foundation for our Hopes of Futurity, the Bafis of all Natural Religion: All is Chaos, and Confufion thus far, and therefore may be fo, for ought we know, eternally; either without any good, confiftent Scheme at all, or that, as foon as fix'd, unfix'd again, and disappointed: in fhort, the Divine Government, if there be one, must on this Scheme be inferior to moft Human Adminiftrations.

Thus then we fee how neceffary it is to form right Notions of the paft State of the World, efpecially in regard to that important Point, Religion, in order to judge how it will be for the future; and in what manner we are to conduct ourselves. If it has hitherto been really progreffive, we find good Reafon to expect the fame ftill farther. We have ftrong Motives to go into this Scheme ourselves; and clear Directions how to proceed in it. Instead of looking back, and la

bouring

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