vening Iniquity of others. By the vitiated Elections of fome, a Stop is put to the Wickedness of NOTES. many; Allowances, appear to be the leaft. Many Virtues as well as Vices lie in the Mind invifible to human Eyes: 'tis fpeaking at random therefore to pronounce upon the number of one or other, and he that would from thence infer the neceffity of an Evil Principle ought to be efteemed a rafh Judge, and an Ufurper of God's Tribunal. Laftly, it may be observed that the continuance and Increase of Mankind is a fure proof that there is more Good than Evil in the World. For one or two acts may have a pernicious influence on many Perfons, nay all immoral Actions tend to the deftruction of Mankind, at least to the common detriment and diminution of them: Whereas a great many, even numberless good actions must neceffarily concur to the preservation of each individual. If therefore bad Actions exceeded the number of the good there would be an End of human kind. We have clear Evidence of this in those Countries where Vices multiply, the Number of Men continually decreases and the Place grows defolate; but upon the return of Virtue and Goodness "tis again ftocked with Inhabitants. This is a fign that Mankind could not subsist if ever Vice were prevalent, fince many good acts are neceffary to repair the lofs which attends one bad one. One fingle Action may take away the Life of a Man, or of several; but how many acts of benevolence and humanity muft neceffarily contribute to the bringing up, educating and preserving every one? From what has been faid I hope it appears that there is more good than Evil among Men, and that a good God might make the World, notwithstanding the Argument drawn from the contrary Suppofition. But almoft all of this is unneceffary, fince the whole Universe may have ten thousand times more Good than Evil; though this Earth of ours had no one good thing in it. This World is too fmall to bear any proportion to the whole Syftem, and therefore we can form but a very unequal Judgment of it from hence. It may be it's Hofpital or Prison; and can any one judge of the Healthfulness of a Climate from viewing an Hospital where all are fick ? or of the Wisdom of a Government, from a Place of confinement where there are only Madmen? or of the Virtue of a People, from a Prison where there are none but Malefactors? Not that I believe the Earth is really fuch a Place; but I fay it may be fuppofed fuch, and any fuppofition which fhews how a thing may be, destroys the Manichean Argument drawn from the impoffibility of accounting for it. In the Interim I look upon this Earth as an Habitation abounding with Delights, in which a Man may live with Com many; and the Virtue and Happiness of a great many is confirmed and increased by the mifery of a few; nay an opportunity of doing Good is offer'd to fuch as are fo difpofed, which never could have been if none had abused their Choice. (82.) NOTES. SUB Comfort, Joy and Happiness; I own with the greatest Grati tude to God that I myself have lived such a Life, and am perfuaded that my Friends, Acquaintance, Servants, have all done the fame; and I believe that there's no Evil in Life but what is very tolerable; especially to those who have hopes of a future Immortality. For a Proof that the good of both kinds in the World is fuperior to the evil, fee Sherlock on Providence C.7. Hutchefon on the Paffions, p.177, &c. Leibnitz, Effais de Theodicee, or Memoirs. of Lit Vol. 3. or Chubb's Supplement to the Vindication of God's Moral Character. Tracts p. 281, &c. or Lucas's Enquiry after Happiness, Vol.x. Sect. 2. Č. 2. (82.) Upon the whole, from that little which we know of the Scheme of Divine Providence in the Formation and Government of the Moral World, it seems very reasonable for us to conclude concerning this, in the fame manner as we did concerning the Natural World, viz. That no confiderable part of it can be altered for the better; or that no Evil in it could either have been originally avoided, or may now be removed, without introducing greater. Since the whole Controverfy depends upon the truth of this general Conclufion, 'tis proper that we should be as fully fatisfied as poffible about the ground of it. But to attempt to demonstrate it by an Induction of Particulars would be infinite, I fhall therefore choose rather to illustrate it by a review of fome of the Principles before laid down. In the first place then the Deity is fuppofed out of pure Benevolence to have created as many immaterial Beings of the noblest kinds as were agreeable to the Order and Convenience of his Syftem; for his Benevolence, being unbounded, feems to require this as much as it does the Creation of any Beings at all: The fame Benevolence alfo prompted him to produce more imperfect, mixed ones; because even those were better than none. He endowed these with an abfolutely free Principle of Volition and Action, becaufe fuch Freedom was abfolutely requifite to their Happiness in every refpect, especially to that for which he chiefly defigned them, viz Goodness, Virtue, or a refemblance of his own Moral Qualities; which is the fupream and only Happiness of a rational Being. He continues this Freedom to them, though many abuse it to the Corruption of their Natures, and Introduction of the greatest Misery; because this abufe SUBSECT. VII. Wherein the Principles before laid down are applied to the Solution of fome Objections. IFROM the foregoing Principle it feems not Moral impoffible to answer fuch Objections as are Evils are commonly brought against the Goodnefs and Pro- not neceffary in re vidence of God. For in the first place, when it fpect of is objected, that Moral Evil is not a neceffary con- Freecomitant Will, but they are neceffary NOTES. abuse proportionably improves the Nature, and increases the Felicity of others, and fo Liberty ftill tends to the Good and Perfection of the whole and this it may be conceived to do in the following manner. The miferable Effect of the abuse of Freedom by fome of this World, makes all others much more fenfible of the Nature and Confequences of Sin, and more careful to avoid it, and renders them confcious of a double Pleasure in ufing their Powers aright: it exerciseth fome Virtues in them which could have no place without it; preferves, improves and exalteth others, and confequently raises their whole Nature to a higher degree of Perfection than it could otherwise acquire. By parity of Reafon we may believe in the next World alfo the Goodness as well as Happiness, of the Bleffed will be confirmed and advanced by reflections naturally arifing from their View of the Mifery which some shall undergo: (which feems to be a good reafon for the Creation of those Beings who fhall be finally miserable, and for the continuation of them in their miferable Existence.)* "To have efcaped Hell, and to find ourselves in the un* changeable Poffeffion of Salvation by the free Mercy and "Goodness of God, and by the Death of his own Son, are "Thoughts which must create a new Heaven as it were in "Heaven itfelf; I mean they will enlarge our Souls to the "utmoft Capacity of our Natures, and fill and actuate them "with fuch Divine Ardors of Love, as if we had been kept neceffarily, from all Sin, feem impoffible to have been raised in us. t This then we may with Reverence prefume to have been the principal Defign of God in permitting all Mankind to bring themselves into fuch a dangerous Eftate, and some of them to fuffer under it; and perhaps the fame reason will * See the Appendix, § 2. par. 9. ↑ Jankin, 2d Vol. Ch.12. p. 244, &c. 5th Edit. hold with re gard to God, fo that he muft ei ther tole rate these or greater. comitant of human Nature, and therefore is voluntarily permitted by God, and that no Benefit arifes from the permiffion of it, as there does from Hunger, Thirft, and the Paffions: We must reply, that Liberty of Choice is a neceffary Concomitant of our Nature, and that the Exercife of it NOTES. hold for his permitting the Fall of Angels: For I think it plainly appeared from Note 13. that the Good or rather Goodness, of the Creature, is properly the ultimate End of all the Difpenfations of God, and not his own Glory, any farther than it is the means to it. His Glory feems to be difplayed no otherwife than as it is fubfervient and neceffary to this End; and necessary it is; fince Goodness is of our own making, and muft require Knowledge, Example, Trial, &c. (fee Note 66) as Motives and Means to further us in the gradual Formation of a fuitable Temper and proper Habits here, the Enlargement and Improvement of which will conftitute our Heaven hereafter, as Scott and Rymer have fhewn at large. Virtue therefore or Moral Good cannot (as Bayle imagines) be infufed into us miraculously; neither could God, according to the Order of our Ideas, have acquainted us with, fo much of his adorable Nature, his Mercy, Long-fuffering, Goodness and Truth (as he himself describes it) [b] nor confequently have brought us to fo great a refemblance of it, by any other Method. The fole Idea of a Being infinitely perfect, as Bayle objects [i] would not do the Bufinefs; nor if it were received and would have been attended to, could it be of fufficient force to influence the Minds of Men, and regulate their Practice, as is evident from daily Experience. The prefent Scheme of Providence was therefore neceffary, in order to produce in the generality of Men the greatest degree of Goodness in this Life, which is the ground and foundation of their Happiness in the next. Even there alfo may the Memory of their former Trials (as was hinted above) the Consciousness of their own happy Choice, when others did, and they had the fame Power and the fame Temptations to have done otherwife: the joyful Reflection on their paft Dangers and prefent Safety, and the natural Confequence of all this, Love and Gratitude, and Glory to God in the Highest, and mutual Congratulations of each other These and the like Contemplations will (as Jenkin says) create a new Heaven in Heaven itself. And though in one respect a view of the Mifery which the damned undergo, might feem to detract from the Happiness of the Bleffed, through Pity and Commiferation : yet under another, [il Crit. Dict. p. 2488. [b] Exod. 34. 6, 7. it cannot be hindered, as we have feen, without greater Evils; In refpect then of our own Will, Moral Evil is not neceffary, but in refpect of God it is, i. e. he must either tolerate this Evil or a greater; from hence alfo proceeds no fmall Advantage to univerfal Nature, as well as to Mankind. taken his Patient II. Secondly, Hence we perceive the Anfwer Cicero's to Cicero's Objection in his third Book, De Natura Objection Deorum, where Cotta is introduced arguing in this from a manner: "If a Physician knows that his Patient, Phyfician "who is ordered to drink Wine, will drink too who gives "much and dye of it immediately, he is greatly Wine "blameable for allowing him it. Thus is this when he "Providence of yours to be blamed, which has knows given reafon to fuch as it knew would make a perverse and wicked Use of it." He proceeds of it: Or NOTES. that he will die also a Father who other, a nearer, and much more affecting Confideration, viz. leaves his that all this is the Mifery which they themselves were often Eftate to a expofed to, and were in imminent Danger of incurring; in Prodigal this View, why may not the fenfe of their own Escape fo far Son. overcome the Sense of another's Ruin, as quite to extinguish the Pain that usually attends the Idea of it, and even render it productive of some real Happiness? To this purpose apply that of Lucretius, B. 2. Suave mari magno turbantibus @quora ventis E terra alterius magnum fpectare laborem ; But however this be, most of the foregoing Reflections feem juft and unexceptionable. I fhall conclude with another Paffage from Jenkin, [k] which fets them in the ftrongeft Light. "It must advance the Happiness both of Angels and Men "in Heaven, that upon Choice and Trial they have preferred "God before all things, and upon that find themselves con"firmed and established in the perpetual and unalterable Love "and Enjoyment of him. This very Confideration, that they might once have fallen from his Love, infpires them with "the highest Ardors of Love, when they rejoice in the infi"nite 66 [k] Pag. 242. |