dread Fury and Madness as the most miserable ftate of Mind? Who does not condemn the Folly and Madness of Men in Love, of envious and ambitious Perfons? Efpecially when he beholds them labouring thereby under innumerable Evils, from which they will not be delivered?

common

lars.

XIII. But allowing that Existence is worse than God Non-existence to the Damned, let them imagine ought to their Mifery to be greater than it really is. Let prefer the it be a part of their Mifery, to be confcious that Salvation they were the only Caufe of all their Grief: yet to that of fince that could not be prevented without greater particudetriment to the whole, there is no room fór objecting against Providence which always does the best. If God had made nothing at all, and been contented to have remained alone, there would have been nothing that could fin, that could choofe amifs, that could be miferable. But fince it is impoffible that there should be more Gods, the Deity made Creatures fuch as the Nature of a Created Being allowed. Now it was expedient, for the Good of the whole, that fome of them should have a Power of bringing Mifery upon themselves by Evil Elections. Nor can any thing be charged upon the Goodness of God in this, unless that he created Men, and not Gods equal to himself; and that he preferred the Salvation of the Generality to that of fome Particulars. He chose therefore that fome fhould regret their having been made by God, viz. through the abuse of their Free-Will, rather than that none should be happy by ufing it aright. .XIV. As to the third Objection, I believe it to jection. be a great Truth that the Mifery of the Wicked arifes from the very Conftitution of the Sinner and the Mif that the Laws of Nature hold in evil Elections. We fee that our Bodies may be maimed for ever, and our Limbs diflocated and diftorted to fuch a degree as to become totally incapable of thofe Functions for which Nature defigned them. Why thould ture of

Anfwer

to the

third Ob

'Tis

probable that

ery of the Wicked

arifes

from the

very

We Sin.

Na

we not have the fame Opinion of the Mind, viz. that by depraved Elections, Paffions, and Affections, it may be fo far diverted from the right way of thinking, as to become equally difabled and unfit for governing its Actions according to the Dictates of Right Reason, as a lame Man is for a Race? We may fee every Day that right Notions of things are capable of being perverted by a perverse Habit of thinking; and it is evident from Experience that we mistake and are ignorant of ufeful things. We are wont to labour under Prejudices, and be averfe to fober Counsels; in short, we are willing to endure any thing rather than alter our Choice. It is a common thing for us to please ourselves in Dangers, in the Ruin of our Fortunes, in the Lofs of Eafe, and Life itself; and our Volition, perverfe as it is, fometimes appears more defirable than Friends, Kingdoms, Pleasures, or even Life. If therefore God does not interpofe his Omnipotence, the fame Errors, the fame Ignorance, the fame Habit of a perverted Mind and obftinate Propenfity to Evil, which here draw us afide from the right Path, may continue with us. for ever: nor will the Soul that is immersed in this kind of Evil be capable of curing itself: For one that is infected with thefe Maladies is as unfit to help himself, as one that has cut off his Hands and Feet is unable to run or feed himself. (90.)

NOTES.

XV.

(90.) This is the true Meaning of that Macula Peccati which is faid to remain and fet us at Enmity with God, and under a natural Incapacity of Happiness, and which according to fome makes it impoffible for future Punishments to have any other Period than the total Extinction or Annihilation of the Subjects of them; and what Ground there can be to hope for that may be seen from the Authors referred to in Note 86.

Our Author, in the following Paragraph, explains how this Macula may be conceived to render God and good Men our Averfion, and it is easy to apprehend how utterly incapable of Happiness that Man must be, whose whole Soul is bent ano

ther

fuch

not know

XV. Secondly, A Perfon of this Difpofition of The Mind hates God, for he fees that he has chofen Wicked, fuch things, in the Enjoyment whereof he places Ignorance through his Delight, as cannot be confiftent with the Di- and Ervine Will. He therefore looks upon God as his En- ror, will emy, and confequently avoids all Commerce with delight in him, and endeavours to abfcond from him, but things as never thinks of changing his own Will: For thro' they canError and Ignorance he knows not how to take not enjoy, delight in any thing elfe. Therefore he applies all and may his Endeavours to the Attainment of fuch things as how to cannot really be attained, and ftrives for ever in take devain with a more powerful Being, i. e. God, light in nor ceases from struggling, though full of Mifery any thing and Defpair. For though he feels himself tormented with a moft exquifite Pain, yet he dreads a greater from the change of his Refolution: he fees Mifery invading him on each Hand, and is forced either to oppose the Deity without any prospect of Succefs, or to give over the Contest, and lay afide all Hopes of enjoying the Object of his Choice: He

NOTES.

em

ther way; whofe every Motion, Thought, and Inclination; whose Designs, Defires and Hopes, are all fixed and riveted to thofe Objects which can never fatisfy them, which are either quite different from, or contrary to the very Nature and Idea of true rational Happiness. A view of the Confequences attending each inveterate evil Habit, each ungovernable Paffion, or Affection mifapplyed, will fhew the abfurdity of fuppofing any Perfon in fuch a Cafe to be happy even in Heaven itself. But this important Doctrine of the force of Habits, &c. in this World, as well as the Continuance of them in the next, has been fo well ftated and inforced by the Authors referred to above, that an attempt to give any further Illustration of it feems impracticable. I fhall therefore difmifs it with a Paffage from the Causes of the Decay of Chriftian Piety, Ch. 1. "Those immaterial Felicities we expect, do naturally fuggeft "to us the neceffity of preparing our Appetites, and hungers "for them, without which Heaven can be no Heaven to us: "For fince the Pleafure of any thing refults from the Agree❝ment between it and the Defire, what Satisfaction can Spiri*tual Enjoyments give unto a Carnal Mind? Alafs, what De

See the Spectator, N. 90.

light

elfe.

embraces the former, as the less Evil of the two, and yet a greater can scarce be devised. The perverfe Fool may be pleased with the very Conteft, though it proves to no manner of purpose. In the interim God leaves fuch a one to himself, who by pursuing abfurd and impoffible things will become troublesome to himself and others, affaulting fome, and being attacked by others like himself. We fee in this World how much bad Men delight in heaping Miferies on others, and who are therefore bad Men because they take delight in Mischief. The Şervant of an abfurd Master is unhappy, and fo is he who lives near a malevolent and morofe Neighbour. Suppose then the Wicked who are banished from God, and odious to all good Men, affociating together, and it is eafy to conceive what kind of Society that of Reprobates and Devils must be; how grievous and offenfive to each other. We may obferve how very pernicious a wicked Governor is in his Province, how miferable they that are fubject to fuch how much more wretched must the state of the Wicked be, who are fubjected to, and join

66

66

66

NOTES.

ed

light would it be to the Swine to be wrapt in fine Linen and laid in Odours? His Senfes are not gratified by any "fuch Delicacies; nor would he feel any thing befides the "Torment of being with-held from the Mire. And as little Complacency would a brutish Soul find in those purer and "refined Pleafures, which can only upbraid, not fatisfy him. "So that could we, by an impoffible Suppofition, fancy fuch a one affumed to thofe Fruitions, his Pleasure fure would "be as little as his preparation for it was. Thofe Eyes which "have continually beheld Vanity, would be dazled, not delighted with the beatific Vifion; neither could that Tongue "which has accustomed itself only to Oaths and Blafphemies, find Harmony or Mufic in Hallelujabs. It is the peculiar Privilege of the pure in Heart, that they fhall fee God; and "if any others could fo invade this their Inclosure, as to take "Heaven by Violence, it furely would be a very Joylefs Pof"feffion to thefe Men, and only place them in a Condition to "which they have the greatest Averfion and Antipathy. So "that Holiness here is not only neceffary to the acquiring, "but the Enjoyment of Blifs hereafter.

66

66

ed with none but mad, malicious, envious and

froward Beings?

certain

the Laws

XVI. It is to be believed that God has provided The a place that is fuitable and proper for them, and to Wicked which they are as much confined by the Laws of are contheir Nature, as Fishes to the Sea, or terreftrial fined to Animals to the Earth. What fort of a Place that places and is we know not, but it is reasonable to believe that Compathere is fuch an one. Men in this Life choose for nions by themselves Habitations and Companions according of Nature, to their own Genius, Temper, and Difpofition of as we are Mind and Likeness begets Love: and who can to the doubt but the fame thing may attend the bad and Earth. good after Death? The Good refort therefore to the Society of God, Angels, and Spirits of Good Men; But the Wicked choose those Ghosts which were Partakers in their Iniquity, and Devils for their Companions: And this may poffibly be brought about by natural Instinct, and mere human Difpofition. Nor is God wanting in Goodness if he fuffers them to live in their own way, and enjoy the Life themselves have chofen. For this could not be prevented without doing Violence to the Laws of Nature. And thefe Punishments which the Wicked voluntarily bring upon themselves, tend to the Benefit of the Univerfal Syftem of Rational Beings.

ral Evil

XVII. So much for Moral Evils, Laws, Re- The dif wards and Punishments. In which fome things may pute aappear too fubtle for common Apprehenfion; but bout Mowe ought to remember that the Difpute is con- relates to cerning one of the nicest things in Nature, viz. the the mind Operations of our own Mind: and whatever is and its Qfaid in order to explain these, must neceffarily be perations, fubtle. On this Account the Art of Logic is called fubtle, because it has thefe for its Object, and any count thing that is more fubtle than ordinary is reckoned muft neLogical. He that does not like any thing that is ceffarily fubtle therefore ought not to difpute about what what fub

and on

that ac

be fome

relates tle.