CHAP. which he would have every body else infenfible XVI., of, as well as himfelf: If you ask the Inftance of God's first loving us, the Apostle had declared it just before, ver. 9, 10.. In this was manifefted the Love of God towards us, becaufe that God fent his only begotten Son into the World, that we might live through him. Herein is Love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and fent his Son to be the Propitiation for our Sins. That Goodness of God in fhewing us our own Good, the only way to his Favour, and our own Happinefs, is indeed intended of him, to be the true Spring of our Duty and Obedience to him. BUT this Source of Virtue in loving God, and keeping his Commandments, is uterly rejected and defpifed by all those of our Author's Sentiments. They maintain the Sufficiency of Reafon to find out every Virtue, and all the Ways to God's Favour, independent of any external Revelation from him; and likewife the Sufficiency of Virtue for its own Reward; "that "rational Actions carry with them their own Re"wards, and irrational their Punishment:" That the attractive Beauty and intrinfick Excellence of Virtue is fufficient Inducement to practice it, without any Eye to Self-Advantage, or the external Motives from Revelation. But how contrary to these are the Sentiments of Mr. Lock, who was a Bigot to nothing but Reafon? "How, 66 fays he, hath this one Truth [the Refurre&ion " and Afcenfion of our Saviour] chang'd the "Nature of things in the World? and given "the Advantage to Piety over all that could tempt or deter Men from it. The Philofo"phers indeed fhew'd the Beauty of Virtue': "They fet her off fo as drew Mens, Eyes and 66 Approbation to her: But leaving her unen "dowed, dowed, very few were willing to efpoufe her. CHAP. "The generality could not refufe her their Efteem XVI, "and Commendation; but ftill turn'd their "Backs on her and forfook her, as a Match not "for their turn. But now there being put into "the Scales, on her fide, an exceeding and im"mortal Weight of Glory; Intereft is come about "to her, and Virtue now is vifibly the most en"riching Purchase, and by much the best Bar"gain. That the is the Perfection and Excellency of our Nature; That fhe is herself a "Reward, and will recommend our Names to "future Ages, is not all that can now be faid of "her. 'Tis not ftrange that the learned Hea"thens fatisfied not many with fuch airy Com"mendations. It has another Relish and Effi cacy, to perfuade Men that if they live well here, they fhall be happy hereafter. Open "their Eyes upon the endless unspeakable Joys of another Life; and their Hearts will find fomething folid and powerful to move them. "-Upon this Foundation, and upon this only, "Morality ftands firm. This makes it more "than a Name *' "Tho' human Law-givers, fay the Author of Chriftianity as old, &c. are "forc'd to have recourfe to Punishments, which "are not connected with the things they forbid; yet a Being of infinite Power is not thus ftrait"en'd, but may make one the neceffary Confe"quence of the other: And indeed how can it "be otherwife, fince Good and Evil have their "Foundation in the effential Difference of -66 Things, and their Nature is fix'd and immu"table: And confequently our Happiness de"pends on the intrinfick Nature of the one, and our Misery on the intrinfick Nature of the 66 XVI. CHAP."other" This fhews his true Sentiments, notwithstanding his occafional mention of future Rewards and Punishments, that hereafter no pofitive Rewards or Punishments are allotted to Mens Actions, but that the natural Confequence of thofe Actions in the inward Senfe Men have of them, is the fole and only Reward and Punishment; which will be confidered afterwards. THESE must be acknowledged highly refined Principles of Virtue; fublime foaring Notions, calculated rather for the Admiration, than the real Practice and Service of it; to attract and engage the Minds of Philofophers only, and overlook and difmifs every body else from being Followers of it. He that can receive it, let him receive it. If the Promife of this Life added to that which is to come effectually induces but few fincere Votaries; the Number must be greatly diminished, if the future World must be thrown out of Confideration, and denied its proper Influence; which is fo peculiarly appropriated to fecure and promote its Practice in all its Branches. IT must be confeffed likewife, That these Sentiments, fuch as they are, are perfectly confonant to the Syftem of modern Deifm. For, if the future World, and our happy or unhappy Condition there, can only be known by Revelation, it must be inconfiftent with their recommendation of Virtue, to admit of Motives drawn from thence, as long as they reject Revelation. The witty Earl of Rochefter fpoke their Sentiments at once, "That they were equally difre gardful of Rewards as Punishments; one as ઠંડ too high to attain by our flight Services; the "other too extreme to be inflicted for Sin +." * Pag. 21, 22. + Some Paffages of his Life, p. 54. The The Vulgar of the Heathen World feem to have CHAP. had much the Advantage over most of their XVI. Philofophers in this matter. They for the most part tenaciously believed a future State, where the Wicked in general were to be punished, and the Good rewarded; tho' the Particulars of it were as ridiculous, as Poety could invent it: Still the Thing, in its confused Notion, had an Influence upon their Actions. Whilft their Philofophers made a fhift to dispute themselves very cunningly out of the Belief of it: Conjecture and Problem was all the Certainty they had to rely upon, which had no more Influence than a Dream. Somnia funt non docentis, fed optantis They could fhew their Eloquence faft enough in praifing Virtue, whilft they left the Practice to the Vulgar, and made good the Saying, Virtus laudatur, & alget. THUS Sadoc the Founder of the Sadducees, giving Ear to his Mafter Antigonus, "who often "inculcates to his Scholars, that they ought not "to ferve God in a fervile Manner with refpect "to the Rewards, but out of the filial Love "and Fear only, which they ow'd unto him, "inferred from thence, that there were no Re"wards at all after this Life, no Refurrection, 66 no future State, but all the Rewards which "God gave to those who served him were in "this Life only. *" THE primitive Epicureans, tho' they denied Cicero. Prideaux's Connection, Vol. II. P. 1. p. 68. pen'd CHAP. pen'd to ftand between Virtue and its own fole XVI. Reward in this Life, and offered to rectify their Notion, and place their unfupported Heroism fomewhere elfe, they were forced to fly in the Face of Nature, and deny with Tears in their Eyes, and aking Hearts, That Pain or Suffering in this World was any Evil. The Cafe of Poffi donius is well known. AND as nothing can be a Support under Evil but the Hope of after-Good, their Distress was very pitiful in the want of Revelation to affure them of that after-Good. For the Hopes of that after-Good is a Balance to the Evils, Misfortunes, and Inequalities of Life prefent; and the proper Recourfe to and Anticipation of that, brings the Happiness of this Life upon a Level and Equality. "Thofe juft Meafures (fays "Mr. Lock) of Right and Wrong, which Ne"ceffity had any where introduced, the Civil "Laws prefcribed, or Philofophy recommend"ed, ftood not on their true Foundations. "They were look'd on as Bonds of Society and "Conveniencies of common Life, and laudable "Practices. But where was it that their Obli gation was thoroughly known and allowed, "and they receiv'd as Precepts of a Law; of "the higheft Law, the Law of Nature? That "could not be without a clear Knowledge and "Acknowledgment of the Law-maker, and the great Rewards and Punishments, for those that "would or would not obey them. †" 966 BUT when St. Paul addreffed his Audience, at Athens, which confifted of these two sort of Philofophers, he infinuates not one Word into their darling Notions of the Beauty of Virtue, + Reasonabl. of Chrift. p. 275×- Acts xvii. 18, &d or |