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But yet both natural and moral Corruption have their Bounds, neither does God permit them to fpread farther than is conducive to the Good of the whole*. It may feem flrange to us that he fuffers both

NOTES.

fully in reducing them to their Duty, and to convince them more clearly of the Expedience and abfolute Neceflity of obeying him, and thereby to confirm them, or at least all the rest of his Subjects, in a well grounded Obedience to his Government, in which their Happiness entirely confifs: Or like a Father that finding his Children obftinately dif bdient, fuffers them fometimes to wander aftray, and fall into fome Dingers and Inconveniencies, and lets them fmart under the Mifery which they bring upon themselves, in order to make them more fenfible of their need of his Affiftance and Direction, and thereby more dependent on him for the future, and more fubject to him, and therefore more fure of Happiness. This Compari fon is well explain'd by Sherlock on Providence, Chap. 7. P. 262.

Hence it will appear that we have reafon to fuppofe that the Fall of Man from Earthly and Animal Delights, was defign'd to raise him to a Rational and Heavenly State of Happiness, and to make way for fuch a wonderful Di'play of all the Divine Attributes in that Expedient, as could not have been exhibited at all, or not in fo high a Degree without it; and confequently that this Method was the very best even for our ocon Syfem. But if this Suppofition feem improbable, or infufficient, yet why may not all the Mifery in this Syftem of ours promote and encrease the Happiness of fome others [.]? We have good reason to believe that there is fome Connection between the different Syftems of the Univerfe; but have fmall ground to imagine ours the belt, why then may it not be fubfervient to a better? This indeed is only Conjecture; however, I think it would be no eafy Matter to confute it; till which be done, we may very fafely conclude with our Author, that the Fall itself, as well as all the Sin and Mifery confequent upon it, cou'd not have been prevented without greater detriment to the whole and one may fay the fame of Eve as the Poet did of the hand of Mutius Scavila : Si non erraffet, fecerat illa minus [f]

*See Sherlock on Providence, Ch. 7. p. 261. 2d Edit. and Scott's Chriftian Eife, V. 2. C. 4. par. 3. p. 318, &c. 8vo. [e] See Note 83.

[] See Leibnitz Effais de Theodicee, Part 3. §. 239. Concerning the Manner of the Fall. See the 7 1ft Chapters of Revelation examin'd with Candour, &c. or the Univerfal History C. 3.

both of them to wander over this World of ours without Restraint; but what is our World to the whole Syftem of the Univerfe? How fmall a Part! how next to nothing! Let this whole Earth of ours be ftain'd with Corruption of both kinds; fuppofe it clouded and benighted with Darkness and Vice, yet it will be but like a very small Spot in a very beautiful Body, which is fo far from leffening, that it encreases the Comeliness and Beauty of the whole. The Earth, notwithstanding its Obscurity, has its Use and Place in Nature, which it could not commodiously fill if those things which render it liable to Darkness and Corruption were removed. The fame muft be faid of Men, they have their proper Ufe and Station, and in order to fill it commodiously, they were to be created of fuch a Nature and Difpofition as might easily be corrupted with Vice. Neither have we any more reason to conclude that all free Agents are involv'd in Evil Elections, because this happens almost univerfally to Men, than that all the Regions of the Heavens are subject to the fame Changes that our Air is liable to. The whole Work of God may be bright and beautiful, tho' that Point which conftitutes our World feem by itself rude and unadorn'd and tho' fome Parts appear to us, who have not a View of the whole Contexture, larger or lefs than the juft Proportion requires, yet they may agree with others in the moft perfect Symetry. Nor need we prefume upon the Divine Wisdom and Goodness in the Moral, any more than in the Natural World. The Crimes and Vices themselves are very few in comparison of the free Agents,

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(A A.) and may contribute to the Good of the whole, no less than natural Corruption does to the Preferva

NOTES.

(AA) Concerning the prevalency of Moral Evil in the World, the Objector is fo confident as to declare that no-body can have the least doubt of it, and he dares fay the Author himself believed it. But the Author profeffes himself to be of a quite different Opinion. He firmly believes and thinks he very well comprehends that there is much more moral Good in the World, nay in the Earth, than Evil. He is fenfible there may be more bad Men, than good, because there are none but do amifs fometimes, and one ill act is sufficient to denominate a Man bad. But yet there are ten good acts done by thofe we call bad Men for one ill one. Even l'erions of the very worth Character may have got it by two or three flagrant enormities, which yet bear no proportion to the whole Series of their Lives The Author doth not know the Objector, nor with whom he converses, but he must profefs that among fuch as he is acquainted with, he believes there are hundreds that would do him good for one that would do him hurt, and that he has receiv'd a thousand good Offices for one ill one. He could never believe the Doctrine of Hobbs that all Men are Bears, Wolves and Tygers to one another; that they are born Enemies to all others and all others to them; that they are naturally falfe and perfidious; or that all the good they do is out of Fear not Virtue. He that defcribes Mankind in this manner may give us caufe to fufpc&t that he himself is fuch, but if Mankind were taken one by one perhaps not one could be found in an hundred thousand that could truly own the Character. Nay the very Authors of this Calumny, if their own Characters were call'd in Question, would take all poffible Pains to remove the Sufpicion from them, and declare that they were fpe king of the Vulgar, of the bulk of Mankind, and not of themfelves. Nor in reality do they behave in this manner toward their Friends and Acquaintance; if they did, few wou'd own them ab ferve fome of thofe that exclaim against all Mankind for treachery, difhonefty, deceit and cruelty, and vou'll find them diligently cultivating Friendships and difcharging the feveral Offices due to Friends, Relations and their Country, with Labour, Pain, lofs of Goods, and hazard of Life itself: even where there's no fear to drive them to it, nor inconvenience attending the neglect of it. This you'll fay proceeds from Cuftom and Education. Be it fo: However the World then

has

Prefervation of the Syftem. Nay one Man's Fault is often corrected by the Vices of another, and the Deformity

NOTES.

has not fo far degenerated from Goodness but the greater Part of Mankind exercife Benevolence, nor is Virtue fo far exiled not to be fupported and approved, praised and practifed by common Consent and public Suffrage and Vice is ftill disgraceful. Indeed we can fcarce meet with one, unless prefs'd by neceffi. ty or provoked by injuries, who is fo barbarous and hard hearted as not to be mov'd with Compaffion and delighted with Be neficence to others; who is not inclined to fhew Good-will and Kindness to his Friends, Neighbours, Children, Relations, and diligent in the Discharge of civil Duties to all; who does not profefs fome regard for Virtue, and think himfelf affronted when he is charged with Immorality. one take notice of his own or another's Actions for a Day together, he'll perhaps find one or two blameable, the rest all innocent and inoffenfive. Nay, 'tis doubtful whether a Nero or Caligula, a Commodus or Caracalla [g.] (tho' Monsters of Mankind, and prone to every act of wickedness and Fury) have done more ill than innocent Actions thro' their whole Lives.

If any

"Tis to be obferv'd in the second place, that one great Crime fuch as Murther, Theft or Rapine is oftener talk'd of more univerfally reported, and much longer remember'd than a thousand goed, peaceable, generous Deeds, which make no noife in the World, nor ever come to public notice, but are filently paffed by and overlooked. Which very thing fhews that the former are more rare than the latter, otherwife they would not be received with fo much Surprize, Horror, and Aftonifhment.

3dly, "Tis obfervable that many things are done very innocently, which Perfons unacquainted with the Views and Circumftances of the Actors efteem criminal. 'Tis certain we cannot judge of the goodness or badness of an Action from bare Appearances, but rather from the inward Motions and Intentions of the Mind, and the light in which the thing appear'd to the Agent. Nero kill'd a Man that was innocent, but who knows whether he did it out of premeditated Malice? Perhaps fome entrusted with the care of his Perfon, or a flattering Courtier, whom he is obliged to depend on, informs of this innocent Man as plotting a confpiracy against the Emperor's

[g] See Cardans Encomium of Nero.

Life

Deformity stamp'd upon the Works of God by the Wickedness of fome, is obliterated by the fupervening

NOTES.

Life, and urges difpatch left he be firft furprized: Perhaps the Informer is impofed upon himself, and thinks it real: 'tis plain fuch Circumftances very much leffen the Guilt; and it is probable if the Crimes of Princes were weighed impartially, and the whole Procefs laid open, many things might be offer'd which would greatly alleviate them.

4thly, Many things are done thro' Ignorance of the Law, and because those who cominit them do not know that they are vicious; nay they are often efteem'd Virtues. Thus St. Paul perfecuted the Church, and himfelf owns that he did it out of ignorance, and therefore obtain'd Mercy. How many things of this kind are done dayly by fuch as profefs different Religi ons? 'Tis true, thefe are Sins, but Sins of Ignorance, which eafily obtain Forgiveness, and as they do not proceed from an evil Difpofition, and depraved Will are scarce to be reckon'd in the number of Moral Evils. Whoever falls foul on others out of a Love of Virtue, Hatred of Vice, or Zeal towards God, does wrong, but ignorance and an honeft heart make very much for his excufe. This Confideration alone wou'd take a great deal off from the number of wicked Perfons.

Neither does this excufe hold only in matters of Religion; Party prejudices have alfo a fhare in it, which induce Men to extirpate with Fire and Sword thofe that they believe to be public Enemies and Traytors to their Country. There's no Error more pernicious to Mankind and which has produced more or greater Crimes than this; and yet it arifes from an honest Mind. The Mistake lies here, that they forget that their Country and Commonwealth ought only to be defended by juft and lawful Means and not at the expence of Humanity.

5thly, Prejudice and Surmife makes many wicked that really are not fo. The most innocent Conversation between Man and Woman gives the Malicious a handle to fufpect and flander them. From any one fingle Circumftance that ufually attends a criminal Action the fufpected Perfon is found guilty of the Fact itself: From one bad Action a Man's whole Life is difparag'd and judg'd to be of the fame tenor: if one Member of a Society be caught in a fault, all the reft are prefum'd to be as bad. 'Tis fcarce credible how many are look'd upon as fcandaloufly wicked thro' fuch Sufpicions, who are very far

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