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He again deceives himself with refpect to the perfection with which man is held to be originally vefted. That man came perfect, that is, endued with all poffible perfection, out of the hands of his Creator, is a falfe notion, derived from the philofophers.-The univerfal fyftem required fubordination, and confequently comparative imperfection. That man was ever endued with all poffible perfection, that is, with all perfection of which the idea is not contradictory or deftructive of itself, is undoubtedly falfe. But it can hardly be called a falfe notion, because no man ever thought it, nor can it be derived from the philofophers; for without pretending to guess what philofophers he may mean, it is very fafe to affirm, that no philo. fopher ever faid it. Of those who now maintain that man was once perfect, who may very easily be found, let the author enquire whether man was ever omniscient, whether he was ever omnipotent, whether he ever had even the lower power of archangels or angels. Their anfwers will foon inform him, that the fuppofed perfection of man was not abfolute, but refpective, that he was perfect in a sense confiftent enough with fubordination, perfect, not as compared with different beings, but with himself in his present degeneracy; not perfect, as an angel, but perfect as man.

From this perfecton, whatever it was, he thinks it neceffary that man fhould be debarred, because pain is neceffary to the good of the univerfe; and the pain of one order of beings extending its falutary influence to innumerable orders above and be low, it was neceffary that man fhould fuffer; but

because

because it is not suitable to justice that pain fhould be inflicted on innocence, it was neceffary that man should be criminal.

This is given as a fatisfactory account of the Original of moral Evil, which amounts only to this, that God created beings whofe guilt he foreknew, in order that he might have proper objects of pain, because the pain of part is, no man knows how or why, neceffary to the felicity of the whole.

The perfection which man once had, may be fo eafily conceived, that without any unusual ftrain of imagination we can figure its revival. All the duties to God or man that are neglected we may fancy performed; all the crimes that are committed we may conceive forborn. Man will then be restored to his moral perfections, and into what head can it enter that by this change the univerfal fyftem would be fhaken, or the condition of any order of beings altered for the worfe?

He comes in the fifth Letter to political, and in the fixth to religious Evils. Of political Evil, if we fuppose the Origin of moral Evil discovered, the account is by no means difficult: polity being only the conduct of immoral men in publick affairs. The Evils of each particular kind of government are very clearly and elegantly displayed, and from their fecondary causes very rationally deduced; but the first cause lies still in its ancient obfcurity. There is in this Letter nothing new, nor any thing eminently inftructive; one of his practical deductions, that from government Evils cannot be eradicated, and their excess only can be prevented, has been always allowed; the queftion upon which all diffenfion arifes is, when that

excess begins, at what point men fhall cease to bear, and attempt to remedy.

Another of his precepts, though not new, well deferves to be tranfcribed, because it cannot be too frequently impreffed.

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"What has here been faid of their imperfections " and abuses, is by no means intended as a defence "of them every wife man ought to redress them "to the utmost of his power; which can be effected by one method only; that is, by a reformation of manners for as all political Evils derive their original from moral, thefe can never be removed, "until thofe are first amended. He, therefore, who strictly adheres to virtue and sobriety in his conduct, "and enforces them by his example, does more real “ fervice to a ftate, than he who difplaces a minifter,

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or dethrones a tyrant; this gives but a temporary "relief, but that exterminates the cause of the disease. "No immoral man then can poffibly be a true pa"triot; and all those who profefs outrageous zeal for "the liberty and profperity of their country, and at "the fame time infringe her laws, affront her religion, “ and debauch her people, are but defpicable quacks,

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by fraud or ignorance increafing the disorders they "pretend to remedy."

Of religion he has faid nothing but what he has learned, or might have learned from the divines; that it is not univerfal, because it must be received upon conviction, and fucceffively received by thofe whom conviction reached; that its evidences and fanctions are not irresistible, because it was intended to induce, not to compel; and that it is obfcure, because

because we want faculties to comprehend it. What he means by his affertion, that it wants policy, I do not well understand; he does not mean to deny that a good christian will be a good governor, or a good fubject; and he has before juftly observed, that the good man only is a patriot.

Religion has been, he says, corrupted by the wickednefs of those to whom it was communicated, and has loft part of its efficacy by its connection with temporal intereft and human paffion.

He justly observes, that from all this, no conclufion can be drawn against the divine original of christianity, fince the objections arife not from the nature of the revelation, but of him to whom it is communicated.

All this is known, and all this is true; but why, we have not yet difcovered. Our author, if I underftand him right, purfues the argument thus: the religion of man produces evils, because the morality of man is imperfect; his morality is imperfect, that he may be justly a subject of punishment : he is made fubject to punishment because the pain of part is neceffary to the happiness of the whole pain is neceffary to happiness no mortal can tell why or how.

Thus, after having clambered with great labour from one ftep of argumentation to another, instead of rifing into the light of knowledge, we are devolved back into dark ignorance; and all our effort ends in belief, that for the Evils of life there is fome good reason, and in confeffion, that the reason cannot be found. This is all that has been produced

by

by the revival of Chryfippus's untractableness of matter, and the Arabian scale of existence. A fyftem has been raised, which is fo ready to fall to pieces of itself, that no great praise can be derived from its deftruction. To object is always eafy, and it has been well observed by a late writer, that the hand which cannot build a hovel, may demolish a temple*.

• New Practice of Phyfick.

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