Power to have been exerted in a mechanical, or arbitrary Manner, which is at once recurring to abfolute Atheism, or, if poffible, to fomething more terrible. Goodness and Justice are undoubtedly moral Perfections in themselves; and accordingly they must be effentially inherent in the Divine Nature, if there be any Divine Nature. Though therefore there may be a Neceffity for a fenfible Demonftration that God is, yet if that be fully apparent from the visible Effects of his Power, it must by immediate Confequence follow from the infeparable Union of Perfections in him, that he is a juft, and a good Being; and if Justice and Goodness in the human Nature be analogous to what they are in the divine, it will follow, again, that though in particular Cafes the Divine Difpenfations may not be agreeable to our Rules and Notions of Justice and Goodness, they will nevertheless finally and ultimately appear to be just and good: And the Sense of this Truth easily and naturally leads us upon numberlefs Occafions to the rational and comfortable Hypothesis of a future State. This Hypothefis alone is the fure Bafis of all Natural Religion; because, if the bare Acknowledgment of the Power of God be allowed to be a fufficient Motive of Adoration and fervile Reverence; yet this alone can induce us to obey him chearfully, to love him fincerely, to depend on him stedfastly. Many of the wifeft and best Heathens

Heathens reafoned in a Manner fimilar to this; and if their Sentiments were not abfolutely clear, and explicit upon fuch important Points, it is plainly to be imputed to the infectious Nature of thofe Notions which universal Ignorance and Idolatry had established in the World.

But to enter a little more particularly and deeply into this Matter: God is a perfect Being, according to the Conceffions, and indeed the Affertions of thefe Theorists themselves; if fo, he is perfect according to our Ideas of Perfection; he is powerful for Inftance according to our Ideas of power; he exists according to our Ideas of Existence; if not it will be impoffible to prove that God has Power, or even exists at all. For how can we prove that God has infinite Power, or eternal Existence, but from what we know and feel to be finite Power and Existence in ourselves? Now if God be powerful according to our Ideas of Power; he is wife according to our Ideas of Wisdom; he is just according to our Ideas of Juftice, &c. or elfe our Ideas are more adequate to the Conception of one Attribute than they are of another: The very Suppofition of which must lead us into many obviously abfurd Confequences. If therefore God be just agreeably to our Notions or Ideas of Juftice, it will follow that though we must not prefume precisely to ascertain the Rule or Measure of Juftice in all

Cafes

Cafes and Difpenfations, yet we may in general conclude, that he cannot act unjustly, or in a Manner demonftrably contrary to an acknowledged, fundamental Maxim, or Law of Juftice: As, though we cannot limit the Extent of Almighty Power, we may nevertheless conclude from our Ideas of it, that it cannot reconcile Contradictions, or make the same Thing be, and not be at the fame Time. Now without pretending to found the Affertion in any particular Cafe, because in such, we may through our Ignorance of the human Heart, and of the real Grounds of the Divine Difpenfations, be mistaken, we may in general affert that the good and evil Things of this Life are not always diftributed according to the exact Proportions of Merit and Demerit in Mankind; a Truth furely as capable of Demonstration as any Propofition in Euclid; and which must be allowed me by those that will grant, that all Men are not equally qualified for the Divine Favour. If they are, where is the Difference between Virtue and Vice, and moral Good and Evil? If they are not, why is not that Favour difpenfed with the most impartial and never-failing Regard to prior Claims and Pretenfions? In fhort, however the Dispenfations of Providence in this World may be reconcileable with the natural Attributes of the Deity, as for Distinction fake we will call them, it will be impoffible to make them uniformly and unexVOL. I. ceptionably

D

ceptionably confiftent with his moral Attributes, according to our Ideas and Notions of them.Nay, even fuppofing all Men to be equally qualified for the Divine Favour, and Virtue and Vice to be a mere nominal Divifion, we shall never be able to vindicate present Distributions upon Principles of Juftice and Equity. For though God might arbitrarily, and in confequence of his Will and Pleasure, allot fome to Happiness, and others to Mifery, where at the fame Time would be the Impartiality of that Designation ?—In a Word, without the Suppofition of a future State we cannot afcribe Perfection to the Deity according to our Conceptions of Perfection; and how we can ascribe it at all, but according to our Conceptions, I am utterly at a Loss to conjecture.

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But, once more; if what has been advanced above upon the Subject of the human Nature as it is characteristically distinguished from that of all other Creatures, be built upon rational Grounds and neceffary Deductions, as I hope it is, it will itself fufficiently demolish every religious System which denies the Reality, or supposes the Uncertainty of a future State. If Man is a Being compounded of Body and Spirit, which we have endeavoured to prove, there is in his Nature a Principle of Existence. A mortal Spirit is a Contradiction in Terms; for the effential Difference be

tween

tween Body and Spirit is, that the latter is not naturally fubject to Corruption. Without attributing this native Principle of Incorruption to Spirit (if I may fo fay) we cannot prove the Eternity of God, which is afferted by all who admit his Existence; for God is not a corporeal Being; he therefore exists as a Spirit to, and from all Eternity. It will follow then, that the Spirit or Soul of Man is immortal, notwithstanding it's present Connection with the Body; because though two Natures may be united, they cannot be made one and the fame. If the Soul then be immortal it furvives the Deftruction or Diffolution of the Body, and confequently it furvives in a future State.

That the Principles here and elsewhere laid down are liable to no Cavils, or stand abfolutely clear of all Difficulties, it would be ridiculous to pretend. A Multitude of Questions relative to Subjects of so abstracted a Nature might be asked, which it would be impoffible to give a precise and determinate Answer to: But these Principles must nevertheless hold good till more clear, rational, and intelligible ones are substituted in the room of them: and till it can be made to appear that Man has no Soul, or that his Soul is mortal, the contrary Hypothefis neceffarily establishes the great Basis of all Religion, the Doctrine of a future State.