foning upon whatever Subject are owing to our not going deep enough; but taking that for Truth which Ourfelves do not See is fo; Whereas nothing fhould be Borrowed, nothing Supposed, or taken for granted; All fhould be our Own; that is, it fhould become fo by our feeing the Reasons upon which 'tis Bottom'd as clearly as we Prefume Others have done. This Main Point being Secured, and the Mind thereby in Repofe, and Joyous, an Improvement in Pleafure may be made if one Part of our Idea of God is that he takes not deDelight in our Miferies, and Sufferings. Men are generally apt to imagine God to be fuch a one as themfelves; and when Sour, Melancholly, Worn-out People undertake to inftruct others in these matters, as they often do, they represent things accordingly. Hence (I conceive) it it is that it has been almoft Univerfally thought that God takes Pleafure in our Pains and Afflictions. For my Own Part My Idea of him is just the Reverse of this. It Seems to Me much more Reafonable (I am speaking on the Suppofition of Liberty of the Will ac cording to the Common receiv'd Opinion) I say 'tis much more Reafonable in my Apprehenfion to believe that he approves of the Wif dom of those that Thankfully Enjoy the Good before them: And that to do Otherwife he efteems to be as offering the Sacrifice of Fools and will fay, Who hath required this at your Hands? What a fine Image does the Angel in Milton give us of the Supremely Good Being prefiding over the Enjoyments of the Bleffed in Heaven! On Flowers repos'd, and with fresh Flowrets crown'd They Eat, they Drink, and in Communion Sweet Quaff Immortality, and Joy; fecurelio. et of Of furfeit where full meafure only bounds If we confider'd God as the Common Father of all his Creatures, These on Earth, as well as Those Above, we might have the fame Pleasure in the Consciousness of having done Well when we Accepted an Enjoyment offer'd by his Providence, as when we Refus'd it; when we tafted Pleasure, as when we felt Pain: We might then Enjoy the Religious Pleasure, and the Natural one too: Thus he that has burnt Incense in a Golden Cenfer, might go away with an Opinion of his being as acceptable to the Deity, as he that has offered his Children to Moloch. Being thus at liberty to perfue Pleasure, (as much a Paradox as it may seem) the way to improve this liberty to the greatest Advantage is to confine our Selves within the id Bounds of Innocence, and Virtue. And that not only because we are thereby entitled to the Favour of God, and have Peace of Confcience; fuch Theological Confiderations I leave to Divines as being their Province; I only infift upon the bare natural Reason of the thing. Nor am I about to deny that a Libertine Voluptuary has many Pleafures which a Man of Virtue has not; But let it not be forgotten on the other fide that he has Sufferings too which the other avoids; and has not Pleafures peculiar to Virtuous Men: weigh one thing with another, and then see how the Account ftands. Such is the Goodness of God that he has provided abundance of Pleafure for us; efpecially all thofe Actions which are neceffary to the Prefervation of the Species, and that of every Individual by a conftant Supply of Aliment have PleaSER SW DIRE 91s fure fure annex'd to the Performance of them. But as our Appetites are apt to be inordinate thro' our exceffive love of Pleasure, and our Bodies are fo conftituted, and Humane Laws have fo well provided for the Common Good that the Pleasure may continue after the good Ends are ferv'd, and then those things in which we find Delight become Hurtful; a Reftraint must be put upon thefe Appetites, and this is called Virtue. Thus Chaftity, and Temperance; and Temperance not only in Meats, and Drinks, but in Study, Application to Business, Exercife, or whatever other the moft commendable Actions; these are Virtues, because by them we are restrain'd from impairing our Health, or our Fortunes, and fhortening our Days, by which means we should be deprived of many Pleasures. Juftice is a Virtue; the ardent Defire we have of Pleafure Y 2 |