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Such is the World's great harmony, that springs

From Order, Union, full Consent of things:

296

Where small and great, where weak and mighty,

made

To ferve, not suffer, ftrengthen, not invade;
More pow'rful each as needful to the rest,
And, in proportion as it bleffes, blest;
Draw to one point, and to one centre bring
Beast, Man, or Angel, Servant, Lord, or King.

300

For Forms of Government let fools conteft; Whate'er is beft adminifter'd is beft: For Modes of Faith let graceless zealots fight; 305 His can't be wrong whofe life is in the right :

NOTES.

VER. 303. For forms of Government, &c.] The author of these lines was far from meaning that no one form of government is, in itself, better than another; (as, that mixed or limited Monarchy, for example, is not preferable to abfolute) but that no form of Government, however excellent or preferable, in itself, can be fufficient to make a people happy, unless it be administered with integrity. On the contrary, the beft

fort of Government, when the form of it is preserved, and the administration corrupt, is most dangerous. P.

VER. 305. For Modes of Faith let graceless zealots fight ;] Thefe latter Ages have feen fo many fcandalous contentions for modes of Faith, to the violation of Chriftian Charity, and difhonour of facred Scripture, that it is not at all strange they should become the objest of fo benevolent and wife an Author's refentment.

In Faith and Hope the world will difagree,
But all Mankind's concern is Charity:

NOTES.

heads, they had but chanced to reflect on the fenfe of one Greek word, AПEIPIA, that it fignifies both INFINITY and IGNORANCE, this fingle equivocation might have faved them ten thou

in carrying on the controverfy. However those Mifts that magnified the Scene, enlarged the Character of the Combatants and no body expecting common sense on a subject where we have no ideas, the defects of dulnefs difappeared, and its advantages (for, advantages it has) were all provided for.

But that which he here | feemed to have more particularly in his eye was the long and mischievous fquabble between W-d and JACKSON, on a point confeffedly above Reason, and amongst those adorable my-fand, which they expended fteries which it is the honour of our Religion to find unfathomable. In this, by the weight of answers and replies, redoubled upon one another without mercy, they made fo profound a progrefs, that the One proved, nothing hindered, in Nature, but that the Son might have been the Father; and the Other, that nothing hindered, in Grace, but that the Son may be a mere Creature. In a word, they made all things difputable but their own dullness; and this they left unquestioned; and it was the only thing they did leave, of which their readers could be certain. But if, instead of throwing fo many Greek which Lucian calls Exóros Fathers at one another'sxéxpos, prefently falls from

The worst is, fuch kind of Writers feldom know when to have done. For writing themselves up into the fame delufion with their Readers, they are apt to venture out into the more open paths of Literature, where their reputation, made out of that stuff,

All must be falfe that thwart this One great End;

And all of God, that bless Mankind or mend. 310

NOTES.

they wrote not, you may be fure, in concert, yet each attacked his Adverfary at the fame time, faftened upon him in the fame place, and mumbled him just in the fame manner. But the ill fuccefs of this escape soon brought them to themselves. The One made a fruitless effort to revive the old game, in a discourse on The importance of the Doctrine of the Trinity; and the Other has been ever fince, till very lately, rambling in SPACE.

them, and their nakedness | chimeras. Yet they would appears. And thus it fared needs venture out. What with our two Worthies. they got by it was only to The World, which muft be once well laughed at, have always fomething to and then forgotten. But one amuse it, was now in good odd circumftance deferves time grown weary of its to be remembered; tho' play-things, and catched at a new object that promised them more agreeable entertainment. Tindal, a kind of Baftard Socrates, had brought our fpeculations from Heaven to Earth: and, under the pretence of advancing the Antiquity of Christianity, laboured undermine its original. This was a controversy that required another manage. ment. Clear fense, severe reasoning, a thorough knowledge of prophane and facred Antiquity, and an intimate acquaintance with human Nature, were the qualities to determine upon this Queftion. A very unpromifing adventure for thefe metaphyfical nurflings, bred up under the shade of

to

This fhort hiftory, as infignificant as the fubjects of it are, may not be altogether unufeful to pofterity. Divines may learn by these examples to avoid the mifchiefs done to Religion and

Man, like the gen'rous vine, fupported lives; The strength he gains is from th'embrace he gives. On their own Axis as the Planets run,

Yet make at once their circle round the Sun;
So two confiftent motions act the Soul;
And one regards Itfelf, and one the Whole.

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315

Thus God and Nature link'd the gen'ral frame, And bade Self-love and Social be the fame.

NOTES.

Literature thro' the affe&a- | ing beyond what can be tion of being wife above understood.

what is written, and know

ARGUMENT OF

EPISTLE IV.

Of the Nature and State of Man with respect to Happiness.

I. FALSE Notions of Happiness, Philofophical and Popular, anfwered from 19 to 77. II. It is the End of all Men, and attainable by all, 30. God intends Happiness to be equal; and to be fo, it must be focial, fince all particular Happiness depends on general, and fince he governs by general, not particular Laws, 37. As it is necessary for Order, and the peace and welfare of Society, that external goods fhould be unequal, Happiness is not made to confift in thefe, 51. But, notwithstanding_that inequality, the balance of Happiness among Mankind is kept even by Providence, by the two Paffions of Hope and Fear, 70. III. What the Happinefs of Individuals is, as far as is confiftent with the conftitution of this world; and that the good Man has here the advantage, 77. The error of imputing to Virtue what are only the calamities of Nature, or of Fortune, 94. IV. The folly of expecting that God fhould alter his general Laws in favour of particulars, 121. V. That we are ✯ not judges who are good; but that, whoever they are, they must be happiest, ✯ 133, &c. VI. That external goods are not the proper rewards, but

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