great encouragements they meet with from the Papists For if a Protestant be not well vers'd in his own principle and able to confute the Popish Errours a not extraordinary Preferment a Sum of Money the Favour of a Prince either hop'd for or enjoyed will prove convincing Arguments to him of the Truth of Popery and of the falshood of the Protestant Doctrine The Popish Priests in King James's Reign observing how impossible 't was to make the people believe the being of an Infallible Visible Judge of Controversies in the Church since no such thing is countenanc'd either by the Scriptures or by General Councils as likewise that they could not work them into the belief of the strange Mystery of Transubstantiation destroying the very Foundation of all Humane Certitude the Testimony of our Sences and consequently the Fundamental Proofs of Christ's Passion Death Resurrection Ascension yea and of his being real Flesh and Blood if the constant Testimony of Seeing Feeling Touching Tasting deceive us as the Papists tell us they do in the Consecrated Bread and Wine The Priests I say having learned by Experience how blunt their Arguments were against understanding Protestants betook themselves to the only method they could hope success from viz. to the proposing of great Rewards from King James upon the first occasion and from both King and Pope by the Mediation of his Nuncio then residing in London in case they had to do with Church-men And 't was generally observ'd that such as went that way to work were more successful than those who undertook to argue the case with their Adversaries because their Arguments being generally meer Sophisms laid always open the Weakness of the Arguer as well as of the Argument But many more yeilded to the stronger Reasons from Interest Worldly Grandeur and such other advantages as the Churchmen of Rome are us'd to propose to hook men into the bosome of their Church And indeed I often wonder how it comes to pass that they make so few voluntary Converts since they propose so great advantages to such as come over to them upon what account soever But on the other hand if I knew not by my own Experience the almost irresistible impression of Divine Grace and the great force of the discovered Truth I should far more wonder that a Roman Catholick could ever resolve to turn Protestant because new Converts are generally either coldly receiv'd by Protestants or seemingly mistrusted by such as having nothing but the out-side of the Christian Religion are disposed to think others as great Hypocrites as they know themselves to be So that if an understanding and learned Roman Catholick turn from Popery to Protestancy his Conversion to be sure is sincere because he is not allured to our side by any Temporal Advantages to be expected from us who commonly take so little notice of new Converts that we let them often want Necessaries if they cannot do for themselves But if a knowing Protestant surrenders himself to the weak Popish Arguments I question not in the least but that he has some considerable Interest in prospect For why should we think that a man would pull out his Eyes lay aside the use of his Reason submit to an implicite Faith and turn a Fool for just nothing ARTICLE XXIII 1. The mean and irregular Conduct of some Persons of Quality 2. The Design of their Intimacy with some Men. 3. The Ingratitude of Tradesmen To say no more of this matter though a great deal more might be said of it let us consider in this place another kind of Irregularity occasion'd in some Nations and particularly in this very Kingdom we live in by the influence of Riches and Money upon some mens minds who by reason of the great Fortunes they are born to should have the less value for what they possess so much of or at least should not behave themselves so meanly as to make their Equals and familiar Companions such as have no other thing to recommend themselves to the World but what they have got by very injust and shameful means as Dicing Carding Cheating Swearing to say nothing worse if worse can be said Do they not give us just grounds to think they keep such Men Company in hopes of getting from them the ill gain'd Penny by the same methods it was at first got For what other end can they propose to themselves in courting them in a manner at the rate they usually do They cannot sure be in love with their Ingenuity unless we reckon Swearing Cursing Damning Sinking c. pieces of real Wit They can pretend no kindness to them neither upon the account of their civil and obliging behaviour since there is no rudeness but such men are commonly guilty of nor upon the account of their Noble Extraction because having generally sprung out of the lowest Tribe of Mankind without either Friend or Allie better than themselves They buoy themselves up into the world by an inexhausted stock of Impudence which they should rather be undervalued than esteem'd for They must then be fond of conversing with such Men so often and so familiarly upon some other accounts as either because they are able to pay largely their share in pulick Entertainments to the lessening of the charges of the Company or in order to bring them back to their first low condition again by gaining from them what they before had sharp'd from others and when this is done his Lordship knows no more his Old Friend and inseparable Companion in Gaming Feasting Drinking c. whom a little before he was wont to salute kiss and hug in every corner as his Bosome-Friend and Equal but now the case being altered he becomes on a sudden like most men upon such occasions not much fond of the Company they can get no more by The Lawyers Physicians and generally all Tradesmen behave themselves much after the same manner for their own ends all attending courting and omitting no kind of respect towards such as they hope to draw in to be their Customers Yea the proudest Dealer knows how to bow cringe and flatter if by this smooth way so contrary to his unhewed Temper he hopes to hook you into an unreasonable price for his Goods glorying at the same time and boasting of his Wit or rather Wickedness to make perhaps an Hundred Pound at the Years end of every Fool 's Penny For some silly Tradesmen take sometimes the liberty to lend this Character to such as thinking them honest men trust to their Words or pay them small Sums without taking their Receipts wherein they are not so much in the wrong as one would imagine at first for considering their daily knavish and deceitful proceedings with honest and well-meaning men 't is the height of Folly to deal with them but upon a supposition of their being all what some of 'em really are down right Knaves whatever may be their pretences to and reiterated Protestations of Honesty Sincerity and fair
part of man's Soul if I may so speak commonly called Conscience is incorruptible and not easily blinded either whatever may be our endeavours to stifle its remorse ARTICLE XIII 1. Why the Begging Popish Orders preach so often for Alms-giving 2. And why some others handle so seldom this Subject 3. Why few write after they are got into preferment But what is an inducement to sin and sometimes to the greatest of Crimes is often the occasion and chief cause of good and laudable actions This I say because I have observed in Popish Countries that the Preachers generally especially of the Begging Orders employ all the force of Art and Eloquence to shew the great Merit as they speak of Alms-giving My design is not to blame them for serving thus the poor but only by the way to give an account of this odd Phenomene viz. Why they insist more frequently upon this Subject than the Holland Preachers and those of some other Countries since 't is confess'd on all hands that what is given to the poor for God's sake if it be not meritorious as I believe it is not in the rigour is at least a very ready means to procure from our heavenly Father a full remission of our sins It is easie to find out the Reason of this different behaviour of the Begging Popish Tribe from other Preachers that either are richer or depend not so much upon the publick Benevolence because the first know they are to be the best sharers themselves in the Alms they exhort the people so earnestly to and if the latter are not generally so zealous upon this Subject 't is for ought I know upon this account that their Example might reasonably be expected by the people which perhaps many of 'em are not willing to give least they should have less to spend in Superfluities I must observe to you in this place a thing somewhat related to the Premises that though some teach preach and write with all imaginable zeal in defence of the Religion they profess yet if we may judge of their designs by their delicious and idle life after they have got into the long wish'd for preferment we have reason to doubt if this was not the chief thing they aim'd at ARTICLE XIV 1. The Popish Principles coin'd in the Mint of Interest 2. Purgatory how advantageous to Rome 3. A short account of the Virgin Mary of Loretto But to pursue my design somewhat more particularly I shall mind you of another self-evident Truth That the new Doctrines of the Church of Rome have been all coin'd in the Mint of Interest For 1. The Papists considering that the Belief of a Purgatory contributed more than any thing else to the increase of the Revenue of their Church agreed together in the Conventicle of Trent to make it an Article of Divine Faith That the Roman Catholicks might be oblig'd for ever to pay into the Church the Daily and Yearly Rent it produceth and that the simple Bigots might be the more encourag'd to redeem themselves out of its flames with ready Money their Doctors do generally teach That they are every whit as violent and scorching as the fire of Hell it self with the difference only in their duration which they allow to be longer or shorter according to the greater or smaller Sum given to shorten the Soul's stay in Purgatory I should wonder then if Roman Catholicks being once perswaded that there is such a place as this is and that they may suffer there the horriblest torments imaginable several hundreds of years together if they leave not to the Church a part of what they have to redeem their Souls out of such a Prison as this is supposed to be I should wonder I say if they payed not liberally in this life to ease themselves of the torments of the other which they think the very Venial as they speak and slightest sins expose them to Upon this account I was not at all amaz'd during my long Residence in and Travels through Popish Countries to see such vast Sums of Money payed daily and yearly into the Church-Exchequer and far less to hear the Priests preach to the people with so much true or counterfeited zeal the danger they were in to suffer in Purgatory a fire to which all our fiercest fires being compared are but painted ones and flames in representation only and that perhaps till the day of Judgment unless they prudently took care before their departure out of this world to lay down to them their Ransom 2. The Romish Invocation of Saints is such another piece of interested Contrivance When a Saint is once Canoniz'd if the Priests can but impose upon the credulous multitude a Miracle done by or at his Image they have done their business effectually the Convent is on a sudden enrich'd by the daily concourse of silly people with Presents for Masses to be said in the Honour of the Saint to their intentions Pilgrims flock thither in crowds but never with empty hands lest the Priests should not make them welcome 'T is well known what infinite Riches the Chappel of the Virgin Mary of Loretto has already brought and is as yet like to bring to the Church of Rome by the gross Contrivance of a strange Fable about its Transportation to the place where 't is now suppos'd to be The Story in short according to the very Romish Authors runs thus It was first built in Nazareth carried from thence into Dalmatia by an Angel where because it stood upon a piece of litigious ground Two Brothers if I misremember not disputing whose it should be it was removed into a Wood in Italy but the peoples Devotion being disturb'd there by the Banditi it was at last transported to the place where it is now to remain till some other inconveniency happening occasion its Fourth removal ARTICLE XV. 1. The abuse of Popish Indulgences 2. The Advantage accrewing to Priests from their pretended Power over Christ's Natural Body 3. The Canonization of Saints a meer Contrivance to enrich Rome Indulgences in their first institution were nothing else but a remission of Canonical Pains that is of Pains inflicted by the Canons of the Church which no doubt had power likewise to remit them but Covetousness soon stretch'd them farther and to other ends and chiefly to the gathering of Moneys for the use of the Pope and his Cardinals who made the ignorant Mobile believe that by fasting praying in some set form and particularly by paying certain Sums appointed according to every mans ability they should not only ease the Souls of the departed of their torments but likewise deliver them out of Purgatory This abuse ingenuously acknowledg'd by some Popish Authors gave occasion to a thorow Reformation first in Germany and afterwards in most parts of Europe But nothing stirr'd up more the deluded Christian Princes to enrich the Popish Clergy than their being wrought into the belief of the Priests pretended Power over Christs Natural Body
for its preservation is not so much grounded upon their belief of the Truth of the thing because I can by no means believe 'em so silly and senseless as upon the great advantages they get weekly and yearly by keeping it within their own Walls first from all sorts of Strangers going thither very thick to see what sort of Oyl is made in Heaven secondly from the King and the whole Court during their stay there both before and after the Coronation is over ARTICLE XVIII 1. Rome's Politicks 2. The Fond of the Apostolick Chamber 3. The late Pope's Zeal No City in the World has greater Politick Fetches for Interest sake than Rome it self as I have already intimated in another place So that if she is not Mistress of the World as formerly she was by the force of Arms she still maintains her Soveraign Dominion by her Spiritual Tricks not easily suspected by such as being in love with implicite Faith submit blindly their Necks to her Yoke Roma Caput mundi quicquid non possidet armis Religione tenet Though she has lost the Peter's Pence and many other Casualties that enrich'd her of Old nevertheless 't is incredible what vast sums of Money she draws out of all parts of Europe upon pretended Religious Accounts The Annates as the French call them and the First Fruits of every inferiour Benefice as well as of the greater ones bring Yearly vast Treasures into the Romish Exchequer The Possession taken of all Ecclesiastical Benefices of any valuable Revenue is confirm'd by the Pope's Patents But this Confirmation is never granted gratis the Price thereof being sent to the Apostolick Chamber or to be payed to the Pope's immediate Officers upon the place The Rate of what is called Pallium Archiepiscopale the Archbishop's Cloak is always Four Thousand Crowns at least which must needs amount to a vast deal of Money if we consider the great number of Popish Archbishops in Europe alone To say nothing neither of frequent Dispensations of Age of Nearness in Blood of Irregularities to qualifie a Woman or a Man for Marriage or Priesthood nor of daily Appeals to the Pope from all parts of Europe always dearly payed for though with some regard to every man's private ability The Popes very Zeal for the propagation of the Popish Religion is not so much disinterested as those who see no further than the out-side of things may perhaps fancy Innocent the Eleventh was deservedly commended for lending the Emperour and the King of Poland Money towards a vigorous prosecution of the War against the Turks But this was lending of Money to good use since the New Conquests of Hungary and other Neighbour Countries may prove in time as beneficial to Rome as to the Emperour himself considering the great and usurp'd power of the Pope over such people as have not maintain'd from time to time their Priviledges in opposition to the injust encroachments of Priestly Covetousness ARTICLE XIX 1. The Pope Christ's pretended Vicar-General 2. His design in assuming this Title discovered 3. Exceptions in Plenary Indulgences and Jubilees Three things more besides many others that would be too tedious to mention here contribute not a little to the maintaining and enriching of the City of Rome The Residence of Forreign Ambassadours of the Heads of Religious Orders and now more frequent Jubilees than formerly were used to be One of the chief Usurpations of the Popes of Rome was that of the Quality of Christ's Vicar-General upon Earth not to mention the Title of Vniversal Bishop they likewise laid claim to But surely they could not be convinc'd in their Judgment that either of these Titles did really belong to the Bishop of Rome because the first is neither grounded upon Reason Scripture nor upon Tradition it self and the latter would imply the Bishop of that See to be the only Bishop in the World or that none are Bishops but by derivation of their Power and Dignity from the Pope which is manifestly false Allowing then the Popes to have been men of Sence as undoubtedly they were they had certainly some other fetch than meer Ambition in pretending to such high and groundless Titles and this was nothing else but the encrease of their Treasures by the great Concourse upon this account of Forreign Ambassadours from all Christian Princes to Rome To whom they have allowed such large Franchises that they are become almost Masters of that great City to the impairing indeed of the Popes Jurisdiction but to the advantage and enriching of the Citizens because of the vast Expences of those Forreigners among them whereby they are the better enabled to pay the Pope's Taxes The residing likewise of the Generals of most Religious Orders at Rome does not a little encrease his Holiness's Revenue For though some of them live in other Kingdoms yet the most considerable make their abode there and the General Congregations or Synods of the Regular Clergy sit commonly upon occasion in this City whither every Province sends Deputies or Procurators from other Kingdoms to debate and decide Matters of Concern which must needs bring great Treasures to that City each Religious Envoy being allowed Fifty or Threescore Pound for the Expence of his Journey besides what he must spend during his stay in Rome It is likewise observable that whatever Power is given to Priests in Full Plenary General Indulgences and Jubilees to dispense with reserved Cases the Vows made by Votaries to visit Saint Peter's Church in Rome are always craftily excepted and reserv'd to the Pope alone that the deluded Romanists may be still oblig'd to come and spend their Money there But least the design of Interest should be discovered by the suspicious multitude the Pope never fails to except at the same time the Vows or Promises made by the bigotted Papists to go Pilgrims to Saint James Chappel in Compostella But I have said nothing yet of the Famous Year of the great Jubilee a pretty Contrivance to bring in all the Waters of Europe to the Roman Mills It was celebrated at first but every Hundred Year and afterwards every Fifty Year but now every Five and Twenty and perhaps the Popes will some day shorten this time too that they may the oftner drain the Pockets of the Christians by this spiritual and plausible Trick it being not only a bait for the bigotted sort of Roman Catholicks but likewise for curious Protestants flocking upon such occasions in great Numbers to Rome to see the pompous Superstitions of the Romish Church at the very Spring-head ARTICLE XX. 1. A good Advice to Clients 2. A Scotch Lawyers Answer to one of his Clients 3. The late Duke of Lauderdale's Answer to the Right Honourable Earl of Rochester But let us leave the Court of Rome to consider a little how Interest plays its part at the Bar and in Courts of Justice I shall begin with an Advice to Clients not unlike to that which I gave in the Discourse of Wit to
say all without Exception act contrary to their own confess'd Principles For how many grant upon all occasions that no Violence is to be used in matters of Religion that nothing is so much a man 's own as his Conscience that God alone is to judge of our Thoughts and not Men that no Humane Power can call us to an account for our Thoughts though it may punish us for our manifest and visible Deeds yea the very Church of Rome it self did of old affirm That she could not extend her Power over mens inward Sentiments Ecclesia non judicat de internis Nevertheless she thought it at least her Interest as certainly 't is though not that of Jesus Christ to usurp an Arbitrary Power over mens Thoughts as well as over their Bodies else how could she think it lawful either to Dragoon men into her Bosom or to extort from them Confessions conformable to her Doctrine by the Antichristian Cruelty of her Tyrannical Inquisitions But yet if such as take the fittest measures to compass their Ends are deservedly reputed Wise and Prudent we have no great reason to think the Papists so great Fools as some call them For since 't is flatly against the clearest Evidence of Sence and Reason to believe the Mysteries they generally teach as for Instance the Mystery of Transubstantiation or that the Pope of Rome is Infallible it had been no piece of Wisdom in them to have used Arguments in order to convince us of such manifest Untruths They knew very well that nothing but the Faggot Sword or an unmerciful Inquisition could force men to an outward Profession of their belief of such strange Opinions But I need not enlarge upon this Subject since the Papists themselves confess ingenuously and maintain openly the Lawfulness of Persecution upon the account of Religion and that men are not only to be drawn in by Argument but likewise to be forc'd into the Bosome of the Church by the Dint of the Sword I cannot dissemble in this place my hearty Grief and Concern that some Protestants likewise who pretending to Meekness Clemency and Tenderness grant nothing to be more Antichristian than the persecuting of Christians upon the account of their perswasion should allow of Force in matters of Religion so far as may be judg'd necessary to make men consider seriously of our Reasons that at last after a thorough Conviction they may embrace that which we think Truth as if it were not in reality all one to force a man to change his Religion and to force him to a serious Examen of our Arguments which how weak soever will I fancy soon appear unanswerable Demonstrations to such as must suffer either Poverty Imprisonment or Death it self if they confess not themselves fully Convicted The French Persecution was no worse than this would be For that Prince I mean Lewis XIV never pretended more than to compel his Subjects to a serious Consideration of the Chief Grounds of Popery because he well knew that the weakest Argument supported by the Dragooning Sword would either convince his Subjects or at least convert them so far as to make them Hypocrites which was perhaps all the success he could hope for by this Most Christian method I wonder then that men professing upon all Occasions Meekness and Moderation should still stand up for what is worst in Popery the Spirit of Persecution as they really do when they maintain it to be lawful to use Violence in order to oblige men to consider of their Arguments which how weak soever may gather a great deal of Strength from the Force us'd But I cease to be amaz'd at such strange Proceedings when I consider how Natural 't is to all men to pursue eagerly what they think their real Interest For as we are all naturally proud and passionate Lovers of Authority and Command we are easily perswaded that we cannot compass better our ambitious designs than by maintaining our assum'd Power to force men to a serious consideration of the Reasons we ground our Opinions upon which is nothing else if narrowly look'd into but still a Claim to the Popish Infallibility though we declare upon all occasions our Abhorrence of such a groundless and Antichristian Principle ARTICLE XXXV 1. The Jesuits zealous Defenders of the See of Rome 2. And of such Princes as can best protect them 3. The Remissness of their Morals whence No Sect in the World ever pretended more to Infallibility than the Jesuits who generally hold it an Article of their Faith That not only the General Councils but the Pope likewise loquens ex Cathedra is as Infallible in some manner as God himself How men of such Sense and Learning as undoubtedly they are in their own way can be guilty of such a gross piece of Folly as this is few or none perhaps can better guess at than my self as having been once particularly acquainted with their Affairs Since then 't is to be supposed that designing men never act the Fools part but upon some wise account we need not wonder that the Jesuits having first seriously consulted together about the matter resolved to prove zealous and obstinate Defenders of that Article which would put the greatest Obligation upon the Pope viz. of his being the Infallible and Visible Oracle of the Universal Church though they could not but know the unreasonableness of this Tenet and that they might as well believe the Pope Almighty as Infallible But however they were prevail'd with by a Principle of Interest and Self-preservation to maintain this both Antichristian and Atheistical Doctrine because they being much younger than most of the other Religious Orders and upon several known Accounts hated by them all they prudently judg'd that it was impossible for them to withstand so many powerful Enemies unless they were supported by the supposed Vicar of Christ the Bishop of Rome To be sure then of the Pope's Protection upon occasion they not only declared him in their Schools and preach'd him up in their Pulpits as Infallible but by a Fourth Vow tied themselves so intirely to his Service that they are obliged upon Orders from the Pope to go whither and upon whatever Errand he pleases to command them If they thought it at their first appearing in the World their Interest and think it still to close in with the Pope they believe themselves no less concern'd now to stand up for the Princes in whose Territories they live because they are abler to protect them than the Pope himself their prudence being particularly observable in this that they are always on the strongest side which is so true that the French Jesuits of old were usually called Spaniards by the French Mob because of their presum'd Intrigues with the King of Spain the most powerful Prince then in Europe yea 't is not long since the very German Jesuits were generally thought inclinable to the French Interest though I am now inform'd that they begin to look home again because
a Self-evident Principle For if God is a necessary Being as we all conceive him to be then this very Idea implies his actual Existency or if a Being infinitely perfect be possible as all Christians say 't is then to be sure it really exists because actual Existency must of necessity be reckon'd one yea and the very Foundation of all his other Perfections This unanswerable Demonstration to a Christian Reader may be propounded thus in a few words A Being infinitely perfect implies no Contradiction therefore it actually exists the first Proposition is agreed to on all hands among Christians and cannot be denied by Atheists themselves upon any probable Grounds the Inference was proved a little before but because in answer to the first Demonstration the Atheists allow no being to be necessary I must close in with them and endeavour their Conviction by an unanswerable Demonstration though I confess it neither to be a Priori as the School-men speak or from the Cause because there can be none such God being the First Cause of all things nor a Posteriori in the Rigour or from any Production of God yet from an undeniable Falshood which must needs ensue upon our allowing with the Atheists this Principle That all things without exception are contingent and it is in short this That all possible things might become impossible if all things were contingent which no man of common Sence will grant For let us suppose what is really possible if all things are contingent that nothing actually is since a contingent Being is that which may be or not be Now in this case all possible things that is all contingent things are impossible because that is impossible which has no Cause to bring it out of the bosome of nothing But there is no Cause to bring contingent things out of the bosome of nothing if they once are not in being therefore they are then absolutely impossible That there is no Cause to bring contingent things out of the bosome of nothing if they once are not in being 't is clear from the supposition of nothing actually existing For first grant to the Atheist all things to be contingent And secondly allow this supposition not impossible if all things are contingent that nothing is actually in being Then to be sure there can be no cause to bring any thing out of the bosome of nothing that is to produce any thing because nothing can act unless it have an actual foundation both in Essence and Existency which is not here allowed of because we suppose nothing to exist for since the Atheist grants all things to be contingent he must of necessity confess that they may not be and in this case as I have sufficiently prov'd they are all impossible From the Premises 't is clear That unless we admit of a necessary Being that is the Cause of all things we must confess against the clearest evidence of Reason That all things possible may become impossible if all things are contingent Quod erat demonstrandum But because this Metaphysical way of reasoning is not fitted to a vulgar Capacity I shall endeavour to prove the Being of God by such an easie and obvious Argument that I am concluded by it my self to believe that there can be no such thing as a down-right Atheist in the grossest sence of this word because all Mankind being Eye-witness of the regular Natural Motions whither in the Heavens or in this Globe we dwell upon the very dullest sort cannot but know that a constant Uniformity in Motion must of necessity proceed from the over-ruling Direction of an Understanding Being since no fortuitous Motion can either be durable or regular For if the Stars for Instance mov'd in their respective Orbs by meer chance and not by certain Laws prescrib'd to 'em by the Author of Nature God himself could any man be so unreasonable as to think that their rising and their going down their monthly and yearly motions and all their other Phenomena's or appearances could prove so constantly regular as we observe them to be Would not those vast Celestial Bodies tumbling up and down those huge Orbs without the concurrence of an Understanding Being to direct them fall often foul one upon another and represent to us every Day New Objects to look at by their daily fortuitous Combinations Certainly if nothing but chance govern this World we must believe that to be most false which we know by daily Experience to be most true that a Clock or a Watch is made by the fortuitous concourse of the Spring Chain Wheels c. into that situation which is necessary to shew the Hours of the Day That Stone Timber and other Materials tumbling luckily but fortuitously together rais'd all the Cities and Stately Palaces of great Princes without any Architect or Overseer of the Work that the Body of Man so admirable for the Excellency of its Structure is not the product of Art but a meer fortuitous Coalition of Atomes But though this visible World prove to us the Being of God by as many convincing Arguments as there are Creatures in the Universe yet so irresistible is the Impression of Interest over some mens minds that if it were possible they would extinguish the in-bred Light that points out to them a Deity with the same Beams it setteth before their Eyes the Visible Works of its Almighty Power since some endeavour to impose upon themselves the belief of a fortuitous Coalition of the Atomes into such a Frame as we now observe in the World without taking notice of a Soveraign Being as the true Cause of this so orderly and so wonderful a Structure to that degree of Blindness and Impiety as to say in their Hearts There is no God Dixit impius in Corde suo non est Deus But to make use of the Scripture-phrase 't is impossible they should say so in their Understanding in intellectu because whatever they seem to say to the contrary they cannot but judge by the obvious Regularity of the Natural Motions and yearly Productions that there is a God and how merciful soever a severe punisher of Sin though they wish perhaps there were no such Being that they may never be called to an account for their daily Sins and heinous Misdemeanours for cheating other men of their Goods and Estates without the least Scruple their chief and only Design in endeavouring thus to blind themselves being no other but to heap up by unlawful means whatever may contribute to their Satisfaction in this World without any Check if it were possible of their Conscience ARTICLE XXX 1. The Justice of God asserted 2. What the Desire of Eternal Happiness implies 3. Why some Men deny a future World's Existence That a future World's Existence is denied by some who are thoroughly convinc'd of the Being of a God 't is too evident but not to every Vulgar Understanding upon what Grounds though one would think they could give no rational account why
they flatly deny such an almost self-evident Truth For since they allow God to be Just and to that degree that no kind of Injustice can be laid to his charge they must of course acknowledge another Life after this in which the just and best sort of men are often oppress'd while the Wicked flourish and live in Plenty adding to their Sins as they add to their Treasures We must then without doubt expect Justice to be done sometime or other both to the former and to the latter as well knowing God to be the Punisher of Sin as well as the Rewarder of Vertue but neither could be true without the Truth of a future World because 't is certain that Vertue is not always rewarded in this Life nor sin punish'd The men we speak of in this place must needs be convinc'd of their judging contrary to their own Experience if they do but reflect upon the desire they find themselves pressd with of an Eternal Happiness which God whom they allow to do nothing in vain has planted in their Hearts in order to make them use the means he has prescrib'd for the attainment of the same Notwithstanding the irresistible Evidence of the foregoing Reasons to all mankind if layed open in every Particular some deny still the Being of a â—uture World because 't is they think their Interest so to do since if there be any such State after this Life they may expect to suffer in it for their Crimes committed in this not to mention that the belief of a future World would oblige them to make restitution in time of what they had got together by injust means as Cheating Oppression Usury Simony and other such like Sins So irresistible in some is the Power of Temporal Interest as to cause them not to believe or at least to doubt of this fundamental Article of Religion that they may pursue their Worldly and Transient Concerns without any Scruple or Fear of Punishment ARTICLE XXXI 1. Pretences of such as admit of no Free Will 2. The Consistency of God's Foreknowledge of and Soveraignty over Mens Actions with the Freedom of Humane Will 3. Why so many follow the Predestinarian Principle 'T is upon the same account that so many fancy themselves Slaves and deprived of all Freedom of Will yea and seem to be sure of what they say 1. From the Foreknowledge of God 2. From our Dependency upon him Yet 't is certain on the other hand that the Divine Prescience or Fore-knowledge is not destructive to our Liberty though I deny not but that our Actions because of God's Foreknowledge may be call'd to use a School-Expression Hypothetically or Consequentially necessary as the Fall of a Man into a Precipice is necessary in the same sence if I see him fall in which Case it cannot be said that my looking on throws him head-long into the Ditch This Vulgar Example may help us to remove this not inconsiderable difficulty against an experienc'd and felt Truth as that of our being free and not necessary Agents As to what is us'd to be said of the Inconsistency of our Freedom in acting with our Dependency upon God 't is but a very illusory and frivolous Objection For though I be suppos'd to act freely 't is certain that this very Power of acting freely is from God Quid enim habes quod non accepisti says the vulgate Edition of the Bible somewhere What hast thou that thou hast not received Therefore it cannot be said that I do not depend upon God in acting unless it be first made out that I have received this Power from some other Being As then a careful Father giving money to his Son giveth him at the same time this wholesome and Fatherly Advice Though I leave you to your own Liberty my Intention is that you should make a right Vse of this Gold and not throw it away upon sinful Recreations because I am resolved to punish you if you apply this Money to other Ends than I intended it for and to reward you if you comply to my earnest and just Desires By what this Father says to his Son we may conceive how God hehaves himself towards us in giving us the Power to do good and evil but with a Design that we should do good and not evil lest we be severely punish'd for omitting what we should have done the former being intended and not the latter though we be free to do either else we could neither be said to deserve Praise for the one nor Punishment for the other To conclude we must either say that God could not create Man free or in case he created him free that he allowed him the Power to do good and evil and that he is notwithstanding this allowance absolute Master of all his Actions because he may hinder them when he pleases by either destroying or suspending the Power they spring from As I am then of Opinion That some other Reason engageth so many Christians to embrace this immoral and dangerous Doctrine so I believe it to be nothing else but a certain kind of Interest Though not a few I confess of a good Life and Conversation deny flatly the Freedom of Humane Will to do good or evil yet 't is I fancy impossible they should owe their Goodness to this Predestinarian Principle because if once believed it must set a man extreamly at ease and make him wholly unconcern'd in his Conscience how unlawful soever the business may be he goes about For why should a man scruple at any thing if 't is not in his Power not to do what he does That I may be the better understood I shall state the Case thus Suppose a man much stronger than my self laying hold on me killeth another man with my hand am I guilty of the Murder or he who makes use of my Arm to commit this Crime in a manner irresistible on my side The Application of this Example is so easie and so obvious to the meanest Capacity that I need not enlarge upon it For as no man having his Wits about him will think that I ought to suffer upon the account of the forementioned Murder which I could not hinder so I cannot fancy my self liable to be punish'd by the Laws of a Just God because of my committing a Crime which I could not possibly avoid 'T is true we kill noxious Animals by reason of the hurt they do or may do to the Members of the Common-wealth but yet we are not so unreasonable as to think them guilty of Sin upon that account If then we follow the Predestinarian Principle we must of course fancy our selves guiltless whatever Sin we commit since we have no freedom to shun it I desire to have nothing to do with Men thus Principled because if I do them a good turn I shall not be thank'd for it and they being acted in their deluded Fancy like meer Machines and Slaves rather than acting like Free and Rational Men