p.. 245.

yet

Dr. Lucas, Enquiry after Happiness, Part in. The Epecurians confined the happiness of man to this fhort life; and by a probable confequence refolved it ultimately into the en'joyments of the body.' Ibid. p. 145. Without another life, all other motives to perfection will be infufficient. For though, generally fpeaking, 'fuch is the contrivance of human nature, &c.— it is certain, that not only in many extraordinary cafes, there would be no reward at all for virtue, if there were not one referved for it in another world, but alfo, in moft cafes, if there were not a future pleafure that did infinitely outweigh the enjoyments of this life, men would fee no obligation to perfection. For what 'fhould raise them above the love of this world, ' if there were no other? or above the love of the body, if, when they died, they fhould be no more for ever ?"

| Pract. Chriftanity, part ii. Chap. 1 ] For the law of our nature being I humbly conceive, nothing else but the law and dictates of reafon; and the bufinefs of reafon being, in this refpect at leaft, only to diftinguish between good and 'evil; our reafon would talk to as at another rate, because it would proceed by different principles: Good and evil would than peradventur be different things [from what they are at prefent]; for whatever would make for the pleasure and intereft of this prefent world, would be good; and even pleasure and intereft 'would not per adventure be the fame thing then, for the foul would not challenge fo diftinct a confideration and provifion then, as

as now;

now:

:

now: For it would not only be lawful, but wife, ' for it to become fenfual and wordly and fo the fame pleasure and intereft would minister to the ❝ happiness of both body and foul, &c.”

[Ibid. Chap. 4.]" Were there no life to come, it would behove every man to be content with ❝ and make the most of this. Nor do Iat all doubt, ◄ but that men may manage their lufts so, as that they may not be able to infer reafon enough to relinquish them, from any influence they have upon their worldly intereft. Or if any one thould think it neceffary to purchase a pleasure by 'fhortening his life, or leffening his eftate, I cannot fee why he may not have reafon on his fide: For a short life and a merry one, and my mind to me a kingdom is, would, upon the former fuppofition, be wife proverbs: for upon this fuppofition, the pleasures of the mind would ❝ be narrow and faint, and the checks of confcience none, [or] [and] infignificant."

Bp. Pearfon on the Creed, p. 304, 305. Such is the sweetness of our fins, fuch the connaturalness of our corruptions, fo great our confi'dence of impunity here, that, except we looked for an account hereafter, it were unreasonable to expect that any man fhould forfake his delights, renounce his complacencies by a fevere repentance, create a bitterness to his own foul -We are naturally inclined to follow the bent ❝ of our own wills, and the inclination of our own hearts. All external rules and prescriptions are burthenfome to us; and did not we look to give an account, we had no reason to satisfy 4 any other defires than our own, &c.'

€ 2

Mr.

Mr. Glanville's Sermons, p. 278. If this be all the life of man, [1. e. the only life he is to lead] his end and happinets would then be to provide for the body, and the gratifications of ' its fenfes.'

Mr. Pemb'e's Sermon, p. 479. Poor is the ⚫ contentment that can be found in virtue and religion, if it ftretch no farther than to the end of this life-Cut from a man his hope in Chrift for herea ter, and then the Epicure's countel will 'feem good, Let us eat and drink, for to-morroy wede. Let us take our pleafure while we may, If we die as beasts, and come to nothing, then let us live as beafts too, &c. What avails us to joy in virtue and religion? to follow an empty nime of goodnefs? when nothing is got by it after death, and for the prefent, nothing worth the defiring? Let us reftrain our eyes and our hearts from no pleafures that may be procured; let virtue be only our tale to win honour, where men out of error, efteem highly of it: Among others love we vice, where virtue is banifhed, ' &c. Good wholesome counfel if the day of our death were the utmost period of our time. beyond which no happinefs were to be enjoyed!" Dr. Stradling's Sermons, p. 476. The immortality of the foul once denied, the concern for it could not be much; it being not probable that fuch men fhould please themfeves with a pretence of virtue, who denied the future re♦ wards of it. And from fuch premifes that conclufion mentioned by St. Paul could pot but follow, Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die. It is but reafonable to imagine that they, ' who

who thought they fhould die like beafts, fhould • live like them; husband that life the bett they could, which fhould never returh when once gone; and make it as pleasant as they faw it was fhort. Which, if there was no other life to come, was, no doubt, a rational courfe, and the highest wifdom, " P. 479. But here fome may object, that if there were no God, no * life to come, yet there is so much fatisfaction in living according to the rules of right reafon and virtue, that even that confideration thould o▾ blige men' to do so and make men moit happy. In aniwer to this objection he confeffes(p. 48c.) That, to live according to the rules of right • reason is most agreeable to human nature, and conducing to happiness in this life; But adds It may be queftionable, whether a dry platonical idea of virtue, perifhing with ourselves, or a bare moral complacency in it, might, in the ba lance of reafon,weigh down thofe other more fenfual delights, which gratify our lower faculties; or • a fevere and morofe virtue have charms in it e' qual to all those various pleasures which footh ' and flatter our appetites.' And he foon after fubjoins thefe admirable words, which I do in a very particular manner recommend to the confideration of the Writer of the Letter: Far be it from me to decry moral virtue, which even heathens have granted to be a reward to itfelf; but furely in the cate of anihilation very fhort of a complete one. And to cry it up, as fome do, to the weakening of our belief and hope of the immortality of the foul, however at first blush it may feem plaufible, is in effect, no better

• than

• than a subtle invention to ruin virtue by itself; fince it cannot poffibiy fubfift but by the belief ⚫ and fupport of another life,'&c. p. 481, 482,483.

The Letter-writer (unknown as he is, and refolves to be) cannot, I perfuade myself, even in his privacy, read these citations without blushing, after the cenfident charge he hath advanced against me, of preaching new doctrine. If he had not any of these paffages in his eye (as one would be charitably inclined to fufpect) the accufation is extremely rafh; if he had, it is base and dishonest. Either way there is little room to hope for any candor, or common juftice, in the management of this difpute, from a man who lays the foundation of his reasonings in fo notorious an untruth.

St. Auftin, as I find him cited by Grotius, was exactly of the fame fentiments. Auguftinus, fublatis præmiis pœnifque poft hanc vitam, verum flaturum ait-partibus Epicuri, in Matth. xvi. 24.

Lactantius fpeaks very largely, and very emphatically, to the fame pnrpofe; where he argues against the opinion of Epicurus concerning the fouls mortality. I will not fwell this piece with a tranflaion of the paffages. Quis cum hoc • affirmari audiat, vitiis et fceleribus abftineat ? Nam, fi perituræ funt animæ, appetamus divitias, ut omnes fuavitates capere poflimus. Qua 'fi nobis defunt, ab iis, qui habent auferamus clam, dolo, vi; eo magis, fi humanas res Deus nullus curet: quandocunque fpes impunitatis arriferit, rapiamus, necemus-Voluptatibus igitur quoque modo poffumus, ferviamus. Brevi • enim tempore nulli crimus omnino. Ergo nul

• lum