תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

lum diem, nullum temporis punctum, fluere nobis fine voluptate patiamur; ne, quia ipfi ' quandoque periture fumis, id ipfum, quod viximus, pereat," Lib. iii. Sect. 17. Again, Virtus, foli, homini deta, magno argumento est immortales effe animas; quæ nec erit fecundum naturum, fi anima extinguitur; huic enim præfenti vitæ nocet, &c. Si ergo et prohibet iis bonis ⚫ hominem, quæ naturaliter appetuntur, et ad fuf'tinenda mala impellit, quæ naturaliter fugiuntur; ergo malam eft virtus, et inimica naturæ ftultumque judicare neceffe eft qui eam fequitur, quoniam fe ipfe lædit et fugiendo bona præfentia, et appetendo æque mala fine fpe fructus amplioris," &c. Lib. vii. Sect. 9.

[ocr errors]

Need I urge any further authorities? perhaps the names of Mr. Locke, and Monf. Pafchal, may be of greater weight with fome men than most of those I have mentioned; and therefore a few lines, taken from either of their writings, fhall clofe thefe citations.

Locke's Hum. Underft. Bookxi. Ch. 21. Sect. 35. Ed. 1. 'If men in this life only have hope, if in this life only they can enjoy, 'tis not strange, ⚫ nor unreasonable, they fhould feek their happiness, by avoiding all things that displease them here, and by preferring all that delight them; wherein it will be no wonder to find variety and • difference; for if there be no profpect beyond the grave, the inference is certainly right, Let us eat and drink, let us enjoy what we delight in, " for to-morrow we die.'

Pafchal, according to his way, hath rather hinted than fully expreffed the fame thought. However,

However, thofe who are acquainted with his manner of writing, will eafily learn his opinion from what follows: Tis certain that either the · Soul is mortal or immortal. nd the rules of morality will be entirely different according to the one or the other of these fuppofitions. 'Nevertheless, the philofophers treat of morals without any regard to this diftinction. What a degree of blindness was this? All our actions, and all our thoughts ought to be conducted after 'fo different a manner, according as there is or is not an eternal happiness to be hoped for, that it is impoffible wifely to take a single step in life, without regulating it by this view-'tis our great intereft, and our chief duty, to fatisfy ourselves on this head, upon which our whole conduct depends +.'

But

The paffages I have cited (though but few of many which might have been urged to the fame purpose) may feem too large and numerous. it became me effectually to remove this groundless charge of Novelty, with which I am loaded. I have the rather abounded in fuch authorities as relate to the notion whereon I am faid to build

Ee

* eft indubitable que l'ame eft mortelle on immortelle. Cela doit mettre une difference entiere dans la Morale cependant les Philofophes ont conduit la Morale independamment de cela Quel aveuglement eftrange! ch xxix. § 54

Toutes nos Actions, et toutes nos Penfes, doivent pren. dre des tours fi differentes, felon qu'ily aura des biens Eternels a efperer ou non, qu'il eft impoffible de faire une demarche avec fens et jugement, qu'en la reglant par la veue de ce point, qui doit etre noftre dernier object. Ainfi noftre premier intereft, et noftre premier devoir est, de nous eclaircir fur ce fujet, d'ou depend toute noftre conduite, Chap. i.

my

my two pofitions, because it is but once, and then but briefly, intimated in my Sermon: And therefore thefe authorities may ferve, not only to justify, but moreover to explain and clear it; and, by that means, fupply the omiffion, which, confidering the fhort bounds within which the argumentative part of my Difcourfe was neceffarily confined, I could not well avoid. And as to the Pofitions themfelves, the Reader fees they are fo far from being new, that there is (which I am not ashamed to own) nothing new even in my manner of handling them. The fame inftances, the fame mediums, that I employ to illuftrate them, are made ufe of alfo by Archbishop TillotJon, Dr. Sherlock, Dr. Goodman, Mr. Pemble, Dr. Stradling, &c. Nor are thefe affertions that dropt from their pens by chance, but delivered by them in places where they profeffed to confider and ftate the points in queftion; and where, yet, they have expreffed theinfelves with (at least) as few guards and reftrictions as I have done. It may, I think, even from hence be prefumed, that I am not much mistaken in what I have laid down, fince I have fallen Into like thoughts with thefe writers, without knowing (I am fure, with out attending in the leaft to what they had writ ten on the fubject; efpecially fince I have the honour fo exactly to agree with Archbishop Tilletfon, one who, in my poor opinion, wrote and reafoned as juftly as any man of his time.

II. It is plain that thefe writers generally built their opinions and reafonings, on that very text of St. Paul, which gave rife to my difcourfe; VOL II.

[ocr errors]

and

and it being very probable that they, it is very probable alfo that, have not mistaken his fenfe; though the fecord article of my accufations runs, That the doctrine I have delivered, is extremely "foreign from the defign of the apostle, on whom 'I fix it.' (L. p. 20. 13.)

Of the two propofitions, which I profefs to maintain,

[ocr errors]

The First is this, that without hope in another life, men would be more miferable than beafts. Now this I am fo far from fixing exprefly on the apostle, as the Letter-writer affirms (L. p. 12. 13. 15.) that he himfelf, in other places, reprefents me as only infinuating it to be agreeable to the apoftle's purpose, tho' not neceffarily implied in the letter of the text,' (L. p. 6. 11.) which is much nearer to the truth; for it is with regard to this propofition that I profeffed to urge (what I call) the conceffion of the apoftle fomewhat further than the letter of the text will carry me.' (See p. 4) And therefore after enlarging on this firft propofition, I conclude. by fimply affirming the truth of it, (See p. 6.) without vouching the authority of St. Paul, or even alluding to his expreffions: whereas I refer to both, at the clofe of the second, and fay, that, on the accounts [be'forementioned] what the apostle lays down in the text is evidently and experimentally true, That, if in this life only good men had hope, 'they were of all men most miserable.' (L. p. 13) It is then an artifice in him, to reprefent me as equally building these undoubted truths on the authority of the apoftle.' (L. p. 15.) I speak only of the undoubted truth of the apoftle's concef

'fion; (Ibid.) and I exprefly limit that conceffion to the latter of thefe two propofitions, (Ibid.) without entitling the apoftle to the former; for the truth of which, I make my felf (not him) anfwerable.

There is (I grant) room still left for a caviller to mifreprefent my meaning; and therefore he tells me, that I call the argument, into which I have put this firft propofition, that great argu❝ment for a future state, which is urged by St. Paul in the words before us,' L. p. 15. But why must I needs call it fo, as including that propofition; fince in the fame place I own, that I have enlarged on the apoftle's argument, that is, extended it (as elsewhere fpeak) fomewhat farther than the Letter of the text will carry me? Yes, but in the Paraphrafe upon the Text, I explain thofe Words [We are of all men most miferable] by thefe that Follow We Chriftians fhould be the most abandoned and wrethced of creatures and by Creatures, my froward interpreter will understand Beafts; (See L. p. 13 15.) forgetting that the fcriptural ufe of that word determines it fometimes to men: particularly in that text where our faviour commands his difciples to "preach the gofpel to every crea ture." Mark xvi. 15. I fuppofe he meant not, to the brute creatures of the air, the fea, or the field: For then, St. Francis, I am fure, would have obeyed this command much better than either St. Paul or St Peter. By creatures here, we are to understand reasonable creatures; and fo this perverfe gentleman might, if he pleafed, have understood it, in that paffage of my fermon; and have taken what follows there, concerning "all

f 2

other

« הקודםהמשך »