THE PHILOSOPHICAL WORK S Of the Right Honorable HENRY ST JOHN, LORD VISCOUNT BOLINGBROKE. VOLUME V. LONDON, Printed in the Year MDCCLXXVII. ENGLISH LIBRARY I LII. F you improve in your own thoughts the hints dispersed in the precedent reflections, you, whose good understanding is undebauched by metaphyfics, will fee very evidently the truth of these two propofitions. First, that, fuppofing the world we inhabit to be a fcene of as many evils, as it is reprefented to be, the arguments drawn from thence against the wisdom, or power, or goodness of God, are inconclufive. God is the creator and governor of the universe, not of this world alone, a fmall, and, probably, a very inconfiderable part of it: fo that, if there was really more evil than good in this part, it would conclude nothing against the whole, wherein there might be still much more good than evil, nor, confequently, against the divine attributes. Secondly, that there is even in this world fo much more good than evil, and the general state of mankind is fo happy in it, that the exaggerated descriptions of a supposed contrary state would make no impreffion against thefe attributes, if men had not been induced to think moft abfurdly that God VOL. V. B could |