those favours; but it is the rendering ourfelves the proper objects of God's mercy and love, which is the ground and foundation of them. And whereas the bible is appealed to, as aforefaid, the question arifing from it will be, whether thofe abfurd and false doctrines, that reprefent God as acting contrary to the eternal rules of right and wrong (which is the prefent cafe) are contained in it; for if they are, then thofe inftances or parts of the bible ought to be given up as impofitions upon mankind. God cannot poffibly be the parent of any propofition or doctrine which is abfurd, or falfe; or at least this will not be the cafe; nor can the bible make fuch a doctrine or proposition to be otherwise than it really is in itfelf, and if any such are contained in the bible, then the consequence is clear, viz. that fuch parts of the bible ought to be discarded, as I have already obferved. And to appeal to the bible in such a cafe, would be to appeal to one falfe guide in order to support the credit of another. Nor will appealing to miracles anfwer any purpofe in the cafe before us. For were the truth of the facts which might be appealed to as apparent and certain as the nature of the thing would admit, fo that there was

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no room to doubt of the truth of the facts themselves; yet this would not help the cafe at all, feeing all the powers in heaven, in earth, and in hell, united, cannot poffibly alter the nature of things, nor make an abfurd or a falfe propofition to be otherwise than what it is in itself; and confequently, an appeal to miracles in fuch a cafe could not answer any purpose.

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ALL propofitions of moral confideration ought to,and must from the very nature of the thing, be tried by the eternal and immutable rule of right and wrong, which is the ground and foundation of moral truth, if we would form a proper judgment with regard to them; and by any inferior judge, which judge muft itself be tried and approved by an appeal to the aforefaid rule, to give it any weight or authority in any question relating thereto. To appeal therefore to the bible, or any other promulged revelation, to which a divine character has been annexed, as a final and decifive judge, with refpect to propofitions that are of moral confideration, must needs be greatly improper; because it is appealing to fuch a judge as must itfelf be tried and judged of; the confequence of which is endless contention and difputation,

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as the experience of many hundred years has abundantly fhewn. This is a matter of great concern to mankind, as each ones peace and fafety is interested in it; and therefore, I will make it as plain as I can. It is an opinion, maintained by fome Chriftians, that every thing which takes place, both in this world and the world to come, with regard to mankind, is fixed by the unalterable decree of God; which decree is grounded on his fovereign pleasure: That from eternity God preordained that much the greater part of mankind should be extremely miferable in another world, and preparatory thereto, that they fhould be exceeding finful in this; and that it should not be in the power of those men to make any alteration in the case, either with respect to the bad habits of their own minds here, or the misery they a re doomed to hereafter. Now, this being the cafe, two queftions unavoidably arise out of it, viz. whether this doctrine is true, or false? and what judge must be appealed to, which can give a certain determination whether it is one, or the other? If the appeal is made to the eternal rule of right and wrong, then the way is plain before us, and certainly may eafily be attained. For as it is contrary to

wisdom, goodness, justice and equity that knowledge and power fhould be misapplied, by being made to answer any bad purpose, and as the needlefs introduction of mifery is the worst purpose that knowledge and power can be made fubfervient to; fo from hence it will follow, that God's knowledge and power will never be thus misapplied; because there is nothing in nature that can poffibly excite him to fuch a mifapplication of them; and confequently, here is a moral· certainty that the forementioned doctrine is falfe. And as I have here obferved, that the aforefaid doctrine is contrary to wisdom, goodness, juftice and equity, and have inferred from hence that it must of neceffity be false; fo, in order to render this point moft clear and indifputable, I will explain thofe terms, and fhew what ideas are annexed to them. Goodness is the communication of good or happiness, springing from a benevolent difpofition; and not from a view of obtaining good to the communicator, nor from a precedent obligation. To communicate good from a view of obtaining good thereby, is not goodness but felfishness. To communicate good from a sense of a precedent obligation, and in return for good reVOL. II. ceived,

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ceived, is not goodness but gratitude. communicate good, not in return for good received in time paft, nor in view of good to be received in time to come, but wholly and folely from a benevolent difpofition, this is goodness ftrictly and properly fo called. Evil or Evilnefs, as it ftands opposed to goodness, is the communication of evil or mifery, fpringing from an evil or malevolent difpofition; and not from any precedent guilt in the fufferer, as the ground or reafon of fuch communication. Juftice and equity, in the prefent cafe, is the communication of good or evil, in an equal proportion to the merit or demerit of the perfon to whom it is communicated. Wisdom is fuch a right direction of knowledge and power as best answers the purposes of goodness, juftice and equity. And as good or happiness is in nature preferable to evil or mifery; fo, confequently, goodness, or the communication of happiness, fpringing from a benevolent difpofition, is in nature preferable to evilnefs, or the communication of mifery, springing from a malevolent difpofition. And as God is the most perfect intelligence, who perfectly difcerns the difference and the preferableness of one thing to another in na

ture