"fence of Perfection, or the Fruit (or Effect)

of Goodness fufpended by the Advice of "Wisdom." Whether this be a fatisfactory Answer, let the Reader judge; it feems our Author himself was not very well pleased with that way of Reasoning, for in another Paragraph he talks a more intelligible Language. "I wonder, fays be, how God can be faid to be Love, fince he is ufed to deliver up the Reprobate to exquifite Torments and eternal Mifery Is then God Wrath as well as "Love? Or can fuch horrid Cruelty (for these

66

are the blafphemous Words of rebellious "Men) be the Effect of Benevolence?" The Anfwer is, that God, when he punishes, does not out of hatred torment his Creature, but only ftops the Courfe of his Goodness. Does the Sun ceafe to be a pleafing Light, when foolish Men fhun his delightful Rays, and hide themselves in frozen Caves, where they are ftarved with Cold? Thus it is with regard to the Punishments God inflicts upon the Impious; they that do not continue in his Goodness are cut off", not for any Defect in the Goodness of God, but by their own Fault and Negligence, which obliges God to fufpend the Effect of his Benevolence towards them: and the Idea or Senfe of this Sufpenfion is the Cause of the incredible Pains they fuffer.

The Author fhews next, that the Justice of God is not arbitrary, but acts always according to the Nature, Circumftances, &c. of things: Otherwife we muft fay, that God can torment with eternal Pains the moft innocent Creature ; which is the moft dangerous and horrid Opinion, that can be devised.

He

He afterwards explains the Doctrine of the Satisfaction of Chrift, which he does in fuch an abftruse and metaphyfical manner, that we don't know how to get hold of his fubtle Notions: As much as we can understand him, his Meaning is, that the Tranfgreffion of the Law overthrows the Harmony of things, and occafions a Disorder in the World; and that God being infinitely wife, he cannot but chuse to restore the disturbed Harmony; the end of the Punishments is,by Expiation, to compenfate, or make amends for, the Disorder brought in by the Sins of Men: Therefore a Satisfaction, which confists in expiating Sin is highly neceffary*. I doubt very much, whether the Reader will be able to guess at the Meaning of our Author; and that we may not be thought to have mifreprefented him, we have put his own Words in the Margin. We don't think it proper to give an account of the remaining Part of this Chapter, for fear of tiring the Reader with an unintelligible Jargon: but we'll take this opportunity to offer to the Confideration of thinking Men, our own Thoughts_upon the Wisdom, Goodness and Juftice of God. His Wisdom confists in this, that he always chufes an end the most agreeable to his Perfections, and employs the most proper Means to compass that End. His Goodness is the conftant Will be bas

to

× Summum diffenfum in rebus parit, convenientiaque potiffimum obftat violatio legis, qua ad evertendam rerum harmoniam cum maxime nata eft. Fieri ergo nequit, quin Deus in reftituendum hunc diffenfum, eâ quâ flaret fapientia, incumbat totus. Compenfatio diffensus lege violata introducti expiatorius eft,& internus pœnarum finis, ergo Deus non poteft non peccata curare expianda. Ergo Satisfactio, que peccatis expiandis continetur, fummo neceffaria eft opere. Cap. VIII. §. 10. in fine.

to promote (as much as it is poffible) the Happiness of all intelligent Beings. His end then, with regard to all intelligent Beings, and especially to Men, is their Happinefs, which cannot be ob→ tained but by the Practice of Virtue; this may be confider'd as a Means, tho' in fome refpect even the Practice of Virtue is real Happiness. But Men, ignorant of what is most conducive to their Well-being, follow their own Paffions, and tranfgrefs the Law of God; thus they not only debar themselves from Happiness, but also often promote the Mifery of others. God who is infinitely good to deter Men from doing evil, threatens to punish them: and if, notwithstanding his Threatning, they commit fin, he punishes them actually in this, or in the next World, either to correct them, or to deter others from following the fame evil Course ; fo that the very Punishments he inflicts are the Effects of his Goodness: we may therefore fay, The Juftice of God is that Attribute of his, which induces him to obviate Evil, or to restore Happiness, when it is impaired, which he does by Punishments, either threatened or inflicted. I confefs I don't know any other end, for which a Being infinitely Good fhould punish his Creatures: It was alfo the Opinion of Plato; a Wife Being, fays he, Y does not punish for the fake of a Crime that is committed, for what is done, cannot be undone)

but

y In Protagora. Ο 5 μετα λόγο ἐπιχειρῶν κολάζειν, ου το παρεληλυθότος ἕνεκα αδικήματος τιμωρεῖται, γὰρ ἂν τὸ πραχθὲν ἀγένητον θείη) ἀλλὰ τὸ μέλλοντος χάριν, ἵνα μὴ αὖθις ἀδικήση, μήτε αὐτὸς ἔτος, μήτε ἄλλος ὁ Ποιῖτον ἰδὼν κολαπέντα. Oui autem cum ratione conatur punire; non præteriti criminis caufa pœnam infligit, (neque enim quod factum eft infectum reddere poteft ;) fed futuri caufa, ne iterum ipfe pecces, neque alius, qui illum punitum viderit.

but with a View to the time to come; that the Perfon, who did evil, might not do it again, and that others be deterred from it by Seeing him punished. Hence it follows that Punishments, when inflicted by a benevolent Being, can have but one of thefe two Ends, either to correct the Sinner, or to make an Example of him. This does not, I own, every way agree with what Divines generally teach about the Satisfacfaction of Chrift; but in my humble Opinion' one may differ from them without being a downright Heretick, and it would be an eafy matter to reconcile what I have here faid, with the Holy Scripture, if it had not already been done by those eminent Divines the late Dr. Clarke and Mr. Fofter a.

To return to our Author, in the ninth Chapter he treats of Predeftination; his Opinion upon that Subject in fhort is this. God had eternally the Ideas of all the Worlds poffible; and being infinitely wife, he could not but chufe to create the beft; this prefent World, though tainted with Sin and Mifery, was nevertheless the most proper to answer all the Ends God intended. He forefaw that Judas, for instance, fhould betray his Saviour, which Sin deferving eternal Punishment, God reprobated Judas for his Sin. He knew alfo, that Peter, though having denied his Mafter, fhould repent, and have a conftant and lively Faith; for that Reason he elected Peter, and decreed to give him eternal Life. Thus, according to our Author, the Decrees of God, relating either to Election or Reprobation are founded upon fome Reafons, viz. the Previfion of the Faith or Incredulity, Virtue Expofition of the Church-Catechifm, p. 301, 302. The Usefulness, Truth, and Excellency of the Chriftian' Religion, by James Fofter, Chap, V.

Tho' what our Au

Virtue or Vices of Men. thor fays in this Chapter be worth reading, we fhall not give a larger Abstract of it, because in the greatest part of the fecond Volume of this Work the Author explains more accurately his Thoughts of Predeftination, and we fhall have an Opportunity of laying them before the Reader, in a third Abftract we intend to give of this Book.

THE Subject of the tenth Chapter is Juftification. The Author begins with enquiring, whether good Works merit any thing from God? To folve this Queftion, he obferves that no Action is meritorious, but when it is done in favour of another, who could not ftrictly require it. Now God being our Sovereign Lord and fupreme Law-giver, he has a Right to demand Obedience from all his Creatures, fo that no Act of Obedience can be meritorious with regard to him. The fame may be made appear another way; all the Laws of a benevolent Being are enacted for the Good of thofe that are obliged to obferve them; fo that when Men practife Virtue, they cannot be faid to merit any thing from God, fince they confer no Favour upon him, but only promote their own Happinefs. The Author comes next to the Righteoufness of Chrift, by which Men are accounted righteous, which is properly what Divines call Juftification; what is here offered, being very common, there is no occafion to transcribe it.

"The eleventh Chapter is intitled of the Law of God; here the Author having fhew'd that the Dictates of right Reafon are properly speaking a Divine Law, inquires whether there be Objectiva Moralitas, an objective Morality; that is, whether the Laws of God are grounded upon

3

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