Chrift. Life

Part 2. Vol. 1.

" immediate Relation to Practice, and were the genuine Principles and Foundation, upon which all human and "divine Virtues were naturally to be fuperftructed." Does not every One see, that if the Religion of Nature had been put instead of Christianity, these Descriptions wou'd have exactly agreed with it.

THE judicious Dr. Scot affirms, "God never impofes Ch. 4, p. 173," Laws on us pro Imperio, as arbitrary Tefts and Trials "of our Obedience. The great Design of them, fays

174.

"be, is to do us Good, and direct our Actions to our own This, if we firmly believe, will infinitely

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encourage our Obedience; for when I am fure God com"mands me nothing but what my own Health, Ease, and "Happiness requires; and that every Law of his is both a "neceffary and fovereign Prefcription against the Diseases " of my Nature, and he could not prefcribe less than he "has, without being defective in his Care of my Reco་ very and Happiness; with what Prudence and Modesty "can I grudge to obey him?

NAY, the most confiderable Men, even among the Papifts, do not fcruple to maintain there's nothing in Religion but what is moral. The Divines of Port Royal for Pref. an Nouv. Inftance fay, "All the Precepts, and all the Mysteries that

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are express'd in so many different Ways in the holy Vo"lumes, do all center in this one Commandment of loving "God with all our Heart, and in loving our Neighbours as "ourselves: For the Scripture (it is St. Austin who says it ) "forbids but one only Thing, which is Concupifcence, or "the Love of the Creature; as it commands but one

only Thing, which is Charity, and the Love of God: Upon this double Precept is founded the whole System "of the Chriftian Religion; and it is unto this, fay they,

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according to the Expreffion of Jefus Chrift, that all the "ancient Law and the Prophets have Reference ; and we may add also, All the Myfteries, and all the Pre

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cepts of the New Law: For Love, fays St. Paul, is "the Fulfilling of the Law:" And these Divines likewife cite a remarkable Paffage of St. Austin on this Subject; viz. "He that knows how to love God, and to regulate his "Life by that Love, knows all that the Scripture propounds to be known :" They also might have quoted a known Saying of this Father, Omnia peccata funt in univerfum contra Rationem & Natura Legem. And I might add the Authority of a greater Man, and a Papift too, who fays, ligion adds nothing to natural Probity, but the Confola-Cambray Lets ❝tion of doing that for Love and Obedience to our heaven-gion, p. 258. ly Father, which Reason itself requires us do in Favour ofa « Virtue. And the famous Pere Quefnelle fays on Acts 2. 21. Le vrai culte n'eft plus attaché à un Peuple, Le Chriftianifme eft une Religion univerfelle.

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B. Do Divines always give this Character of Christianity, do they never diftinguish it from the Religion of Nature, by fuppofing it contains certain arbitrary Precepts ?

A. WHEN they confider how repugnant 'tis to the Nature of God to give any arbitrary Commands, then indeed the Force of Truth obliges them to declare there's nothing in Religion but what tends to the Good of Mankind; but if at any Time they talk otherwise, 'tis for the fake of such Things as either directly or indirectly serve their Interest. But to remove all Scruples I fhall more fully prove,

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That not only the Matter of all God's Laws, but the Penalties annex'd to them are for the Good of Mankind; even of those who suffer for the Breach of them.

B.

HOU'D I allow you, that the Natural Knowledge we have of God is the Foundation of all Religion, and that Arguing from the Divine Attributes is a moft certain Way

of Reasoning, yet is not God's Glory one-of his divine AtProv. 16.4. tributes? And does not the wifeft of Men fay, that God made all Things for himself, and the Wicked for the Day of Evil; and confequently God's Glory, rather than the Good of Man, occafion'd the Almighty to create Man, and to give him Laws?

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A. As to this Text, I fhall aniwer you from Archbishop Serm. Vol. 7-Tillotson, that " If by God's making all Things for himself, "be meant, that he aim'd at and intended the Manifefta"tion of his Wisdom, Power, and Goodness in the Crea"tion of the World, 'tis moft true, that in this Senfe be "made all Things for himself; but if we understand it so, "as if the Goodness of his Nature did not move him "thereto, but that he had fome Design to serve, Ends and

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"Neceffities of his own, upon his Creatures, this is far " from him; but it's very probable, that neither of these

are the Meaning of the Text, which may be render'd "with much better Senfe, and nearer to the Hebrew thus; "God has ordain'd every Thing to that which is fit for it, " and the Wicked hath be ordain'd for the Day of Evil; "that is, the Wisdom of God hath fitted one Thing to an"other; Punishment to Sin, the Evil Day to the Evil Do"ers." This is the Senfe that Grotius, and most of the best Commentators put on the Text. And here let me add, that if there are innumerable Places as capable of different Interpretations, even with Relation to God and his Attributes, this fure, will be no Argument not to adhere to what the Light of Nature teaches us in this Matter; fince where Texts may be taken in different Senfes, Things are as much left to be determin'd by our Reason, as if there were no fuch Texts. And when we meet with Expreffions of God's doing any Thing for his own Glory, they can only mean, that such is the tranfcendent Excellency of his Nature, fuch the inexpreffible Marks of his Wisdom and Power in all his Works, that he cou'd not have given greater had he defign'd nothing but his own Glory. And when we impute the Glory of all we do to him, we thereby fignify, that we have no Power, but what we derive from him; and that we defire to acknowledge him the Author of whatever is praife-worthy in us.

E. THO' it be allow'd, That God fram'd his Laws, and confequently, the Sanctions that make them Laws, for the Good of Man; yet a due Regard to his own Honour, the Dignity of his Laws and Government, will oblige him to punish those, who violate his Laws, as for an Injury done to

him

himself, distinct from the Harm that by the Breach of them accrues to his Creatures.

A. As no Man breaks the divine Laws out of Contempt to his Maker, or imagines he can do God an Injury; fo God does not make Laws for one End, and require the observing them for another, that being inconfiftent with the Dignity of the divine Legislator, his Laws and Government; but as it was for the fake of Man that he gave him Laws, so he executes them purely for the fame Reason; fince upon his own Account, he can't be in the leaft affected, whether his Laws be, or be not obferv'd; and confequently in punishing, no more than rewarding, does he act as a Party, much less an injur'd Party, who wants Satisfaction, or Reparation of Honour: And indeed, to fuppofe it, is highly to dishonour him, fince God, as he never can be injur'd, fo he can never want Reparation; and he, who is infinitely fatisfy'd in himself, can gain no Addition of Satisfaction by his Creatures obferving his Laws; nor can he, by their not obferving them, be reduc'd to a Condition of wanting Satisfaction, or Reparation of Honour, or any of those Things, which, depending on the Opinion of Others, are main Ingredients in human Happiness; and yet even among Men none ought to be punish'd, (fince what is paft can't be help'd) but to prevent a future Breach of the Law; and all Laws being defign'd for the Good of the governed, "The greatest Monarch is not to punish the Breach "of his Laws any otherwise, than the most petty State :" And tho' all own, it would be Tyranny in an earthly Governor to multiply Punishments on Pretence of vindicating the Honour of the Legislator; or as the Breach of Law is an Injury done to him, and fuch like; yet some are not asham'd to impute fuch Tyranny to God, and thereby take off from that Efteem and Love Men must have for him, did they

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