Reafon because the Revelation of the Divine Perfons in Scripture would be apt to find a more eafie reception in their Minds thereby, than if they still remain'd ftrongly poffefled with an Opinion, that the Doctrin of a Trinity of Perfons in Unity of Effence was impoffible to be true, through the fenfe and perfwafion they had of its abfolute Contradiction to Reafon, being rationally pre-, poffeffed that one Truth cannot be really oppolite to another,

Objection 5.

Against what I find writ, fect. 3. par, 7. namely, that God ever does of neceffity,yet voluntarily, what is beft all things confidered, I offer an Objection from an ingenious Author in his Treatife of the Nature and Extent of the Divine Dominion and Goodness, which is this; "God has power to take "back from us all or part of what he has

given us, i. e. he can utterly deftroy our દુઃ Beings, or take from us fo many Com"forts of Life, and inflict upon us so many Calamities as fhall leave us in a condition only preferable to that of Non-existence, For all that we have to render our Conditions more valuable than Not-being, is the

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free

"free Product of the Divine Power. But "tis a certain and undoubted Truth, that c every Authority has power to revoke all $6 the free Iflues of its own Power, unless it t have abridged it felf from the exercise thereof by fome special Compact or Promife. For Compact or Promife lays an obligation on him that makes it, and vests a Right in the Perfon to whom it is made; and therefore where Benefits are beftow"ed without thefe Inftruments of convey

..

t

ing Right, there the Donor has the fame "Right to withdraw, as he had to give "them, and therefore that God, who has. given us our Beings, has full Power arbitrarionfly to deftroy them.

Answer.

The prefumed ftrength of this Difcourfe (very ingenious and plaufible, I confefs) lies in the fuppofed Certainty of this, That every Superior Authority has power to revoke all the free flues of its own power, unless it have abridged it felf from the exercise thereof by Some Special Compact or Promife. But it is not fo certain and undoubted a Truth, as it is taken by the quoted Author to be; for since he himself tells us, that Dominium eft libertas propriis

propriis facultatibus fecundum rectam Rationem utendi, and rightly, it is evident, that no Authority has a Right to exercife Dominion otherwife than according to Right Reason; and therefore it is not only injurious, to revoke a free Gift contrary to Compact or Promife, but alfo, if in any other Respect whatsoever, it be not according to Right Reafon to do it, this being the abfolute Rule for the exercifing Dominion by; as from the following Instances will, I think, be evidently made appear; the first of which fhall be in a matter of fmall moment. A Pinner makes a Wire-pin, and when he has done, clipsit into pieces, and throws it away meerly because he will, or for his fole Pleasures fake; in doing this he neither wrongs any Perfon, nor the Pin, because it is his own, and he made it, yet in that he does an irrational Act (in regard that Reafon obliges every man to act in every thing for fome good End, where. as this is plainly a vain and frivolous Action tending to no good) he violates thereby his Rational Nature, and fo injures himself 5 which because Reafon tells him he ought not to do, he exercises his Dominion over the Fin, not according to, but against Right Reafon, which he is not impower'd by

the

the Right of Dominion to do. The fecond Inftance fhall be in a matter of moment, as follows; A Sovereign Prince has a just occa→ fion to make War against a potent Enemy, and after due Confultation had with his moft wife and faithful Counsellors refolves at length on a Perfon undoubtedly the fiteft in all the Kingdom to be his General, and thereupon makes him fo. The Prince afterward, notwithstanding he still upon prudent grounds efteems him a Perfon in every refpect, for Fidelity, Valour and Condut more requifite to be employed than any other in that Service; yet, nevertheless out of Fancy, takes his Commiflion from, him, and beftows the Command of the Army upon another, who through his ill Management is occafion of its Overthrow; in this cafe, though the Sovereign does his Subject no wrong in removing him from the high and honourable Trust of being General, and conferring it on a Perfon far lefs worthy; yet nevertheless he wrongs his own Reafon; and to be injurious to ones own Reafon, is the principal Wrong, if well confidered, that any man can do; becaufe of the most intimate Concern to every one, as being, that which does Violence to Man's very Natural Conftitution, which is Rational

and

and thence becomes the Original of all Injury, which any one does, either to himfelf or others. The third and laft Inftance, of many that might be brought, fhall be in God kimfelf, in manner following: Suppose the Almighty when he created the World to act therein (as fure 'twill be readily granted he did) according to exact Wisdom, and that there is no lefs Reason to continue it being made, then there was at first to make it ; God in this cafe could not reduce it again to nothing without contradicting his own Reafon, which because it is impoffible for him to do, it's impoffible likewife to annihilate the Univerfe upon the account of its being the free Product of his Will; not but that he has ftrength infinitely, more then is fufficient to do it, but (foraf much as the Universe is the Refult of his immutable Wisdom and Goodness) that it can never enter into his Thoughts to do it.

If it be asked what advantage a Man has by Propriety in a thing above another Perfon that has no Right thereto at all, if he may not difpofe of it as he pleases; I anfwer this advantage, that he may make use of it according to Right Reafon at his Pleafure, whereas any other who is not the Proprietor, cannot, without the Owners Leave firft had, ever lawfully use it at all.

Objection.