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cal motion; the power of forming to it felf abstracted notions of things, and as it were creating fubjects of thought, which have no other actual existence but in itself, and judging of their agreement or difagreement with one another, and thereby of producing many ufeful truths. These and many others are the properties of an Human Mind, which fhew it to be an intelligent being of a nature quite different from that of matter, however modified; which made fome of the most fagacious Heathen Philofophers i judge it to be Divine, or of the fame Nature with God himself, and therefore Eternal alfo.

3. As to Goodnefs, though it must be confefs'd, that the traces of it are not always fo vifible, as we could wish; the true reason of which failure is beft learn'd from Divine Re

velation, yet there are not wanting fuch

marks even of that, where ill cuftom, and ill example, and want of due culture hath not

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i Itaque quicquid eft illud, quod fentit, quod fapit, quod vult, quod viget, cœlefte & divinum eft, ob eamque rem æternum fit neceffe eft. Nec verò Deus ipfe, qui intelligitur à nobis, alio modo intelligi poteft, nifi mens foluta quædam & libera, fegregata ab omni concretione mortali, omnia fentiens & movens, ipfaque prædita motu fempiterno. Cic. Tufc. lib. 1. cap. 27.

quite destroyed them, as fhew, that it does originally belong to the mind of man; so that a man must be monftrously depraved indeed, that has loft all fenfe of doing good. There are hardly any fo bad as not inwardly to approve of the exercife of Juftice, Benignity, Gratitude and Sincerity, and to abhor all acts of Injuftice, Cruelty, Ingratitude and Bafenefs. We should not call the generous propenfion of doing kindness to others by the name of Humanity, if fuch an inclination did not originally belong to Human Nature; nor could all men be fo generally prone to diftafte and think amifs of all effects of pure selfishness in others, if a friendly or focial principle were not natural. And here I cannot but observe, that most of those pretenders to Philosophy, whether ancient or modern, who have excluded a wife and good Providence out of their scheme, have alfo given the worft character that can be of human nature, making mere felf-enjoyment and Fear the only principles of human virtue. k That Epicurus and his followers made the

chief

-Quippe qui (Epicurus) teftificetur ne intelligere quidem fe poffe ubi fit, aut quid fit ullum bonum, præter illud,

quod

chief good or ultimate end of human happinefs to confist in pleafure, and that pleasure to arise, either from mere bodily fenfations, or from reflection upon fuch fenfations, is well known to all that are acquainted with the writings of the Ancients. And that this opinion reduces Man very near to the level of a brute, is evident at the first fight to any one that confiders it: and the maintainers of it are not much concerned to deny this confequence. [But they that would fee this opinion and its confequences examined and confuted at large, may find their fatisfaction in Tully's fecond book de Finibus, where the matter is set in a very clear light.] And as for that other principle of the fame Sect, that1 All kindness and good-will arifes from weakness, it has of later days been copied, by those who make the natural state of man a ftate of war (in which every man is an enemy to all others) and all peaceable and kind offices the R 4 effect

quod cibo aut potione & aurium delectatione, & obfcœna voluptate capiatur. Cic. de Finib. 1. 2. cap. 3.

-Eft autem à te femper dictum, nec gaudere quemquam nifi propter corpus, nec dolere. ib. cap. 30. Negas animi ullum effe gaudium quod non referatur ad corpus. ib.

Omnis in imbecillitate eft & gratia & caritas. De Nat. Deor. b. 1. cap. ult.

effect only of fear, arifing from a fenfe of our own weakness and inability to fubdue all others. But though this may indeed be a representation of these men's own corrupted temper; yet if it were not a very false account of Human nature in general, the world would be in a much worfe condition than it is. For, thanks to the Author of our nature, there are in these very men fome fuch natural propenfions to fociety as overthrow their affumed principle, and fhew, that man is naturally a focial animal. Upon which account, befides the confideration of the forementioned excellencies, in the mind of man, fingly taken, by which in fome fort he refembles the Supreme Being, we may also observe, how the joint exercife of them produces many noble and beneficial effects in the world, in fome kind resembling those of Providence, though in degree infinitely below them. From hence come all thofe conveniencies of human life, the procuring and improving of which makes fo great a part of the business of men, both in their private and focial state; fuch as building, planting, tilling, inventing new and useful arts of all kinds, exercifing Trade and Commerce, forming defigns, and making laws and rules for their more hap

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py living in fociety, feeking out means of making their communication and intercourfe with others more extenfive, and exercifing à fort of care and providence, not only over their own Species, but even over many of the Brute creatures alfo. Now from whence is it, but from an original sense of Goodness in the mind of man, that men direct their natural portion of Wisdom and Power to fuch beneficial purposes? and that their own consciences reproach them, for every wilful deviation from what appears to be juft and right; that is, for every deliberate action which is greatly contrary to, or inconfiftent with, the natural good of mankind, though it may for the present gratify their mere animal paffions or senfations? Corporeal impreffions alone could never produce fuch fentiments of remorfe for acting contrary to reafon, or of fatisfaction for acting according to it; but would very ten produce the contrary, if not controlled by fuperior Thought and Confideration, which is able to correct the prefent impulfes of matter upon us: So that reafon and thought is of a nature very diftinct from that of Matter and Motion, and fuperiour to it.

of

To this purpose I might farther obferve divers other properties in the mind of man;

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