or falfe, it is a prepofterous Method to examine it by its apparent Confequences.

These were the Reasons which induced me to go fo far into that Enquiry; and they are the Reasons which direct me in all my Enquiries. I had indeed often reflected on that Subject before I could prevail upon myself to communicate my Reflexions to any body. They were generally melancholy enough; as those usually are which carry us beyond the mere Surface of Things; and which would undoubtedly make the Lives of all thinking Men extremely miferable, if the fame Philofophy which caufed the Grief, did not at the fame Time administer the Comfort.

On confidering political Societies, their Origin, their Constitution, and their Effects, I have fometimes been in a good deal more than Doubt, whether the Creator did ever really intend Man for a State of Happiness. He has mixed in his Cup a Number of natural Evils, (in spite of the Boast of Stoicism they are Evils) and every Endeavour which the Art and Policy of Mankind has used from the Beginning of the World to this Day, in order to alleviate, or cure them, has only ferved to introduce new Mischiefs, or to aggravate and inflame the old. Besides this, the Mind of Man itself is too active and restless a Principle ever to settle on the true Point of Quiet. It discovers every Day fome craving Want in a Body, which really wants but little. It every Day invents some new artificial Rule to guide that Nature, which, if left to itself, were the beft and fureft Guide. It finds

4

finds out imaginary Beings prefcribing imaginary Laws; and then, it raifes imaginary Terrors to fupport a Belief in the Beings, and an Obedience to the Laws. Many Things have been faid, and very well undoubtedly, on the Subjection in which we fhould preferve our Bodies to the Government of our Underftanding; but enough has not been faid upon the Restraint which our bodily Neceffities ought to lay on the extravagant Sublimities, and excentrick Rovings of our Minds. The Body, or as fome love to call it, our inferior Nature, is wifer in its own plain Way, and attends its own Business more directly than the Mind with all its boafted Subtilty.

In the State of Nature, without question, Mankind was fubjected to many and great Inconveniencies. Want of Union, want of mutual Affiftance, want of a common Arbitrator to refort to in their Differences. These were Evils which they could not but have felt pretty feverely on many Occafions. The original Children of the Earth lived with their Brethren of the other Kinds in much Equality. Their Diet must have been confined almoft wholly to the vegetable kind; and the fame Tree, which in its flourishing State produced them Berries, in its Decay gave them an Habitation. The mutual Defires of the Sexes uniting their Bodies and Affections, and the Children, which were the Refults of these Intercourfes, introduced firft the Notion of Society, and taught its Conveniencies. This Society, founded in natural Appetites and Infti cts, and not in any pofitive inftitution, I fhall call Natural Society. Thus

far

far Nature went, and fucceeded; but Man would go farther. The great Error of our Nature is, not to know where to ftop, not to be fatisfied with any reafonable Acquirement; not to compound with our Condition; but to lose all we have gained by an infatiable Pursuit after more. Man found a confiderable Advantage by this Union of many Perfons to form one Family; he therefore judged that he would find his Account proportionably in an Union of many Families into one body politick. And as Nature has formed no Bond of Union to hold them together, he fupplied this Defect by Laws.

This is Political Society. And hence the Sources of what are ufually called States, civil Societies, or Governments; into fome form of which, more extended or reftrained, all Mankind have gradually fallen. And fince it has fo happened, and that we owe an implicit Reverence to all the Inftitutions of our Ancestors, we fhall confider these Inftitutions with all that Modefty with which we ought to conduct ourselves in examining a received Opinion; but with all that Freedom and Candour which we owe to Truth wherever we find it, or however it may contradict our own Notions, or oppose our own Interefts. There is a moft abfurd and audacious Method of Reafoning avowed by fome Bigots and Enthufiafts, and through Fear aflented to by fome wifer and better Men; it is this: They argue against a fair Difcuffion of popular Prejudices, because, fay they, though they would be found without any reafonable Support, yet the Discovery might be productive

ductive of the most dangerous Confequences. Abfurd and blafphemous Notion! as if all Happiness was not connected with the Practice of Virtue, which neceffarily depends upon the Knowledge of Truth; that is, upon the Knowledge of those unalterable Relations which Providence has ordained that every thing fhould bear to every other. Thefe Relations, which are Truth itself, the Foundation of Virtue, and confequently, the only Measures of Happiness, fhould be likewife the only Measures by which we fhould direct our Reasoning. To these we fhould conform in good Earneft; and not think to force Nature, and the whole order of her Syftem, by a Compliance with our Pride and Folly, to conform to our artificial Regulations. It is by a Conformity to this Method we owe the Discovery of the few Truths we know, and the little Liberty and rational Happiness we enjoy. We have fomething fairer Play than a Reafoner could have expected formerly; and we derive Advantages from it which are very vifible.

The Fabrick of Superftition has, in this our Age and Nation, received much ruder Shocks than it had ever felt before; and through the Chinks and Breaches of our Prison, we fee fuch Glimmerings of Light, and feel such refreshing Airs of Liberty, as daily raise our Ardour for more. The Miseries derived to Mankind from Superftition, under the Name of Religion, and of ecclefiaftical Tyranny, under the Name of Church Government, have been clearly and usefully exposed. We begin to think and to act from Reafon

and

and from Nature alone. This is true of feveral, but ftill is by far the Majority in the fame old State of Blindness and Slavery; and much is it to be feared that we shall perpetually relapfe, whilft the real productive Cause of all this fuperftitious Folly, enthufiaftical Nonsense, and holy Tyranny, holds a reverend Place in the Estimation even of those who are otherwife enlightened.

Civil Government borrows a Strength from ecclefiaftical; and artificial Laws receive a Sanction from artificial Revelations. The Ideas of Religion and Government are clofely connected; and whilft we receive Government as a thing neceffary, or even useful to our Well-being, we fhall, in Spite of us, draw in, as a neceffary, though undefirable Confequence, an artificial Religion of fome kind or other. To this the Vulgar will always be voluntary Slaves; and even those of a Rank of Understanding fuperior, will now and then involuntarily feel its Influence. It is therefore of the deepeft Concernment to us to be fet right in this Point; and to be well fatisfied whether civil Government be fuch a Protector from natural Evils, and fuch a Nurfe and Increaser of Bleffings, as thofe of warm Imaginations promise. In fuch a Difcuffion, far am I from propofing in the leaft to reflect on our most wife Form of Government; no more than I would, in the freer Parts of my philofophical Writings, mean to object to the Piety, Truth, and Perfection of our most excellent Church. Both, I am fenfible, have their Foundations on a Rock. No Difcovery of Truth can pre