from its Nature, be thus abfolutely and uni-CHA P. formly coincident with the Will of God; any V. more than particular Affections can: coincident in fuch Sort, as not to be liable to be excited upon Occafions and in Degrees, impoffible to be gratified confiftently with the Conftitution of things, or the divine Appointments. So that Habits of Refignation may, upon this Account, be requifite for all Creatures: Habits, I fay; which fignify what is formed by Ufe. However, in general it is obvious, that both Self-love and particular Affections in human Creatures, confidered only as paffive Feelings, diftort and rend the Mind; and therefore ftand in need of Difcipline. Now Denial of thofe particular Affections, in a Course of active Virtue and Obedience to God's Will, has a Tendency to moderate them; and seems alfo to have a Tendency to habituate the Mind, to be easy and fatisfied with that Degree of Happiness which is allotted us, i. e. to moderate Self-love. But the proper Discipline for Refignation, is Affliction. For a right Behaviour under That Trial; Recollecting ourselves fo as to confider it in the View, in which Religion teaches us to confider it, as from the Hand of God; Receiving it as what He appoints, or thinks

p. 113.

L 3

proper

I,

PART proper to permit, in His World and under His Government; this will habituate the Mind to a dutiful Submiffion. And fuch Submiffion, together with the active Principle of Obedience, make up the Temper and Character in Us, which answers to His Sovereignty; and which abfolutely belongs to the Condition of our Being, as dependent Creatures. Nor can it be faid, that this is only breaking the Mind to a Submiffion to mere Power; for mere Power may be accidental, and precarious, and ufurped; But it is forming within ourselves the Temper of Refignation to His rightful Authority, who is, by Nature, fupream over all.

Upon the whole: Such a Character, and fuch Qualifications, are neceffary for a mature State of Life in the prefent World, as Nature alone does in no wife beftow; but has put it upon us, in great Part, to acquire, in our Progrefs from one Stage of Life to another, from Childhood to mature Age; put it upon us to acquire them, by giving us Capacities of Doing it, and by placing us, in the Beginning of Life, in a Condition fit for it. And this is a general Analogy to our Condition in the prefent World, as in a State of moral Discipline for another. It is in vain then to object against the Credibility of

the

the present Life's being intended for this Pur-CHAP. pofe, that all the Trouble and the Danger, V. unavoidably accompanying fuch Discipline, might have been faved us, by our being made at once the Creatures and the Characters, which we were to be. For we experience, that what we were to be, was to be the Effect of what we would Do: and that the general Conduct of Nature is, not to fave us Trouble or Danger, but to make us capable of going through them, and to put it upon us to do fo. Acquirements of our own, Experience and Habits, are the natural Supply to our Deficiencies, and Security against our Dangers: fince it is as plainly natural to fet ourselves to acquire the Qualifications, as the external things, which we ftand in need of. In particular, it is as plainly a general Law of Nature, that we should, with regard to our temporal Intereft, form and cultivate practical Principles within us, by Attention, Ufe and Discipline, as any thing whatever is a natural Law; chiefly in the Beginning of Life, but also throughout the whole Course of it. And the Alternative is left to our Choice: either to improve Ourselves, and better our Condition: or, in Default of fuch Improvement, to remain deficient and wretched. It is therefore perfectly credible, from the Analogy of Nature, that the fame may

PAR T be our Cafe, with refpect to the Happiness I. of a future State, and the Qualifications neceffary for it.

There is a third thing, which may feem implied in the prefent World's being a State of Probation; that it is a Theatre of Action, for the Manifeftation of Perfons Characters, with refpect to a future one: not to be fure to an All-knowing Being, but to his Creation or Part of it. This may, perhaps, be only a Confequence of our being in a State of Probation in the other Senfes. However, it is not impoffible, that Mens fhewing and making manifeft, what is in their Heart, what their real Character is, may have Refpect to a future Life, in Ways and Manners which we are not acquainted with: particularly it may be a Means, for the Author of Nature does not appear to do any thing without Means, of their being difpofed of fuitably to their Characters; and of its being known to the Creation, by way of Example, that they are thus difpofed of. But not to enter upon any conjectural Account of this; One may juft mention, that the Manifeftation of Perfons Characters, contributes very much, in various Ways, to the carrying on a great Part of that general Courfe of Nature, re

fpecting

fpecting Mankind, which comes under our CHAP. Obfervation at prefent. I fhall only add, that V. Probation, in both these Senfes, as well as in That treated of in the foregoing Chapter, is implied in moral Government: fince by Perfons Behaviour under it, their Characters cannot but be manifefted, and if they behave well, improved.

СНАР.