over the World may be difcerned, notwith- CHAP. standing and amidst all the Confufion and III. Disorder of it.

Now one might mention here, what has been often urged with great Force, that in general, lefs Uneafinefs and more Satisfaction, are the natural Confequences of a virtuous than of a vitious Course of Life, in the prefent State, as an Inftance of a moral Government established in Nature; an Inftance of it, collected from Experience and present Matter of Fact. But it must be owned a thing of Difficulty to weigh and balance Pleafures and Uneafineffes, each amongst themfelves, and alfo against each other, fo as to make an Estimate with any Exactness, of the Overplus of Happiness on the Side of Virtue, And it is not impoffible, that, amidst the infinite Disorders of the World, there may be Exceptions to the Happiness of Virtue; even with regard to thofe Perfons, whose Course of Life from their Youth up, has been blameless; and more with regard to those, who have gone on for fome time in the ways of Vice, and have afterwards reformed. For suppose an Instance of the latter Cafe; a Perfon with his Paffions inflamed, his natural Faculty of Self-Government impaired by Habits of Indulgence, and with all his Vices See Lord Shaftesbury's Inquiry concerning Virtue, Part II, F 3

about

I.

PAR T about him, like fo many Harpies, craving for their accustomed Gratification: who can fay how long it might be, before fuch a Perfon would find more Satisfaction in the Reafonableness and prefent good Confequences of Virtue, than Difficulties and Self-denial in the Restraints of it? Experience alfo fhows, that Men can, to a great Degree, get over their Senfe of Shame, fo as that by profeffing themselves to be without Principle, and avowing even direct Villainy, they can fupport themselves against the Infamy of it. But as the ill Actions of any one will probably be more talked of, and oftener thrown in his way, upon his Reformation; fo the Infamy of them will be much more felt, after the natural Senfe of Virtue and of Honour is recovered. Uneafineffes of this Kind ought indeed to be put to the Account of former Vices: yet it will be faid, they are in Part the Confequences of Reformation. Still I am far from allowing it doubtful, whether Virtue, upon the whole, be happier than Vice in the prefent World. But if it were, yet the Beginnings of a righteous Administration may beyond all Queftion be found in Nature, if we will attentively inquire after them. And,

I. In whatever Manner the Notion of God's moral Government over the World

might be treated, if it did not appear, whe

ther

f

ther he were in a proper Sense our Governor CHAP. at all: yet when it is certain Matter of Ex- III. perience, that He does manifeft himself to us under the Character of a Governor, in the Senfe explained £; it must deserve to be confidered, whether there be not reafon to apprehend, that he may be a righteous or moral Governor. Since it appears to be Fact, that God does govern Mankind by the Method of Rewards and Punishments, according to fome fettled Rules of Diftribution; it is furely a Question to be asked, What Prefumption is there against his finally rewarding and punishing them, according to this particular Rule, namely, as they act reasonably or unreasonably, virtuously or vitiously? Since rendring Men happy or miserable by this Rule, certainly falls in, much more falls in, with our natural Apprehenfions and Senfe of things, than doing fo by any other Rule whatever: Since rewarding and punishing Actions by any other Rule, would appear much harder to be accounted for, by Minds formed as He has formed ours. Be the Evidence of Religion. then more or lefs clear, the Expectation which it raises in us, that the righteous fhall, upon the whole, be happy, and the wicked miferable, cannot however poffibly be confidered as abfurd or chimerical; because it is no more than an Expectation, that a Method of Go

f Chap. ii.

F 4

vernment

I,

PA R T vernment already begun, shall be carried on, the Method of rewarding and punishing Actions; and shall be carried on by a particular Rule, which unavoidably appears to us at first Sight more natural than any other, the Rule which we call diftributive Justice. Nor,

II. Ought it to be entirely paffed over, that Tranquillity, Satisfaction, and external Advantages, being the natural Confequences of prudent Management of Ourfelves, and our Affairs; and Rashness, profligate Negligence, and willful Folly, bringing after them many Inconveniencies and Sufferings; these afford Inftances of a Right Constitution of Nature; as the Correction of Children, for their own Sakes, and by way of Example, when they run into Danger or hurt themselves, is a Part of right Education. And thus, that God governs the World by general fixt Laws, that He has endued us with Capacities of reflecting upon this Conftitution of things, and foreseeing the good and bad Confequences of our Behaviour; plainly implies fome Sort of Moral Government; fince from fuch a Conftitution of things it cannot but follow, that Prudence and Imprudence, which are of the Nature of Virtue and Vice, muft be, as they

are, respectively rewarded and punished.

See Differt. II.

III. From

III. From the natural Courfe of things, CHAP. vitious Actions are, to a great Degree, actually III. punished as mischievous to Society: And befides Punishment actually inflicted upon this Account, there is also the Fear and Apprehenfion of it in those Perfons, whofe Crimes have render'd them obnoxious to it, in Case of a Discovery; this State of Fear being itself often a very confiderable Punishment. The natural Fear and Apprehenfion of it too, which restrains from fuch Crimes, is a Declaration of Nature against them. It is necessary to

the

very being of Society, that Vices deftructive of it, fhould be punished as being fo; the Vices of Falfhood, Injuftice, Cruelty: Which Punishment therefore is as natural as Society; and fo is an Inftance of a Kind of moral Government, naturally established and actually taking place. And, fince the certain natural Course of Things, is the Conduct of Providence or the Government of God, though carried on by the Inftrumentality of Men; the Obfervation here made amounts to this, that Mankind find themselves placed by Him in fuch Circumstances, as that they are unavoidably accountable for their Behaviour, and are often punished, and sometimes rewarded under His Government, in the View of their being mischievous, or eminently beneficial to Society,

If