delightful Senfations; and almost all having an Aversion to Pain. They readily allow, that the Permanent is preferable to the Transient, the Solid to the Empty, and the Real to the Imaginary: Nevertheless, as in the Circle of Pleasures there are fome which are incompatible with each other, and we must make our Option between them, it happens but too of ten that Mens free Choice is differently made, according as they are differently disposed. As for Evils and Pains, they are all rejected, through a natural Repugnance: But it frequently happens, that Prejudice, Ignorance and even Knowledge, make us, naturally enough, prefer fome Evil or Pain, that preferves us from a greater Mischief, or else feems to lead us to fome Good, which we long for, and which we cheerfully purchase, by enduring an Affliction, without which, we are perfuaded, it cannot be obtained.

IN fine, by long enjoying Pleasure, and conftantly fuffering Pain, the Senfe of both is impaired: Their Edge is blunted, and by Degrees we are enured to do without the former, and to bear the latter; as is demonftrable by the Habit of Labour and Study, in which

at

at last we take Delight, after having some Time made it a Duty. Hence it is that a Law, which might preferve you from any Pain, or procure you a certain Pleasure, would in Time become cold and languid; and foon after quite useless, nay, perhaps odious, as might be proved by numberlefs Examples. A Law that procured to a Child the Pleasure of fatiating himself with Fruits and Sweat-meats, and freed him from the Neceffity of learning to read, write, ftudy, &c. might have a vaft Force and Influence over him in his Infancy: But as soon as he is no longer fo fond of Fruits, and begins to be defirous of the Honour of appearing among well-bred Men, that Law has no more Strength with him, nay, he perhaps detefts it. It is not the Law that changes; the Change is in Man, and Pleasure and Pain change along with him.

Now, I defy any Man to perfuade himself, that he shall not die, or that the Joys and Afflictions of this Life will not change; fo that he may depend on the continual Enjoyment of the former, and Despair of a Deliverance from the latter. The more we reflect, the more we are convinced of it: But, without

13

without much Reflection, all Men in general diftruft the conftant Duration of prefent good and bad Fortune, and forefee a thousand Poffibilities and Probabilities of a fudden Turn: And this must be fet down as another Caufe of Weakness in human Laws. It requires the utmoft Skill to ward off the terrible Blow it gives them; and I very much doubt, while People have no Ideas of Good and Evil, but with respect to this Life, whether any Laws can be found ftrong enough to keep them within the juft Bounds of their Duty. Much lefs can they be perfuaded, that the Pleasures they propofe to themselves, and the Afflictions they endeavour to fhun, depend on the Obfervance of the Laws: A thousand Reflections, and ten thousand Examples, daily fuggeft to them, that Pleasure may be obtained, and Pain avoided, abstractedly from the Laws, and fometimes even by infringing them. The World does not want for a certain depraved Tafte, which delights in flying in the Face of the Law itself, and looks upon as an intolerable Yoke the falutary Right it affumes over

us.

THE

THE Premises being duly confidered, can you imagine that the Law would have much Strength in the Hands of Men that had no Knowledge of, nor Relish for any thing, but the mutable and perishable Goods of this mortal Life? If our pretended Free-Thinkers had any Regard for Confcience and Sincerity, I should readily refer the Decifion of this Point to their single Teftimony: For, with them, every Law is only an imaginary Being, a mighty Nothing, or rather a hideous Phantom. M. de Montefquiou, who vouchfafes to make a Shew of his Religion, has fuffered himself to be mifled by such Doctrines in feveral Places in his Spirit of Laws, and particularly in the 2d Chapter of the 26th Book, where he very ingenuously fays, There are States where the Laws are nothing, or only a capricious and tranfitory Will of the Sovereign. From whence I cannot help inferring, that there must likewise be States, where the Laws are a real Something: But I defire no more at present than this fingle fincere Confeffion; for I am very fenfible, that the Laws are nothing with the People of fuch a State. Oh! how despicable must the Sovereigns of that State be, fince the I 4 Laws

Laws that establish and secure them, are re

puted as nothing by their People!

A

CHA P. VII.

LL Legiflators have been of a quite different Way of Thinking, in regard to this capital Article. They were very far from being ignorant, that Strength is always relative to the Subject, and to the Object itself; and that a real and potent Being may be deemed very weak, if it meets with a Resistance equal to its Power. Wherefore, they all conceived, that in order to make their Laws prevail, they must begin with grounding their People in an invincible Perfuafion of eternal Rewards and Punishments, never more to be fufceptible of Change. It is thus that a prudent Phyfician, though firmly perfuaded, that a certain Regimen is abfolutely neceffary for preserving the Life, and restoring the Health of his Patient, will not attempt to make him enter upon it, and relish it, without fetting before him the Danger he is in, and the Pleasures that will attend his perfect Recovery. Now, all this is

very