Law and our Paffions. If the Law be just and equitable, the Principles which make us oppofe it, can never be fo; and if thofe fame Principles are just and equitable, it is impoffible the Law fhould be fo too.

We must then take one fide or other in this Controverfie which is between Man and Man; fome are for that we call Concupifcence, though upon occasion they'll give it another Name. They affirm, that it is natural to love our felves better than others; and to enrich or fet our felves forward in the World, though it be at their Cofts; to raise our felves upon their Ruin; to love_Voluptuoufness, though we conceive it never fo Criminal and Sinful; to Sacrifice our Enemies to our Revenge, and to use all forts of Means to attain to Dignities and Eminence in the World.

Others are for the Natural Law, and maintain that naturally we are obliged to do to others, what we would they fhould do to us; to be just and equitable, by rendring to every one that which belongs to him; to preferve the Rights and Priviledges of Society; to do no wrong to any Man; to love our Benefactors, and to be compaffionate to the afflicted.

But who must be the Judge in this Controverfy? It must be Man himself: For fince with fatisfaction he practises the Duties of the Natural Law, and never but with regret gives up himself to the motions of Concupifcence, it follows that the former is more worthy of Man than the latter: Or fince he blames himself for having followed the Confiderations of Concupifcence, but on the contrary is highly pleased that he has obeyed that we call the Natural Law

'tis evident that he was truly defign'd for this laft, and not the other. This decifion of Man's own Heart which in defpight of it self, affents to the Natural Law, is the most strong, and the lefs to be fufpected that was ever known.

For it cannot be denied, but there are those Paffions within us which hinder us from following the Dictates of our Reason, even when we think he judges moft juftly and truly. Now fince it would be the highest pitch of Extravagance to affirm, that naturally we are not obliged to follow the Dictates of our Reason, because we were all made reasonable Beings, it follows thence, that Excefs and Disorder rules in our Paffions.

I confefs I cannot conceive what can fhake the certainty of this Principle: However this fo clear, fo evident, and fo undeniable a Principle, leads us to the knowledge of the neceffity of a Revelation, to be fuperadded to that of Nature, by giving us occafion to make the Four following Reflections.

The First is, That we must grant that Man who fubmits his Reason to his Passion, instead of fubmitting his Paffion to his Reason, is neceffarily corrupt and very difordered; that he is fo through his own fault, as his Remorfes but too clearly fhew; and that God has no Hand at all in this Corruption; it being impoffible he fhould be the Author of the Natural Law, and of the Principles too by which it is violated. without being inconfiftent with himself, and acting unfuitably to his own Wisdom, and to that general conduct which he obferves with respect to all the other parts of the Univerfe. So that

if there be fuch a Revelation as distinctly informs us of all these Truths, we can't but look upon it as true and conformable to that of Nature, for this very Reafon, because it will have revealed unto us a Principle fo great and fo neceffarily true which nevertheless was fo obfcure.

us;

Secondly, That Men are Wicked and very Corrupt, cannot be granted, without thinking at the fame time that they ought to fear the Judgments of God according to the Admonitions of Confcience. For if it be true that the Voice of Confcience is Natural, as we have already fhew'd it is, it is no less certain, that it cannot deceive and if it cannot deceive us, its menaces will undoubtedly have their due effect, and God will feverely punish the Wicked. But when will he punish them? fhall it be in this Life? I confefs, that the Punishment does very often follow the Sin even in this Life, but it does not always fo happen: For here we have often feen Vertue oppreffed, and Vice triumphing; the Innocent involved in the fame Calamity with the Guilty; Tyrants providing for their Safety, by a Multiplicity of Sins, and exempting themselves from Penalty, by placing themfelves above the reach of the Laws. Were the Wicked to be punished in this Life only, it feems nothing could be better grounded than the complaint of Brutus, when he cried out as he was expiring, that Vertue be had fo religionfly obferved was but a Shadow. But if Vertue be but a Shadow, our Confcience then certainly deceives us, when it affures us, that we shall not lofe any thing by practising it; all our Remorfes make us dread but vain Chimera's. God who puts us upon a natural neceffity of

con

conceiving them, is a principle of Error; the Law of Nature deludes us; and it is altogether false, that we should be obliged to follow thofe Maxims of Equity and Juftice which would render us the Victims of other Mens Violence and Tyranny, without any retaliation of our fide. On the contrary we should acknowledge, that Paffior. is preferable to Reafon; that Corruption triumphs over Natural Religion; that we did very well in not answering the end we were defign'd for; that we fhould be miferable on the account of that Equity and Juftice which God had planted within us, but contrariwife that we fhould be happy by the violation of the natural Law: All which abfurd and extravagant Confequences are not to be avoided, unless we eftablish the neceffity of a future Judgment, which alone makes the Voice of Confcience true, the Obfervance of the Natural Law profitable, the acquiefcing in right Reafon lawful, and hinders Men from deriding God, and their Corruption from always triumphing over the Defigns of his Wisdom. Do but fuppofe the neceffity of this Judgment, and you must of neceffity have recourse to a Revelation to be fuperadded to Nature which fupplies the Obfcurities of this laft.

Thirdly, We are ftill further led to this, by the inefficacy of Natural Religion, ever ince Men have abused it through their Corruption. For to what purpose ferves Natural Revelation, if Men either make no ufe of it at all, or only a pernicious use?

Reafon ought to infpire us with Gratitude to that Deity which it makes us acknowledge; yet it induces Men however to Impiety and Irreligion through

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through their Abuses of it. Whilst they abandon themselves to a Criminal Negligence, they neither make it their Bufinefs to Know or Serve ther Maker; but in lieu thereof, they form fever Dutions which favour and entertain their Pafions. From thefe Two Sources, namely, that exordinary Negligence, and disorderly inclizoon we have to flatter our felves, did PagaLim proceed, which was nothing else but a general Correption of Natural Religion.

God had manifefted his Glory in the Sun, and in the other Stars, which was the Natural Revelation: But Men instead of worshipping him at the Sight and Contemplation of these Works of his Power, did terminate their Worship in thofe very Works themselves, which was their abufe of this Revelation. God caufed the Plants to grow up, and produced Animals for the Suftenance of Men; but Men through the motions of a Senfelets Devotion, worshipped those Plants and thofe Animals.

It did not fuffice them to worship Oxen, and bann incenie to Crocodiles and Serpents. They did not only metamorphofe Beasts into Gods, But they metamorphofed alfo the Gods themselves into Bealls. They afcribed Inceft, DrunReanels, Adultery and Sodomy to them. They de a Deity of each particular Vice, and to everal Paflions they erected Altars. Drun

kenness they worshipped under

in Eu the Name of Bacchus, and Lafcivioufnefs under that of Venus. Mercury was with them of Thieves, and Momus that of Ca