John Balguy

“ Are there then no Propensities, no Inclinations in our Nature, drawing us, as it were, out os our selves, in behals os our sellow-Creatures, even to the Neglect os what we^ call Sels-Advantage ? Is there likewise no intrinsick Goodness in Virtue to ascertain its Superiority, and determine our Preserence? ”

“ Here is more than an Equivalent sor the most grievous Susserings ^ a Comsort administred, that has Strength and Sub- stance capable os bearing up the most de- jested Spirits, and suslaining all their In- sirmities. But this Observation will still appear to have greater Weight, is we ex tend it to the Case os Persecution. Let us consider a Man sussering Martyrdom, and behold him led by Truth and Virtue to a Stake : In this Extremity how is he to be supported - 5 whither can he turn sor relies? What can bare Virtue do sor him, in the Height os Torture, and the Agonies os Death? ”

“ Here are Bonds os Love, and Principles os Benevolence, which only Religion can surnisli , and which entirely depend on the Rewards os suturity. On the other Hand , is we suppose Mankind without any Hope, any Prosped in ano ther World , expecting nothing more, than as soon as this Lise was done, to perish and be extinct -, such a Thought , such a Be lies as this, would be sussicient to damp every good Design , and strike all Virtue dead. Upon this Supposition, how sew would give themselves Trouble to do good Ossices either sor others, or themselves? ”

“ You will sind Benevolence and Kindness laid down as the Rule by which Men will be sinally judg ed^ and those represented as most deserving, who do the most good in proportion to their Abilities : But what I would more par ticularly point out to your Observation, is the Extent and Dissusiveness os Christian Benevolence, which comprehends, as you would wish it to do, the whole Species, and spreads itsels over the sace os the whole Earth. ”

“ Men would then almosl give them selves up to sad Thoughts , and gloomy Reslections :, and in such a dejeded, disconsolate State as this, what Room, what En couragement to cultivate virtuous Dispositions? Surely Benevolence mud, at least, thrive ill in such a Soil. -In short, to prescribe and preach up Virtue without a suture State, appears to me no otherwise than as a Sort os Religious Knight-Errantry. However Men may gaze or listen sor a while, they will never be insluenced by a Doslrine that is carried so high, as to be above the Principles os Human Na ture. ”

“ But aster all, though Interest can never enter into the Nature and Constitution os Virtue, yet why may it not be allowed to accompany and stand beside her ? NotwitMtanding all that has been granted, I can see no Reason why Virtue, and the Re wards os Virtue must needs be separated, and set at Variance. Its Excellencies and Advantages seem by God and Nature to be joined together, and why should Man at tempt to put them asunder? Let Virtue be decked in all her Charms :, let her be painted as lovely a sorm as is poslible ^ there is no Danger os the Pictures out doing the Original. ”

“ But when a Man is sunk into Adversity, and has various Hardships to struggle with ^ especially when these Hardships are occasioned and brought upon him by his adhe rence to Virtue -, will he not then want some surther Support than Virtue is able to give him ? What Consolation can slie pour into an asslisted and sorrowsul Breast ? What Remedies can slie administer to heal his Gries, and sooth him in his Susserings? ”

“ We plainly see she is not sels-sussicient , and how could her Desects be better supplied, than by those Rewards which Revelation has ossered Men? I de- sire no more, than that they may be looked upon as her Auxiliaries :, and such, I think, upon an impartial Enquiry, you must dis- cover them to be. ”

“ As Man is a reasonable Creature, he is capable os discovering and admiring the intrinsick Excel lence os Virtue j but nevertheless, as he is conscious os his own Indigence and Insir mity, he cannot well pretend to neglect those Appendages os Interest that belong to her. ”

“ How then can it be imagined, that in respect os the Generality os the World, it should be sussicient sor the Support os Morality, and the Maintenance os Virtue ? I need not surther observe how little probability there is os their arriving at such a Knowledge by abstracted Reaso- nings and Speculations. To expect indeed any way that the greatest Part os Mankind should have jusl Ideas os Virtue, and un* derstand its worth ; is to expest that the greatest Part os Mankind should become Philosophers . ”

“ Instead os that partial Love, those contracted Assedions, whether sor Kindred, Neighbours , sriends or Country, which both Jews and Gentiles were too apt to run into, and even make their boastos:, Chrjstianity requires us to love all without Distinstion, and opening our Arms as wide as poslible, embrace Mankind with an universal Good-will. ”

“ But supposing the Excel lence os Virtue were in a good Measure per ceived by them, how would they be as- sested by it ? What slight hold would such intellectual Beauties take on the Under- standings os the Vulgar , and how seebly would they operate upon them? It must be something more substantial that can make any considerable Impreslion on their gross Minds : Something that can either slrike their Senses, pr work upon their Paslions. And what can be sitter sor this Purpose than Rewards and Punishments? ”

“ Here we learn, that the Love os Mankind ought to be the ruling and predominant Assection ^ and by Conse- quence, that no other ought to intersere with it, but every Thing, give way to it. That whatever other Passions we entertain, we must take Care to keep them subordi- nate to this, without which they can nei ther be laudable nor innocent. In sliort, we may, and ought to be as kind and ser- viceable as we can to our Neighbours , sriends , and Country , but our Assestions must not slop there, nor be sussered to ter minate on these Objects : sor our Religion has commanded us to love all Men as. ”

“ I rnust own I cannot but wonder, whenever I think os it, that so able and accurate a Writer could ever take it into his Head to advance such an uncouth , absurd Notion,, All I can naake os it is, that his Lordsliip had a mind to divert himsels with some Speculation en tirely new, and peculiar to himsels: Such as no Man had ever entertained besore him, and none would be likely to entertain aster him. ”

“ But to return, I think it appears srom what I have {aid, that nothing can tend more to ^the Disparagement and Diminution os Virtue, then to sound it thus on Sels-Interest. ^ What ever may be laid os soine other Kinds os Virtue, yet Social Virtue, or Benevolence, must stand upon another soot, or sall to the Ground. sor no Services, no Acts os Benesicence to our sellow-Creatures can be Virtuous, while we are destitute os all Assestion sor them, and mean nothing but the serving os our selves. ”

“ We may be supposed to be placed in such Circum- siances, as to be incapable os practising it j and such a Supposition may sbew how much it wants to be supported by Rewards : but these Rewards have no Insluence, no Essed upon Virtue itsels, whatever Essects they snay have upon us. < I look upon it as certain Truth, that nothing can be more binding upon teasonable Creatures than Reason; and that a good Law obliges as much, is not more than the Legislator himsels. God has no ”

“ These excite their strongest Paslions, and work upon Man kind more powersully than any tiling CQuld do. Most certain it is, that ever these sail to bring Men to their Duty, nothing would be sussicient*, nothing, I mean, less than Compulsion, which is in- consistent with our Nature. The Wisdom and Goodness os God are very conspicupus theresore in this Provision sor our Security, Such strong Sanctions were absolutely ne- ceslsary: And however vicious Men may be with them, they would have been insi nitely more so without them. ”

“ The Stoicks in deed denied this with great Resolution and Obstinacy ^ but their boastsul Declarations on this Head, were in reality only so many Insults upon human Nature, and Contradistions to common Experience . Most certainly nothing can support a Man under the Pressure os any great Evil , but the Hope and Prospest os succeeding; Good : And is he sussers in the Cause os Virtue, tis plain that something is wanting to make up her Desiciencies, and cpmpensate his Susserings. ”

“ And upon the same Supposition, Human Goodness would be os a quite disserent Nature srom Divine Good ness, as appears srom what I have just now observed ^ which is as much as to say, that it would be no Goodness at all. ”

“ Bring along with you that Venera tion sor Morality and Virtue which you prosess, and try whether you cannot sind in the New Teslanient the noblest Precepts and sublimest Paterns that you ever met with* As you may there discover the Rea- sonableness, the sitness, the Usesulness os those Motives which I have been contending sor ^ so you may observe notwithstanding, the most exalted Benevolence both taught and exemplisied. You may there have the Pleasure os perceiving all human Duty resolvecl into the Love os God and Man. ”

“ Man s Love os his Country is doubtless a noble Assedion , and is it were always regularly entertained and pursued, too much Counte nance and Encouragement could never be given it. But is through Mens Imprudence and solly, it contributes to weaken or dis- solve higher Obligations :> is it tends to contrast their Minds , and alienate their Asse&ions srom the rest os Mankind, tis no longer Praise- worthy, but inglorious and detrimental. ”

“ When Men consider how their Labours here will be recompensed and crowned hereaster, and what an inexhau stible sund os Happiness God has provided sor them in the next Lise y their Minds are silled not only with pleasing Expectations os their own Bliss, but with a gratesul Sense os his Bounty and Goodness : And smce they cannot posllbly make him any Requital, their Gratitude naturally slows put in Streams os Kindrness upon theiY sellow-Creatures. ”

“ How will you be able to sorbear admiring the Nobleness and Generosity os those Precepts, which throwing down the narrow Limits and Boundaries os Assection which had been at any time set up, enlarge and draw it out to the ut- most , and will have nothing less than the whole human Kind to be the proper and adequate Objed os human Love ? ”

“ Who ever assirms that God s Goodness to his Creatures is, in any Respest, serviceable to himsels} must also assirm, that he is more happy since the Creation than he was be sore, and that the Creation was neceslary to compleat his H^ppjness^ which being evi dently imposlible, it sollows that the Goodness os God is entirely independent on Sels-Interest, and has not the least Connexion with it. ”

“ A certain Person believes nothing ei ther os Providence or a suture State , but yet has a contiderable Share os Benevo lence: And this Benevolence prompts him to suitable Asts os Kindness and Benesi cence. Suppose him asterwards convinced os those great Truths, what Essest would they have upon him ? Would they take away, or Men his Benevolence? I see no Reason to^suppose it. sor how should a Man s aiming to procure himsels Happiness in another World, render him either disasseded, or less kind to his Brethren in this ? ”

“ He who removes out os the Ways os Vice into the Ways os Virtue, wholly srom a Regard to his own Sasety and Welsare, may, and probably will, is he continue therein, be insluenced asterwards by higher Considerations, and become virtuous at last even upon your own Principle. This is a natural Suppositicm s The Author os the CbaraSeristicks takes notice os it - 3 and I doubt not but it is osten verisied in sast. And indeed what wonder is a Man, who embraces Virtue upon any Principle, discover the Beauty and Excellency os it sooner than he who is wallowing in Sin and Sensuality? ”

“ Is he saw, as pro bably he did, that while Men warmed their Breasts with private sriendships, they grew in Proportion cooler towards the Publick , was there any Reason to add suel to such a slame? We may sup- pose him willing rather to check this In clination , than to cultivate it. ”

“ We are hence throughly convinced, that Interest may be regarded and proposed, without any Diminution os Virtue, or Derogation srom it ^ and in sliort, that they are and ought to be indiilblubly united. ”