338 Of the great Duties ofNatural Religion Vol. I. ture to be jufi, and to do to others, as we would have them do to us ; fofor thisis t ° make our own natural inclinations and delires, the rule of our dealing with o- thers ; and to be merciful; for no Man that hath not divefted himfelf of huma- nity, can be cruel and hard - hearted to others, without feeling a pain in himfelf. Secondly, Reafon (hews us the Tendency of thefe Things to our Happinefs and Intereft. And indeed the notion of good and evil does commonly refer to the Confequences of things, and we call that good, which will bring fome Benefit and Advantage tous, and that evil which is likely to produce force Mifchief and In- convenience ; and by this rule Reafon difcovers to us that thefe Duties aregood. To begin with Piety towards God. Nothing can more evidently tend to our Intereft, than to make him our Friend, upon whofe Favour our Happinefs de- pends. So likewife for Gratitude; it is a Virtue, to which if Nature did not prompt us, our Intereft would dire& us for every Man is ready to place Bene- fits there where he may hope for a thankful Return. Temperance does apparently conduce to our Health, which, next to a good Confcience, is the molt pleafant and valuable thing in the World ; whereas the intemperate Man is an open Ene- my to himfelf, and continually making Affaults upon his own Life. Mercy and Pity are not more welcome to others, than they are delightful and beneficial to our felves g for we do not only gratifie our own Nature and Bowels, by relie- ving thofe who are in Mifery, but we provoke Mankind by our Example to the like Tendernefs, and do prudently befpeak the Commiferationof others towards us, when it (ball be our Turn to (land in need of it. And if webe wife enough, our Reafon will likewifedire& us to be jufl, as the fure(t Art of thriving in this World ; it gives a Man a Reputation, which is a powerful Advantage in all the Affairs of this World; It is the fhorteft and eafieft way of difpatching Bufinefs, the plaineft, and leaft entangled ; and though it be not fofudden a way of grow- ing rich, as Fraud and Oppreffion: yet it is much fisrer and more lofting, and not liable to thofe terrible Back.blows and After-reckonings, to which Eftates got by Inju(tice are. And natural Reafon does not only f iew us that thefe things are good, but that the Lord requires them ofus, that is, that they have the Force and Obligation of Laws. For there needs nothing more to make any thing a Lam, than a fufficient declaration, that it is the Will ofGod; and this God hath fufficiently lignified to Mankind by the very Frame of our Natures, and of thofe principles and facul- ties which he bath endued us withal ; fo that whenever we a& contrary to thefe, we plainly difobey the Will of him that made us, and violate thofe Laws which he hath Ena&ed inour Natures, and written upon our Hearts. And this is all the Law that the greate(t part of Mankind were under, before the Revelation of the Gofpel. From Adam to Mofes, the World was almoft folely governed by the Natural Law ; which teems to be the meaning of that hard Text, Rom. g. 13. For until the Law Sinwas in the World, that is, before the Law of Mofes was given, Men were capable of offending againft Tome other Low, for otherwife Sin could not have been imputed to them, for Sin is not imputed where there is no Law. And then it follows; Neverthelefs Death reigned from Adam to Mofes, even over them that hadnotfinned afterthefmilitude ofAdam's Tranfgrejion; that is, during that (pace from Adam to Mofes, Men finned again(} the natural Law, and were liable to Death upon that accounr, though_ they had not offended againft an exprefs Revelation fromGod, as Adam had done; for that the Apoftle feems to mgan, byfinning after the Similitude ofAdam's Tranfgrefon. Thirdly, God hath (hewn us what, is good by the general Vote and Confent of Mankind. Not that all Mankind doagree concerning Virtue and Vice ; but that as to the greater Duties of Piety, 7uflice, Mercy, and the like, the Exceptions are but few in comparifon, and not enough to infringe a general Confent. And of this I (hall offer to you this threefold Evidence. t. That thefe Virtues are generally praifed and held in efteem by Mankind, and the contrary Vices generally reproved and evil fpoken of. Now to praife any thing, is to give Teftimony to the Goodnefs of it, and to cenfure any thing, is to declare that we believe it to be evil., And if we confult the Hittory of all Ages,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=