Serro. LXXVIII. The Happinefs of God, 5 thing elfe but the Trouble and Difquiet which arifeth in one's Mind, from the confcioufnefs of having done fomething which is contrary to the perfeaive Prin- ciples of his Being, that is, fomething that cloth not become him and which be- ing what he is, he ought not to have done ; which we cannot imagine ever to befall fo perfei and immutable a Beingas God is. 6. Perfect Happinefs implies in it the fettled and fecure Peafeßiod of all thofè Excellencies and Perfe&ion's ; for if any Of thefe were liable to fail, or be dimi- nifh'd, fo much would be taken of from perfect and compleat Happinefs. If the Deity were fubjeét to any change or impairment Of hisCondition, fo that either his Knowledge, or Power, or Wifdom, or Goodnefs; or any other Perfe- dion, could any ways decline or fall off, there would be a proportionableabate- ment of Happinefs. And from all thefe does refult in the 7th and lajf place; Infinite Contentment and Sátisfaélion, Pleafure ánd Delight, which is the very Efence of Happinefs. t. Infinite Contentment and Satisfaáion in. this Condition. And well may Happinefs be contented with it felf ; that is, with Inch a Cond,itión, that he that is poffeft of it, can neither delire it fhouid be better, nor have any catífe to fear it fhould be worfe: z. Pleafure and Delight, which is fomething more than Contentment : For one may be contented with an Affliétion, and painful Condition, in which he is far from taking any Pleafure and Delight. No Ajflit`fion is joyous for the 'relent, but grievous, as the Apolile fpeaks Hd. tz. But there cannot be perfeét Happi- nefs without Pleafure in our Condition. Full Pleafure is a certain mixture of Love and Joy, ,hard to be expreffed in Words, but certainly krfown by inward Senfe And Experience. And thus I have endeavour'd to defcribe to you, as well as I could, accord- ing to our imperfeét Conceptions and Exprefl`öns of God, the Happinefs of the Divine Nature, and wherein it conflits, I proceed tb the II. Thing I propofed, which was to flew, that this Attribute of Perfeetiori dothbelong to God ; and that the Divine Nature is perfeífly Bled andHappy ; and this is fo univerfal an acknowledgment of Natural Light, that it would be a 'very fuperfluous and impertinent Work, to trouble you with particular Citations of Heathen Authors to this purpofe; nothing being inorefrequent in therh, than to call the Deity, beatifmam perfeffifmam naturam, the moll happy andmojf per-. fefi Being, and therefore happy, becaufe Felicity doth naturally refult fromPerfe- aien. It thall fuffice to take notice of thefe TWo things out of Heathers Writers, to my prefent purpofe. t. That they accounted Happinefs fo effential to the Notion Of a God, that this was one of the Ways which they took to find out what Properties were fit to attribute to God, and what riot, to confider what things are confident with Happinefs, or inconfiftent with it ; and whatever did lignifie Happinefs, and was á Perfection confident with it, they afcribed to God, as a fuitable Property of the Divine Nature; and whatever was ótherwile, they remov'd it from God, as unfit to be faid of Him. a. Whatever differences there were among the Philofophets concerning the Perfetfions of the Divine Nature, they all agreed in theperfeff felicity of it ; e- ven Epicurus himfelf, who fo boldly attempted to strip the Divine Nature of mó of its Perfeétions, by denying that God either made or govern'd the World, whereby he took away át Once his being the firft Caufe and Original of all things, And his Goodnefs likewife, and Wifdom, and Power, and Júftice ; or, at lead made all thefe ufelefs, by taking away all occafion and opportunity for the exer- cife of them ; yet this Man does frequentllyown, and proféfs to believe the Hap-: pinefs of the Divine Nature ; and then Out of an ignorant, and officious kindnefs to the Deity, and (as he pretended) for the fecurity of his Felicity, did in effett take away his other Perfeótions ; lie would by na means put God to theTrouble and Burden of making the World, or taking care of the Affairs 6f it left this lhould difcompofe the Deity, or be an interruption or difturbätíce of his Éafe and Felicity. For thus Lucretius, the great Difciplé of Epicurus, defcribe his ©pinion of the Divine Nature: F f f f v °Mail
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