AN ESSAY 463" lesser good ; and consequently such appearances to the under- standing, will, according to this hypothesis, necessarily determine the will to chuse this greatest appearing good. And this is the very scheme of the fatalists, whereby they prove all human actions to be necessary, and that there is no such thing as free- dom of choice in any intelligent being whatsoever : And accord- ing to this hypothesis, it will not be easy to give a fair and satis- factory answer to the arguments whichthe fatalists bringagainst all our notions of moral good and evil, if all human actionsare in this manner necessary : But of this more hereafter. 2. The greatest apparent good does not always determine the will ; for there are many persons convinced that future happi- ness pursued in away of piety and virtue, is really the greatest natural good :. this appears very plain to their understanding, and yet their will chases present sensualities and vicious pleasures, and pursues them in opposition to this greatest apparent good, and the last dictate of their understanding about it. The power of the will to chuse and act in this case continues the same after the last dictate of the understanding as it did before ; and in weak and foolish creatures, the will sometimes exerts this power by acting and chüsing contrary to it, Some indeed will say, that in this case the mind or understanding being influenced and blind-, ed by sensual appetite, makes a rash judgment, and then the understandingfinally dictates, that for this present moment vicious pleasure is the greatest good, and is -tóbe preferred ; and so the will pursues it. But I rather think it is the violence of appetite or passiòn that many times biasses and inclines the will stròngly, yet not necessarily, to follow vicious pleasure ; and this it does without changing the diétate of the understanding, or convictions of the mind about the greatest apparent good, but rather overpowering them by present influences; according to the old poet, video meliora proboque, deteriora sequor. Ask the vicious man, when he wills and chases to pursue his lust contrary to the convictions of his mind and conscience, whether his conscience be not still convinced that it is better to pursue virtue, that is, not only morally better, or more agreeable to the will of God, but it is naturally betteras it conduces to a greater natural good, ór final happiness : and héwill frequently confess it, that consideredas a natural good, the practiceof virtue; with all its consequences of future or final happiness, is better than vice with its consequences of final misery : But his strong passions and present appetites hurry on his will to chuse vice before virtue, and thus contradict the dictates of the understanding or conscience concerning the greatest apparent good, both natural and moral. Mr. Locke, in leis Essay, book Il. chapter 21. sections35, 38, 43, 44. talks snore copiously on this subject, and confirmswhìat I havehere expressed.
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