500 FREEDOM OF IVu.t.. the necessary result or the situation of man or other intelligent creatures, whether wise or unwise, among a variety of objects; then, 1 thing, there would be no freedom of choice, no liberty of indifference at all, no proper self determining power, either in heaven of earth, either in God, angels, or men, but all would be one huge scheme of fatality both in the intellectual and material world. Shall it be replied here, what ? Is there no liberty of indif- ference to be found any where but where the objects are entirely equal ? llave I not liberty of choice, when I chase one house to dwell in, or prefer one piece of cloth to wear rather than another, because I find one better and fitter for my use than ano- ther? Does not all the world call this a liberty of choice, and proper freedom of the will, notwithstanding the superior qualifications or motives that inclined me to chose this and refuse that ? I answer, and allow this to be a proper freedom or liberty of choice, supposing the will only to be directed and inclined by these motives, and not powerfully and necessarily determined by them. But if once we assert the will to be necessarily determin- ed by these motives, then it has no proper self-determining power in these instances, and the very idea of proper liberty vanishes and is lost. And indeed what great difference will there be be- tween matter and spirit, if both are determined to move or act only by external influences ? Both would be inactive or incapable of self activity ; but one would have aconsciousness of its actions which the other has not. is it not much better therefore to sup- pose, that the influence of motives in the understanding reaches no further than to direct the will, without a certain or. necessary determination of it, wheresoever there are motives arising from superior fitness? And may we not reasonably conceive both in this universe, as well as in the world of possibles, that there are millions of objects wherein this superior fitness either is not, or does not appear ; and here is still a larger space for the exercise of perfect freedom of choice, and wherein the will is determined by nothing but itself. VI. It may be considered as another difhcnity and hardship which would attend this opinion, that there are a great number of scriptures which would have a most absurd sound, if they were to be interpreted upon this foot, vii. the necessary determi- nationof the will of God in every thing by the antecedent and superior fitness of things. There is no act of providence or grace which the scripture represents as a free favour of the bles- sed God, but wouldhe hereby made necessary, andGod would be limited to that one object and that one action. Let us consi- der a fewparticulars : Numb. iv. -37. Moses saith to the Israelites, Because lie
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