The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Introduction
• Advertisement
• The Divine Feudal Law Represented
• §1.
• §2.
• §3
• §4
• §5
• §6
• §7
• §8
• §9
• §10
• §11
• §12
• §13
• §14.
• §15
• §16
• §17
• §18
• §19
• §20
• §21
• §22
• §23
• §24.
• §25
• §26
• §27
• §28
• §29
• §30
• §31
• §32
• §33
• §34
• §35
• §36
• §37
• §38
• §39.
• §40
• §41
• §42
• §43
• §44
• §45
• §46
• §47
• §48
• §49
• §50
• §51
• §52
• §53
• §54
• §55
• §56
• §57
• §58
• §59
• §60
• §61
• §62
• §63
• §64
• §65
• §66
• §67
• §68
• §69
• §70
• §71
• §72
• §73
• §74
• §75
• §76
• §77
• §78
• §79
• §80
• §81
• §82
• §83
• §84
• §85
• §86
• §87
• §88
• §89
• §90
• §91
• §92
• §93
• §94

§17

Things presuppos’d to it.We will premise some Things to be suppos’d and granted, that we may find the better entrance into that Scheme, which Things are easily admitted by both Parties without a laborious Proof. Among which we may set in the first Place this; that the natural Knowledge of God is not sufficient to the due Worship and Acknowledgment of him, whereby he may become propitious and favourable to us. ’Tis true, Mankind, assisted by the meer Light of his own Reason, may attain to understand the Existence of some superiour Power from whom all Things in this World proceed, and all the Motions which are observ’d in it. Forasmuch as these Things cannot have come to pass of themselves, nor could Motion give it self its Original, and the force it has, and the constant Laws which it acts by. And by the Exercise of Reason this also may be learnt and understood, that this Supream Power is not Brutal and Irrational, or such as hath nothing but meer Force and Power of Acting. But it is an Intelligent One, and so knows what it self does, and determines it self to Act, and to the manner of its Acting. Nor is it difficult upon a serious Consideration of the State of the World to conclude from thence the Excellency and Greatness of the Author of it. And when Man contemplates himself, he not only understands that he is not of himself, and that he owes his Original to that Supream Power. But also he may see his Condition so dispos’d as that with a due Exercise of his Reason, he may understand that it is much better than that of other Things which he sees about him in the World. From whence he can deservedly conclude that Mankind are the particular Concern and Care of that Supream Power, whom we call God, and are held by him among the chief of his Works which are upon Earth. And then, if from the Works of this Supream Power he raises his Contemplation to his Nature, he will see Reason to acknowledge him Good, and in the highest manner Perfect and Eminent, and so to be worthy of his Veneration and Love: So as that if he should be otherwise affected towards him, he must needs understand that he should act contrary to Reason, himself being Judge. But however, from these Speculations alone, if no further Light be added to them, Mankind cannot gather what Acknowledgment and Veneration God requires from him, nor in what Signs and Actions it ought to consist, that it may be such as he will approve with this Effect that for it he will bestow on Man any peculiar Good beyond what the common course of Nature can afford. See: Isa. 44:9, &c. Col. 2:22. Tho’ on the contrary God has permitted those who did not use their Natural Knowledge of him, as they might, to degenerate into the absurdest Lusts, Rom. 1:21, &c. And this moreover cannot be clearly and firmly deduced from Reason alone, whether or no any thing of good or evil remains to Mankind after this Life, or what that is; and what Course he must take to attain the one, or avoid the other, 1 Cor. 1:19, 20, 21. and 1 Cor. 2:6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14.