there is nothing in them adapted to gratify a mercenary spirit, the following obfervations will render plain to the meaneft capacity.

First, The nature of heavenly enjoyments is fuch as to admit of no monopoly, and confequently to leave no room for the exercife of private felf-love. Like the beams of the fun, they are equally adapted to give joy to a world as to an individual; Nay, fo far is an increase in the number of the participants from diminishing the quantum of happiness poffeffed by each individual, that it has a tendency to increase it. The intereft of one is the intereft of all; and the intereft of all extends to every one.

*

Secondly, The fum of heavenly enjoyments confifts in a holy likenefs to God, and in the eternal enjoyment of his favour. But holy likeness to God. is the fame thing as "the very practice or exercife of virtue," the hope of which Lord Shaftesbury acknowledges" is fo far from being derogatory to it, that it is an evidence of our loving it the more fincerely, and for its own fake." And as to the enjoyment of the divine favour, a proper purfuit of this object, inftead of being at variance with difinterested affection, clearly implies it: for no man can truly defire the favour of God as his chief good, without a proportionate esteem of his character, and that for its own excellency. It is impoffible that the favour of any being whofe character we difapprove fhould be fought as our chief good, in preference to every other object in the univerfe. But a cordial. approbation of the divine character is the fame thing as a difinterested affection to virtue.

Thirdly, The only method by which the rewards

* 1 John, iii. 2. Rev. xxi. 3, 4

of the gospel are attainable, faith in Chrift, fecures the exercise of difinterested and enlarged virtue. No man has any warrant from the fcriptures to expect an interest in the promises of the gospel, unless he cordially acquiefce in his Mediation. But to acquiefce in this, is to acquiefce in the holy government of God, which it was defigned to glorify; to feel and acknowledge that we deserved to have been made facrifices to divine difpleafure; to forego all claim or hope of mercy from every felfish confideration; and to be willing to receive forgiveness as an act of mere grace, and along with the chief of finners. In fine, to acquiefce in this is to be of one heart with the Saviour of finners, which, our adverfaries themselves being judges, is the fame thing as to be filled with devotedness to God and benevolence to men; and this, if any thing deferves that name, is true, difinterested, and enlarged virtue.

It is very poffible that the objections which are made by this writer, as well as Mr. Paine and others, against the doctrine of rewards, as being fervile and mercenary, may after all in reality, be againft their counterpart. It does not appear to be "the hope of happiness beyond this life" that excites their difguft, though the nature of the Chriftian's happinefs might be difagreeable to them; but the fear of being "called to account for the manner in which they have lived in this world." This it is which even the daring author of The Age of Reafon cannot endure to confider as a certainty, as the thought of it would render him "the flave of terror." Yet as though he would not have it thought that the dread of futurity rendered him afraid of believing it, he alledges another reafon: "Our belief, on this principle," he fays, "would have no merit, and our

best actions no virtue." ""* In order then to our actions being virtuous, it is neceffary, it feems, that we be under no law but that of our own inclination; and this will be loving virtue for its own fake. This is at once shaking off the divine authority; which if it could be accomplished, might be very agreeable to fome men ; and if with this they could get fairly rid of a judgment to come, it might be ftill more agreeable: but alas, if they fhould be miftaken!

It is a fact that the paffions of hope and fear are planted in our nature by Him who made us; and it may be prefumed they are not planted there in vain. The proper exercife of the former has I conceive been proved to be confiftent with the purest, and most difinterested love; and the fame thing is proveable of the latter. The hope and fear against which thefe writers declaim are those of a slave; and where love is abfent, thefe it is granted are the only effects which the doctrine of rewards and punifhments will produce. But even here they have their ufe. Terror is the grand principle by which vicious minds are kept in awe. Without this their licentioufnefs would be intolerable to fociety. It is not however for the mere purpose of restraint that threatenings are exhibited, but to exprefs the difpleafure of God against all unrighteousness and ungodlinefs of men, and his refolution to punish it. Some are hereby taught the evil of their ways to a good purpofe, and all are fairly warned, and their perfeverance in fin is rendered inexcufable.

Before our adverfaries object to this, they fhould fhew the impropriety of human laws being accom

Age of Reafin, Part II. p. 100, 195

panied with penalties. Let them furnish us with a system of government in which men may be guilty of crimes without fear of being called to account for them; and in which thofe who are enemies to virtue are to be governed merely by the love of it. If it be improper to threaten finners; it is improper to punish them; and if it be improper to punish them, it is improper for moral government to be exercifed. But if it be thus in the government of God, there is no good reafon to be given why it fhould not be the fame in human governments ; that is, there is no good reafon why fervants, unlefs they chufe to do otherwife, fhould not difobey their mafters, children their parents, and private individuals in a state be continually rifing up to def troy all just authority.

The above may fuffice to afcertain the weight of Lord Shaftesbury's objections to the doctrine of rewards; and now I fhall take the liberty to retort the charge, and attempt to prove that the epithets 66 narrow and selfish," which he applies to the Christian system, properly belong to his own.

*

In his Inquiry concerning Virtue, contained in the Second Volume of his Characteristics, though he allows it to confift in our being proportionably affect ed towards the whole fyftem to which we bear a relation; and that this world may be only a part of a more extended fyftem ;† yet he ftudiously leaves out God as the head of it. Amongst all the relations which he enumerates, there is no mention of that between the creature and his Creator. His enlarged and disinterested scheme of morality is at last nothing more than for a creature to regard thofe

"of its own kind or fpecies." Not only is all gentleness, kindness, and compaffion to inferior creatures left out, but the love of God is not in it. On the contrary, it is the profeffed object of his Inquiry to prove that virtue, goodness, or moral excellency, may exift without religion, and even "in an atheift."* In fhort it is manifeft that it is the love of God, and not felf-love, to which his love of virtue for its own fake ftands oppofed. That for which he pleads is the impious spirit of a child, who difregarding his father's favour, pays no attention to his commands, as his commands; but complies with them only on account of their approving themfelves to his own mind. But this is no other than felf-will, which, instead of being opposed to selflove, is one of its genuine exercises.

"Our holy religion," fays this fneering writer, "takes but little notice of the most heroic virtues, "fuch as zeal for the public, and our country." That Christianity takes but little notice of what is commonly called.. patriotifm, is admitted; and if Lord Shaftesbury had been free from that " narrow nefs of mind" which it is his intention here to cenfure; yea if he had only kept to his own definition of virtue, A regard to those of our own kind, or fpecies," he would have taken as little. By the public good he evidently means no more than the temporal prosperity of a particular country; which is to be fought at the expence of all other countries with whom it happens, juftly or unjustly, to be at variance. Christianity, we acknowledge, knows nothing of this fpirit. It is fuperior to it. It is not natural for a Christian to enter into the antipathies,