A

FREE INQUIRY

INTO THE

NATURE AND ORIGIN

OF

E VI L.

In SIX LETTERS to

With an additional Preface, and fome Explanatory Notes.

PREFACE.

TH

HE author of the following letters is too well acquainted with human nature to be in the leaft furprised at the reception they have met with; that is, that they have been much liked, much cenfured, and little affented to: Truth, he knows, has at all times been fo received; for though by her native beauty she is fure to charm, yet from her repugnancy to most men's interests, she is feldom welcome: politicians are afraid of her, parties deteft her, and all profeffions agree that the is mad, and very dangerous if fuffered to go about in public: he knows that mankind live all in masquerade, and that whoever prefumes to come amongst them barefaced must expect to be abused by the whole affembly: he could therefore have no motive for thus imparting his free fentiments to the public, except the dictates of his own heart, which

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which tell him, that it is every man's duty, who comes into the world, to use his best endeavours, however infignificant, to leave is as much wifer, and as much better as he can. Induced by this motive alone, he at first undertook this inquiry; and now, actuated by the same principle, and unprovoked by all the fenfeless misapprehenfions, and malicious mifconftructions, with which it has been tortured, he will here, with all poffible conciseness, endeavour to explain those parts of it, which have been fo mifunderstood, or misrepresented, and give fatisfaction to all, who are either able or willing to understand it.

The first letter treats of evils in general, and endeavours to prove, that they all owe their existence, not to any voluntary admiffion of a benevolent Creator, but to the neceffity of their own natures, that is, to the impoffibility of excluding them from any system of created Beings whatever; and that in all fuch systems, however wifely contrived, they must have, and must at all

times