and as the whole fcheme has been demon-strated by the best metaphyfical writers to be as falfe as it is impious, all further arguments to difprove it would be needlefs.

Others have endeavoufed to account for this by the introduction of a golden age, or paradifiacal state, in which all was innocence and happiness.

Pana metufque aberant, nec verba minacia fixe Ere legebantur, nec fupplex turba timebant Fudicis ora fui: fed erant fine vindice tuti.

When man yet new,

No rule but uncorrupted reafon knew,
And with a native bent did good pursue;
Unforc'd by punishment, unaw'd by fear,
His words were fimple, and his foul fincere:
Needlefs was written law, when none oppreft,
The law of man was written in his breaft:
No fuppliant crowds before the judge appear'd,
No court erected yet, nor cause was heard,
But all was fafe, for confcience was their guard.

Ver erat æternum, placidisque tepentibus auris
Mulcebant Zephyri natos fine femine flores;
Mox etiam fruges tellus inarata ferebat,
Nec renovatus ager gravidis canebat ariftis

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Flumina

Flumina jam lactis, jam flumina nectaris ibant,
Flavaque de viridi ftillabant ilice mella.

The flow'rs unfown in fields and meadows reign'd,
And western winds immortal spring maintain❜d.
In following years the bearded corn enfu'd
From earth unask'd, nor was that earth renew'd.
From veins of valleys milk and nectar broke,
And honey fweated from the pores of oak.

Amusing dreams! as abfurd in philosophy, as in poetry delightful! For though it is probable, from the most ancient histories, as well as from analogy drawn from the rest of Nature's productions, that the world might be more happy and more innocent in its infancy, than in more advanced ages; yet that it could ever be totally free from vice and mifery, may eafily, I think, be proved impoffible, both from the nature of this terrestrial globe, and the nature of its inhabitants. So that these inchanting scenes can in fact never have exifted; but if they had, the fhort duration of this perfection is equally inconfiftent with infinite power, joined to infinite wisdom and goodness, as any VOL. III. Ꭰ original

original imperfection whatever. Fables then of this kind can never in the leaft account for the origin of evil; they are all but mean expedients, which will never be able to take away the difficulty, and can at most but obfcure it, by fhifting it a little backward into a lefs clear light; like that Indian philofophy, accounting for the fupport of the world, which informs us, that it is fuftained by a vaft elephant, and that elephant by a tortoife, and then prudently drops any further inquiry.

The divines and moralifts of later ages feem perfectly fatisfied that they have loosed this Gordian knot, by imputing the fource of all evil to the abuse of free-will in created beings. God, they fay, never defigned any fuch thing hould exist as evil, moral or natural; but that giving to fome beings, for good and wife purposes, a power of freeagency, they perverted this power to bad ends, contrary to his intentions and commands; and thus their accidental wickednefs produced confequential misery. But

to

to fuppofe in this manner, that God intended all things to be good and happy, and at the fame time gave being to creatures able and willing to obstruct his benevolent defigns, is a notion fo inconfiftent with his wisdom, goodness, omniscience, and omnipotence, that it seems equally unphilofophical, and more evidently abfurd than the other. They have been led into this error by ridiculously judging of the difpenfations of a Creator to his creatures, by the fame rules which they apply to the dealings of men towards each other; between which there is not the least proportion or fimilitude. A man who endeavours, to the utmost of his power, to make others virtuous and happy, however unsuccessful, is fufficiently juftified; but in a Being omnipotent and omnifcient, the cause of all causes, the origin of all thought, will, and action; who fees all things paft, prefent, and to come, in one instantaneous view, the cafe is widely different: his active and permiffive will must be exactly the fame; and, in regard to him, all confequenD 2

tial

tial and future evils, through every moment of time, are actually present.

Since therefore none of these pretended folutions can, I am certain, give fatisfaction to your comprehensive understanding, let us now try to find out one more rational and more confiftent with the analogy of every thing around us.

That there is a Supreme Being infinitely powerful, wife, and benevolent, the great Creator and Preferver of all things, is a truth fo clearly demonstrated, that it shall here be taken for granted. That there is alfo in the universal system of things, the works of his almighty hand, much mifery and wickednefs, that is, much natural and moral evil, is another truth, of which every hour's fatal experience cannot fail to convince us. How these two undoubted, yet feeming contradictory truths can be reconciled, that is, how evils of any fort could have place in the works of an omnipotent and good Being, is very difficult to account for. If we affert that he could not prevent them, we destroy