thing that is evil. And to make God the Author the aigin of

of Evils of this Kind, which are called Moral Evils, is the highest Wickedness. But there are wil casinot other Sorts of Evils, such as Loss or Pain inflicted be in ind upon a Person, which may be allowed to come h from God, suppose for the Reformation of the

требады Man, or as a Punishment which his Sins deserve: Wall good

For here is no Inconsistency with Goodness; but men is a fice on the contrary, these proceed from Goodness it-"

self, in the same Manner as Physick, unpleasant leent here

to the Taste, does from a good Physician.

he 809 good nbad.action

SECT. IX.

Against Two Principles.

And here by the Way we ought to reject their Opinion, who imagine that there are (a) two Active Principles, the one Good, and the other Evil.

For from Two Principles, that are contradictorya Rincible to each other, can arise no regular Order, butil & Good only Ruin and Destruction: Neither can there be a self-existent Being perfectly Evil, as there istroyed ach one self-existent perfectly Good: Because Evil is contrang

a Defect, which cannot reside but in something

and the Consequences thereof; any more than it hindered his tainly cons

Creating Beings endued with such Liberty. The Reason is

plain. Because a free Agent being the most excellent Crean – Evil ture, which discovers the highest Power of the Creator, God a defect, h was unwilling to prevent those Inconveniences which proceed

from the Mutability of their Nature, because he can amendann viide them as he pleases to all Eternity; in such a manner as is agree

able to his own Goodness, though he has not yet revealed it a breast to us. Concerning which we have largely treated in French, all gooding

in a Book wrote against Pet. Bayle, the seeming Advocate of the Manichees. Le Clerc.

(a) Two active Principles, &c.] This has Respect to the ancient Disciples of Zoroastres, and to the Manichees. Le Clerc.

C

which

which has a Being; (a) and the very having a Being is to be reckoned amongst the Things which are Good..

SECT. X.

That God Governs the Universe.

THAT the World is governed by the Providence of God, is evident from hence: That not only Men, who are endued with Understanding; but Birds, and both wild and tame Beasts (who are led by Instinct, which serves them instead of Understanding) take Care of, and provide for, their Young. Which Perfection, as it is a Branch of Goodness, ought not to be excluded from God: And so much the rather, because he is Allwise, and All-powerful, and cannot but know every Thing that is done, or is to be done, and with the greatest Facility direct and govern them: To which we may add, what was before hinted, concerning the Motion of particular Things contrary to their own Nature, to promote the Good of the Whole.

SECT. XI.

And the Affairs of this lower World.

AND they are under a very great Mistake, who confine this Providence (b) to the heavenly Bodies: As appears from the foregoing Reason, which holds as strong for all created Beings; and moreover from this Consideration, that there is an

especial

(a) And the very having a Being, &c.] But here the Author was speaking of moral and not of natural Good. It had therefore been better to have forborn such Kind of reasoning. Le Clerc.

(b) To the Heavenly Bodies, &c.] This was the Opinion of Aristotle. See Plutarch concerning the Opinions of the Philosophers,

Sect. 10, 11.] CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

especial Regard had to (a) the Good of Man, in the by the notion Regulation of the Course of the Stars, as is confessed by the best Philosophers, and evident from Experience. And it is reasonable to conceive, that the greater Care should be taken of that, for whose Sake the other was made, than of that which is only subservient to it.

And the Particulars in it.

Celestial Bodies 10 to such the

Conveniences of

NEITHER is their Error less, (b) who allow the Universe to be governed by Him, but not the God knows particular Things in it. of some particular Thing (as some of them say) He would not be thoroughly acquainted with himself he did not hea Neither will his Knowledge be infinite (as we have this porticisions

in it. For, # He were ignorant all things of

before proved it to be) if it does not extend to Individuals. Now, if God knows all Things, what the World the should hinder his taking Care of them? Especially would not be

since Individuals, as such, are appointed for some Infincte to certain End, either Particular or General: And Knowledge 3 Things in General (which they themselves acknowledge to be preserved by God) cannot sub-inas at sist but in their Individuals: So that if the Par-things co ticulars be destroyed by Providence's forsaking events his them, the Whole must be destroyed too.

from Gauding losophers, Book II. ch. 3. and Atticus in Eusebius's Gospel red, they (a) The Good of Man, &c.] Though not for man only, were not to

Preparation, Book V. ch. 5. Le Clerc.

for it doth not appear that there are no other intelligent Beings in other Planets; yet partly for him, and so far as He makes Use of them without any Detriment to other Creatures. Be cause we cannot live without the Sun, we may well conclude it was made upon our Account; unless we can imagine Chance provided every Thing that is necessary for us; which is very absurd: Just like a Man, who happening upon a House well furnished, should deny that it was built for the Convenience of Men, who are alone capable of enjoying it. Le Clerc.

(b) Who allow the Universe, &c.] This was the Opinion of the Stoicks: See Arrius's Dissertations upon Epictetus, Book I. ch. 12. and Justin Lipsius, in his Stoical Phisiology. Le Clerc,

C 2

SECT.

SECT. XII.

This is further proved by the Preservation of Empires.

THE Preservation of Commonwealths hath

God meseived been ackowledged, both by Philosophers and Historians, to be no mean Argument for the DiApions de vine Providence over human Affairs. First, in asepsions, y a law best General; (4) because wherever good Order in GoJuled to them ted, it has been always retained; and, in particular, Instrument, certain Forms of Government have continued for the Hond many Ages; as that of Kings among the Assyrians, Egyptians, and Franks; and that of Aristocracy God show Show among among the Venetians. Now though human Wisthisdom may go a good Way towards this; yet, if it be duly considered what a Multitude of wicked Men Equis was there are, how many external Evils, how liable by the voice of Things are in their own Nature to change; we can hardly imagine any Government should subsist so ih, u long without the peculiar Care of the Deity. And duled to save this is more visible where it has pleased God (4) to change a Government: For all Things (even those which do not depend upon human Prudence) succeed beyond their Wish (which they do not ordinarily in the Variety of human Events) to those whom God has appointed Instruments for this Purpose, as it were, destined by him; (suppose Cyrus, Alexander, Casar the Dictator, (c) the Cingi amongst

vernment and Obedience hath been once admit

by

(a) Because wherever good Order, &c.] Because without it, there is no such Thing as human Society, and without Society Mankind cannot be preserved: Whence we may collect, that Men were created by Divine Providence, that they might live in Society, and make Use of Laws, without which there neither is, nor can be any Society. Le Clerc.

(b) To change a Government, &c.] Thus Lucretius:

Some secret Cause confounds the Exploits of Men. (c) The Cingi amongst the Tartars, &c.] He seems to mean Genhiz Can, who came out of Eastern Tartary, and out of the

amongst the Tartars, (a) Namcaa amongst the Chinese:) Which wonderful Agreeableness of Events, and all conspiring to a certain End, is a manifest Indication of a Provident Direction. For though a Man may now and then throw a particular Cast on a Die by Chance; yet, if he should do it a hundred Times together, every Body would conclude there was some Art in it.

SECT. XIII.

And by Miracles.

BUT the most certain Proof of Divine Providence is from Miracles, and the Predictions we find in Histories: It is true, indeed, that a great many of those Relations are fabulous; but there is no Reason to disbelieve those which are attested by credible Witnesses, to have been in their Time, Men whose Judgment and Integrity have never been called in Question. For since God is Allknowing and All-powerful, why should we think him not able to signify his Knowledge or his Resolution to act, out of the ordinary Course of Nature, which is his Appointment, and subject to his Direction and Government? If any one should object against this, that inferior intelligent Agents may be the Cause of them, it is readily granted ; and this tends to make us believe it the more easily of God: Beside, whatever of this Nature is

City Caracorom, and subdued not only Tartary, but also the Northern Sina and India. From him sprung the Mogul Kings, and the Princes of the Lesser Tartary. His Life was written in French, and published at Paris, in 1710. Le Clerc.

(a) Namcaa amongst the Chinese, &c.] Here in Justice Manca Capacus ought to be named, who was the Founder of the Empire of Peru. (See Garsilazzi de la Vega, in Incarum Historia.) done