avoiding Things in themselves evil, is not abfolutely impoffible, with fuch a natural Impoffibility, but very difficult, with a natural Difficulty; that is, a Difficulty prior to, and not at all confifting in Will and Inclination itself, and which would remain the fame, let the Inclination be what it will; then a Perfon's Neglect or Omiffion is excufed in fome Measure, tho' not wholly; his Sin is lefs aggravated, than if the Thing to be done were eafy. And if instead of Difficulty and Hinderance, there be a contrary natural Propensity in the State of Things, to the Thing to be done, or Effect to be brought to pafs, abftracted from any Confideration of the Inclination of the Heart; though the Propenfity be not fo great as to amount to a natural Neceffity; yet being fome Approach to it, fo that the doing the good Thing be very much from this natural Tendency in the State of Things, and but little from a good Inclination; then it is a Dictate of common Senfe, that there is fo much the lefs Virtue in what is done; and fo it is lefs Praife-worthy and rewardable. The Reafon is eafy, viz: becaufe fuch a natural Propenfity or Tendency is an Approach to natural Neceffity; and the greater the Propenfity, ftill fo much the nearer is the Approach to Neceffity. And therefore as natural Neceffity takes away or fhuts out all Virtue, fo this Propenfity approaches to an Abolition of Virtue; that is, it diminishes it. And on the other Hand, natural Difficulty in the State of Things is an Approach to natural Impoffibility. And as the latter, when it is complete and abfolute, wholly takes away Blame; fo fuch Difficulty takes away fome Blame, or diminishes Blame; and makes the Thing done to be lefs worthy of Punish

ment.

II. Men

II. Men in their firft Ufe of fuch Phrases as thefe, must, can't, can't help it, can't avoid it, neceffary, unable, impoffible, unavoidable, irrefiftible, &c. use them to fignify a Neceffity of Conftraint of Reftraint, a natural Neceffity or Impoffibility; or fome Neceffity that the Will has nothing to do in ; which may be, whether Men will or no; and which may be supposed to be just the fame, let Men's Inclinations and Defires be what they will. Such Kind of Terms in their original Ufe, I fuppofe among all Nations, are relative; carrying in their Signification (as was before obferved) a Reference or Respect to fome contrary Will, Defire or Endeavour, which, it is fuppofed, is, or may be in the Cafe. All Men find, and begin to find in early Childhood, that there are innumerable Things that can't be done, which they defire to do; and innumerable Things which they are averse to, that must be, they can't avoid them, they will be, whether they chufe them or no. 'Tis to exprefs this Neceffity, which Men fo foon and fo often find, and which fo greatly and fo early affects them in innumerable Cafes, that fuch Terms and Phrafes are firft formed; and 'tis to fignify fuch a Neceffity, that they are first used, and that they are most conftantly used, in the common Affairs of Life; and not to fignify any fuch metaphyfical, fpeculative and abstract Notion, as that Connection in the Nature or Course of Things, which is between the Subject and Predicate of a Propofition, and which is the Foundation of the certain Truth of that Propofition; to fignify which, they who employ themselves in Philofophical Inquiries into the firft Origin and metaphyfical Relations and Dependences of Things, have borrowed these Terms, for want of others. But we grow up from our Cradles in a Ufe of fuch, Terms and Phrases, entirely different from this,

and carrying a Senfe exceeding diverse from that in which they are commonly used in the Controverfy between Arminians and Calvinists. And it being, as was faid before, a Dictate of the univerfal Senfe of Mankind, evident to us as foon as we begin to think, that the Neceffity fignified by thefe Terms, in the Senfe in which we firft learn them, does excufe Perfons, and free them from all Fault or Blame; Hence our Ideas of Excufableness or Faultlefnefs is tied to these Terms and Phrases by a ftrong Habit, which is begun in Childhood as foon as we begin to speak, and grows up with us, and is ftrengthen'd by conftant Ufe and Custom, the Connection growing ftronger and stronger.

The habitual Connection which is in Men's Minds between Blamelefnefs and thofe foremention'd Terms, must, cannot, unable, neceffary, impoffible, unavoidable, &c. becomes very strong; becaufe as foon as ever Men begin to use Reason and Speech, they have Occafion to excuse themfelves, from the natural Neceffity fignified by thefe Terms, in numerous Inftances- I can't do it - I could not help it.And all Mankind have conftant and daily Occafion to use fuch Phrases in this Sense, to excuse themfelves and others in almost all the Concerns of Life, with Refpect to Difappointments, and Things that happen which concern and affect us and others, that are hurtful, or difagreeable to us or them, or Things defirable that we or others fail of.

That a being accustomed to an Union of different Ideas, from early Childhood, makes the habitual Connection exceeding ftrong, as tho' fuch Connection were owing to Nature, is manifeft in innumerable Inftances. It is altogether by fuch an habitual Connection of Ideas, that Men judge

of

of the Bigness or Distance of the Objects of Sizhit from their Appearance. Thus 'tis owing to fuch a Connection early established, and growing up with a Person, that he judges a Mountain, which he fees at ten Miles Diftance, to be bigger than is Nofe, or further off than the End of it. Having been used fo long to join a confiderable Distance and Magnitude with fuch an Appearance, Men imagine it is by a Dictate of natural Senfe : Whereas it would be quite otherwise with one that had his Eyes newly opened, who had been born blind: He would have the fame vifible Appearance, but natural Senfe would dictate no fuch Thing concerning the Magnitude or Distance of what appeared.

III. When Men, after they have been fo habituated to connect Ideas of Innocency or Blamelefnefs with fuch Terms, that the Union feems to be the Effect of mere Nature, come to hear the fame Terms ufed, and learn to use them themselves in the foremention'd new and metaphyfical Senfe, to fignify quite another Sort of Neceflity, which has no fuch Kind of Relation to a contrary fuppofable Will and Endeavour; the Notion of plain and manifeft Blamelefnefs, by this Means, is by a ftrong Prejudice, infenfibly and unwarily transfer'd to a Cafe to which it by no Means belongs: The Change of the Ufe of the Terms, to a Signification which is very diverfe, not being taken Notice of, or adverted to. And there are feveral Reasons why it is not.

1. The Terms, as ufed by Phylofophers, are not very diftinct and clear in their Meaning: few ufe them in a fix'd determined Senfe. On the contrary, their Meaning is very vague and confufed. Which is what commonly happens to the Words

U 3

Words used to fignify Things intellectual and moral, and to express what Mr. Locke calls mixt Modes. If Men had a clear and distinct understanding of what is intended by these metaphyfical Terms, they would be able more eafily to compare them with their original and common Senfe; and fo would not be fo easily cheated by them. The Minds of Men are fo eafily led into Delufion by no Sort of Terms in the World, as by Words of this Sort.

2. The Change of the Signification of the Terms is the more infenfible, because the Things fignified, tho' indeed very different, yet do in fome generals agree. In Neceffity, that which is vulgarly fo called, there is a strong Connection between the Thing faid to be neceffary, and fomething antecedent to it, in the Order of Nature; fo there is alfo in philofophical Neceffity. And tho' in both Kinds of Neceffity, the Connection can't be called by that Name, with Relation to an oppofite Will or Endeavour, to which it is fuperiour; which is the Cafe in vulgar Neceffity; yet in both, the Connection is prior to Will and Endeavour, and fo in fome Refpect fuperiour. In both Kinds of Neceffity there is a Foundation for fome Certainty of the Propofition that affirms the Event. The Terms used being the fame, and the Things fignified agreeing in these and fome other general Circumstances, and the Expreffions as used by Philofophers being not well defined, and fo of obfcure and loofe Signification; hence Perfons are not aware of the great Difference; and the Notions of Innocence or Faultlefnefs, which were fa ftrongly affociated with them, and were strictly united in their Minds, ever fince they can remember, remain united with them ftill, as if the Union were altogether natural and neceffary; and they

that