information of brutes; or analogous to any method of their guidance and direction. And moreover, this method has supposed man intelligent, and capable of reafoning upon these manifeftations. They served, in the several ages, to the purpose of removing ignorance and of curing prejudice, and recovering to juft and adorable apprehenfions of Deity! which of itself, would give the reasoning powers, an ability to affert and maintain an habitual dominion; establish a fovereignty over appetite and paffion; and put a finishing hand to the rebellious luftings of the flesh. As to the conclufion, how difficult it was to know God,-the New Teftament writings affure us, that God never left himself without witness to any. The invifible things of him from the creation are clearly feen, being understood by the things that are made. Yet, even where men knew God, they glorified him not as God; but became vain in their imaginations. When therefore our bleffed Lord fais, no man knows the father but the fon : he must be understood to mean, in a comparative fenfe: for all good men, in all ages had known God. But in the utmost design of his paternal goodness,

none fo knew him as he did, who was in the bofom, or fecrets of the father! and who made the laft revelation of his truth and grace to mankind.

We are not, after all, to understand the Doctor as making material man in his affections a necessary agent.-If affections could drive to actions, without confent of the judgment, it might be alledged in diminution of the crime: but the cafe looks otherwife. For the judgment may be reluctant in its confent; but it must confent, and fo become guilty, or no execution can follow. And the voluntary part feems to be at no liberty, but necessarily attatched to the decrees of the judgment: for what that judges beft for the whole man (all things then appearing in judgment confidered) the judgment will decree, and the voluntary part must apply itfelf towards the execution of that decree, as all things are done in nature, and creatures, by an eafie inclination and propenfity, free from any violence or compulfion: all being acted by the fame Spirit, different faculties and inclinations, but all under the rules of one judgment, which feems to be fupreme in the government, and bath that one rational faculty for advice or coun

fel,

fel, one voluntary faculty for execution, by moving the nerves as the fountains and reins of motion: and though divers fenfes have double organs, and there be divers paffions, and many affections, not eafie to be governed; yet there is but one common fenfe, one organ or place of Phantafy, and but one memory and the paffions and affections at divers times are very violent, yet are they not able by themselves to bring any thing into execution, without firft obtaining a sentence or confent of the judgment or judicial faculty, which hath yet no arbitrary or tyrannical power, but acts under the law or rule impofed by nature, of decreeing only that which appears best for the whole compofitum, the man, under such circumftances as then come under present survey of the judgment. It is true, that the judicial faculty is very liable to mistakes, and to be mifguided by the power and violence of paffions or affections, as well as by its own ignorance and infirmity.-He inftanceth, in the cafe of Peter denying his master, and in Judas betraying him.

Again, There feems to be nothing done in man, or by him voluntarily, and as a free a

gent, but what first passes the judgment with its approbation. And yet these passages cannot appear to mens feeling or fenfe, except there be a confiderable time allowed for rumination; for then the debate and refolution are somewhat perceivable. But in fhort or sudden cafes and occafions, all pass within us after a Spiritual manner, and unperceived. The Spirits acting are thin and pure, to an invifibility and imperceptibility, quick as the flame, and even as lightning. So as the dispatch of thefe proceedings may be made in a moment of time, and without any perceivance of the perfon.

a

What shall we now think of the conftitution of man, from this description? a piece of mechanism, informed and actuated by what? -Turn over thefe citations, and compare with them the methods in which God has inftructed this human fyftem. And then, if you can, conclude its abfolute mechanism.* Nay, the Doctor will himself teach us a different conclufion ;-there must be freedom from any violence and compulsion, and

all

a Ib. p. 117.

* Ideas of morality have not the fame original with those of fenfible qualities. Price's review, &c. p. 12.

all must be acted by the fame Spirit, and under the rules of one judgment, which feems to be fupreme in the government, and bath that one rational faculty for advice or counfel, one voluntary faculty for execution.-What is all this? can it be reduced to lefs than what we are wont to call, the human Soul? and is there not a fubordination confefsed, in the very terms, of the one rational faculty fupreme in government?

The affections and passions do derive from the Soul, as well as the reafon and intellect, and one of them is not naturally fubjected unto the other: but each of them bath its faculties and powers, formally diftinguished from one another, but all indentified in the Soul, fo as they act freely and without dependance one upon another a

In another place, he fais, we place the judgment in the fupream degree of government, and may term it the refult of the rational faculty, upon which the inclinations and will are dependent, and by which (it seems) they are naturally led and guided.

These obfervations are not very confiftent. And the idea of two independent

E 4

principles

a P. 147.

e

• P. 155.