Immense Difference between an im- 50 The Improvement of the Mind by Knowledge, an indispensable Part of Human Knowledge, scanty as it is, truly 55 126 The Being and Attributes of God esta. blished, as the Foundation of Morality 225 Something exists; a Truth which no Something must, therefore, have always existed, which exists necessarily For an infinite Succession of Depen- dent Causes produced one by another is not a satisfying Account how some- Nor is the material World nor Chance, That Virtue, or Reetitude, in a created Being, is, a Conformity in Disposition 227 ib. ib. 230 ib. That an Universe must, in Consequence of the infinite Wisdom of the Creator, be complete, and without Chasms be tween the various Orders of Beings 235 The Happiness of conscious Beings, the only End for which they were brought Cniversal and regular Concurrence of all Parts of the System to one great End absolutely necessary to Univer- Happiness of different conscious Beings different, and in what it respectively The inanimate, or material Part of the Creation, how made to answer the Di- The animal, irrational Natures, how brought to perform their Part in the The rational Word of incomparably 237 consists, to consider a little the Nature That we are equally at a Loss about the essential Nature of our Bodies and our Our nature and State altogether incom- prehensible, without taking in the View of our being intended for Im- Proofs of the Immortality of the Soul, Difficulty of the natural Impressions made by the Soul and Body, cleared up, so far as relates to their being of Presumptions in Favour of the Opinion of the Immortality of the Soul, and its ib. ib. Proofs of the Immortality of the Soul, and a future State, from the moral Attributes of God, the most convinc- ing of any, except those which Reve- Unequal Distribution of Happiness a- mong the inferior creatures, consider- ed, so far as it affects the Argument 251 The most elevated Mind has the best Man's present Station, in regard to his That the Connexion between the Con- duct of moral Agents and their final State, with respect to Happiness or Misery, is reasonable and necessary 259 That there is, notwithstanding this, an absolute, independent Rectitude, and the contrary, in the Actions of moral agents, separate from all Considera- tion of consequent Happiness, or Misery, which Rectitude is founded in the Divine Attribute of Rectitude 260 That however, the natural conse- THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN NATURE. BOOK I. OF PRUDENCE. INTRODUCTION. To show what is truly great, ornamental, or useful, in life; to call the attention of mankind to objects worthy of their regard, as rational and immortal beings; to give a brief, but comprehensive account of the certain and established means for attaining the true end of our existence, happiness in the present and future states; is the design of the following essay. The motives which engaged the author to attempt a task, confessedly too arduous for any single hand, were such as to him seemed sufficient to justify his aspiring, where even a failure, if not too shameful, must deserve praise; as encouragements from persons, for whom he joins with all mankind in having the most profound regard and veneration; the candour he has, in some more inconsiderable attempts, met with from the public; the hope of receiving improvement to himself from digesting and compiling such a work, and from the opinion of the judicious upon it: these several considerations had deservedly their respective influence. But what rendered the attempt more proper and necessary, was a direct view to the advantage of some young persons, in other parts of the world, as well as England, with whom his connexions are such as to give them a right to the fruit of his best abilities in the literary kind; and who will not probably fail to pay a peculiar regard to whatever comes from him. VOL. I. 2 |