and deceitful, not a real and solid
Good, have produc'd this ill effect, that many from the absurdity
hereof are confirm'd in an evil indulgence of their Appetites, as if
to Gratifie These was indeed the truest Wisdom of a rational Creature,
in consequence of pleasure, being his chief Good. But they judge not
thus from a due examination, or any examination at all of the nature
of Things, but from a Reason (if it may be call'd so) of opposition.
For so ridiculously weak are a great part of Men in their Reasoning,
that seeing they are in the wrong who oppose them, they become from
thence as much perswaded, and as well satisfy'd that the contrary to
such Mens Assertions is true; or that themselves are in the right, as
if they saw that these things really were so. This arguing yet is no
more irrational than that whereby a palpable Truth is deny'd, only
because some have indeavour'd to draw, or have been thought to have
drawn ill consequences from it: Which is yet all the ground of not
allowing that Pleasure, and Pain, are truly Good, and Evil; the
denying of which, can be of no Service to Morality, but the contrary,
since Moral Good, and Evil, consider'd antecedently to any positive
Law of our Maker, are apt to be thought but a Notion where that
inseparable Relation is overlook'd which there is between actions
denominated by us vertuous, or vicious, and the Natural Good, and Evil
of Mankind.

Christians, perhaps, need not the confederation of this to inforce
their obedience to the Will of their Maker; but as it is a great
recommendation of the Precepts of the Gospel to find that they have an
exact correspondence with, and conformity to the Nature of Things: So
also those who are not influenc'd by, as not being yet thorowly
perswaded of this Divine Revelation, will sooner be induced to imbrace
Vertue, and contemn the allurements of Vice, when they see These to
have the very same reality, in Nature as their Happiness and Misery
have; than when (tho' ever so pompously set out) Vertue appears
founded only upon nice, or subtle Speculations. But some Men there
are so far from approving of any Notion or Theorem being advanc'd with
respect to Deists whereby, as such, they may be induc'd to the love of
Vertue (which is the best predisposition to the entertainment of
Christianity) that they are ready to treat as not being themselves
Christians if not as Atheists, any one who in the view of gaining thus
much upon these Men assert Ve