things fo imperfect, as that another conftitution of things to come is necessary to rectify the disorders and fupply the deficiencies of this, is, I think, to caft a fevere reflection on the founder of this world. And as I think the prefent conftitution of things is the best that nature would admit of, for obtaining the prefent purposes that were intended to be obtained by it; fo the power, wisdom and goodness of God are alike amply fhewn forth thereby, whether futurity be taken into the cafe, or not. Neverthe

lefs, whether there will be a future judgment, or not; and whether that judgment will be univerfally extended to all our species, or not; yet, forafmuch as men's relation to, and dependence upon God, and their relation to, and dependence upon each other, are the fame; fo all obligations that flow from these must be the fame alfo, whether there will be a future retribution, or not. The virtuousness and propriety of piety towards God, of benevolence towards our neighbours, and of temperance towards ourfelves, and the viciousness and impropriety of their contraries, do not at all result from, nor depend upon men's future existence, but

are

are founded in the natural and the effential differences in things; and therefore, are and must be the fame, whether there will be a future state of existence to men and a future retribution, or not. And, as the practice of virtue will be justly commendable, and the practice of vice will be justly condemnable, whether futurity be taken into the cafe, or not; fo it will be men's intereft, upon the whole, to practife the former, and to fhun the latter; becaufe fuch a conduct is the high road to a happy life. Would a man attain to the highest happiness that this world can afford, let him examine the cafe fairly and impartially, and he will plainly fee that the practice of virtue bids the fairest for fuch attainment. Or let him look round him and take a view of mankind, and from thence let him judge who, to appearance at leaft, has the greatest fhare of present happiness, whether virtuous or vicious men. From whence come all the wars, contentions and difquietudes that take place, and are a plague to mankind? come they not bence, even from men's vices? And therefore, fappofing this world were our all, tho' this would be a just ground for us not to bring needless troubles and persecuDd 2 tions

tions upon ourselves, fuch, perhaps, as St. Paul's fighting with beafts at Ephefus might be, I Cor. xv. 32. yet it will by no means justify the Apostle's conclufion, if it may be fo called, viz. let us eat and drink, for to

morrow we die.

For if this life is our all,

then it will be our wisdom to make the moft of it, and by temperance and fobriety to make it as long and happy as we can, or as long as life and happiness coincide and can be enjoyed together; and not, by gluttony and drunkenness and other exceffes of fenfuality, to fool it away, or make ourselves miferable in it. St. Paul was fo zealous in fupporting the point he had undertaken to maintain, viz. the certainty of a refurrcction or future life, grounded on the belief of the refurrection of Chrift, that he seems not fufficiently to have attended to his own argument, which feems to be defective in feveral of it's branches. Let us eat and drink for to-morrow we die, is the fong of the most voluptuous and intemperate. Ifaiah xxii. 13. And behold, joy and gladness, flaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine; let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die, chap. Ivi. 12. Come ye, fay they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill

ourselves with strong drink; and to-morrow Shall be as this day, and much more abundant. These fenfualifts foolishly imagine, that the highest happiness, in this life, arifes from the greatest indulgencies and exceffes in fenfuality; whereas the contrary to this plainly appears to be the truth of the case; that is, experience and the nature of the thing plainly fhew, that the greatest exceffes in fenfuality tend to cut men off in the midft of their days, or elfe to bring upon them fuch diforders as render life a burthen to them; whereas a temperate enjoyment of this world's good things is the likelieft and the furest way to a long and happy life. St. Paul, therefore, would not have fung the Song of the glutton and the drunkard, let us eat and drink for to-morrow we die, had he duly attended to the subject. And,

As it will be men's intereft, upon the whole, to practife virtue, whether futurity be taken into the cafe, or not; fo men's interest in, and dependency upon fociety and government are equally the fame, whether there will be a future retribution, or not. The ground and reafon of affociation and government to men, is not their relation to, and dependency upon God, and upon what

Dd 3

may

may be men's fate in another world; but only their relation to, and dependency upon each other in this. And the ultimate end and purpofe of affociation to men, is not to fecure to each individual the favour of God and the happiness of another world; becaufe thefe are things which fociety and government can neither give nor fecure, nor take away; but only to procure to each individual those comforts in life which each, in his fingle capacity, is not able to obtain for himself, and to guard and protect each individual from those evils which each, in his fingle capacity, is not capable of securing himself from. These are the grounds upon which men enter into fociety, and these are the purposes which civil fociety and civil government are intended to ferve, and which are wholly diftinct from, and independent of futurity. So that every man is obliged, out of regard to his present interest and fafety, to live in fubjection to civil government, and to pay his quota for the fupport of civil fociety, whether he has any regard to futurity, or not; that being very much out of the queftion, as not being the bafis upon which fociety and government reft. And tho' the belief of a future retri