A THIRD VOLUME OF

MISCELLANEOUS

AND

FUGITIVE PIECES

TS IN THE PRESS,

N D

WILL BE PUBLISHED VERY SPEEDILY.

A REVIEW OF

A FREE ENQUIRY

INTO THE

NATURE and ORIGIN of EVIL.

HIS is a Treatife confifting of Six Letters up

TH

on a very difficult and important Queftion, which I am afraid this Author's Endeavours will not free from the Perplexity, which has intangled the Speculatifts of all Ages, and which must always continue while we fee but in part. He calls it a Free Enquiry, and indeed his Freedom is, I think, greater than his Modefty. Though he is far from the contemptible Arrogance, or the impious Licentioufnefs of Bolingbroke, yet he decides too eafily upon Queftions out of the Reach of human Determination, with too little Confideration of mortal Weaknefs, and with too much Vivacity for the neceffary Caution.

In the first Letter on Evil in general, he obferves, that, it is the Solution of this important Queftion, whence came Evil, alone, that can afcertain the • moral Characteristic of God, without which there is an End of all Diftinction between Good and VOL. I. •Evil.'

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Evil.' Yet he begins this Enquiry by this Declaration That there is a Supreme Being, infinitely powerful, wife, and benevolent, the great Creator and Preferver of all Things, is a Truth fo clearly demonftrated, that it fhall be here taken for granted.' What is this but to fay, that we have already Reason to grant the Existence of those Attributes of God, which the prefent Enquiry is defigned to prove? The prefent Enquiry is then furely made to no Purpose. The Attributes to the Demonstration of which the Solution of this great Queftion is neceffary, have been demonftrated without any Solution, or by means of the Solution of fome former Writer.

He rejects the Manichean Syftem, but imputes to it an Abfurdity, from which, amidst all its Abfurdities, it seems to be free, and adopts the Syftem of Mr. Pope. That Pain is no Evil, if afferted with Regard to the Individuals who fuffer it, is downright Nonfenfe; but if confidered as it affects the univerfal Syftem, is an undoubted Truth, and means only that there is no more Pain in it than what is Neceffary to the Production of Happiness. How many foever of these Evils then force themfelves into the Creation, fo long as the Good preponderates, it is a Work well worthy of infinite < Wisdom and Benevolence; and, notwithstanding the Imperfections of its Parts, the Whole is most undoubtedly Perfect.' And in the former Part of the Letter, he gives the Principle of his Syftem in thefe Words: Omnipotence cannot work Contradictions, it can only effect all poffible Things. But fo little are we acquainted with the whole Syftem of Nature, that we know not what are < poffible, and what are not: But if we may judge from that constant Mixture of Pain with Pleafure, and Inconveniency with Advantage, which we muft obferve in every Thing around us, we have • Reason

Reason to conclude, that to endue created Beings with Perfection, that is, to produce Good exclufive of Evil, is one of thofe Impoffibilities which even infinite Power cannot accomplish."

This is elegant and acute, but will by no means calm Difcontent, or filence Curiofity; for whether Evil can be wholly feparated from Good or not, it is plain that they may be mixed in various Degreès, and as far as human Eyes can judge, the Degree of Evil might have been lefs without any Impediment to Good.

The fecond Letter on the Evils of Imperfection, is little more than a Paraphrafe of Pope's Epiftles, or yet less than a Paraphrafe, a mere Tranflation of Poetry into Profe. This is furely to attack Difficulty with very difproportionate Abilities, to cut the Gordian Knot with very blunt Inftruments. When we are told of the Infufficiency of former Solutions, why is one of the latest, which no Man can have forgotten, given us again? I am told, that this Pamphlet is not the Effort of Hunger: What can it be then but the Product of Vanity? and yet how can Vanity be gratified by Plagiarifm, or Tranfcription? When this Speculatift finds himfelf prompted to another Performance, let him confider whether he is about to difburthen his Mind, or employ his Fingers; and if I might venture to offer him a Subject, I fhould with that he would folve this Queftion, Why he that has nothing to write, fhould defire to be a Writer?

Yet is not this Letter without fome Sentiments, which though not new, are of great Importance, and may be read with Pleasure in the thousandth Repetition.

"Whatever we enjoy is purely a free Gift from our Creator; but that we enjoy no more, can never fure be deemed an Injury, or a juft Reafon to queftion his infinite Benevolence. All our Happiness is

owing to his Goodnefs; but that it is no greater, is owing only to ourselves; that is, to our not having any inherent Right to any Happiness, or even to any Existence at all. This is no more to be imputed to God, than the Wants of a Beggar to the Perfon who has relieved him: That he had fomething was owing to his Benefactor; but that he had no more, only to his own original Poverty."

Thus far he fpeaks what every Man muft approve, and what every wife Man has faid before him. He then gives us the Syftem of Subordina tion, not invented, for it was known I think to the Arabian Metaphyficians, but adopted by Pope; and from him borrowed by the diligent Refearches of this great Investigator.

"No Syftem can poffibly be formed, even in Imagination, without a Subordination of Parts. Every animal Body must have different Members, fubfervient to each other; every Picture must be compofed of various Colours, and of Light and Shade; all Harmony must be formed of Trebles, Tenors, and Baffes; every beautiful and useful Edifice must confift of higher and lower, more and lefs magnificent Apartments. This is in the very Effence of all created Things, and therefore cannot be prevented by any Means whatever, unless by not creating them at all.”

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Thefe Inftances are ufed inftead of Pope's Oak and Weds, or Jupiter and his Satellites; but neither Pope, nor this Writer, have much contributed to folve the Difficulty., Perfection or Imperfection of unconfcious Beings has no meaning as referred to themselves; the Bafs and the Treble are equally perfect; the mean and magnificent Apartments feel no Pleasure or Pain from the Comparison. Pope might afk the Weed, why it was lefs than the Oak, but the Weed would never afk the Queftion for itself. The Bafs and Treble differ only to the Hearer, Meannefs

and