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Show 126 Power. Book II If therefore Men in this Life only have hope; if in this Life they can only enjoy, 'tis not firange, nor unreafonable, they fhould feek their HappinefS by avoiding all things t~at ~ifcafe them here, and by preferring all that delight thern ; wherem 1t w1ll be no wonder to lind vanety and difference. For if there be oo ProfpeCl: beyond the Grave, the inference is certainly right, Let us eat and drink, let us enjoy what we delight in, {or to morrow we fba/1 die. This, I thirik, may ferve to /hew us the Rea(on why, though all Mm~'s Wills are determined by Good, yet they are no; determined by the fame ObjeCt. Men m~y chufe different things, and yet all chufe right, fuppoting them only like a Company of poor InfeCts whereof fame are Bces,delighted with Flowers, and their fweetne& · other; Scarabes, delighted with other kind of Viands; which having ~njoyed fur a Seafon, they lhould ceafe to be, and exifi no more for ever. ~. ;6. This fufficientlydifcovers to us, why Men in this World prefer different things, and purfue Happinefs by contrary Courfes: But yet tince Men are always determined by Good,thc greater Good; and are con!lant and in earne!l, in matter of Happinefs and Mifery, tl1e ~e!lion!lill re~ains How Men come often to prefer tl;e worfe to tbe better; and to chufe that' which by their own Confeilion has made them miferable? ' §. 37· To this I anfwer, That as to prefent Happinefl, or Miftry; prefont Pleafore or Pain, wbenthat alone comes inCon(tderation, a Man never chu{es amifl: he knows what bell pleafes him, and that, he aCtually prefers. Things in their pre~ent enjoyment,are what they feem: the apparent and real good, are, m th1s cafe, always the fame. For the Pain or Pleafure be~ng jufr fo great, and no greater, than it is felt, the prefent Good or Ev!l1s really fo much ~s ~t appears. And therefore were every ACtion of ours concluded w1thm 1t felf, and ~rew no Confequences after it, we fhould undoubtedly always ":'II not lung but Good; always infallibly prefer the bell. Were the pams of hone!l lndu!lry, and of llarving with Hunger and Cold fer together beforeus,no Body would be in doubt which to chufe: were the fatislaCl:ion of a Lull, and the Joys of Heaven offered at once to any one's prefent PolTe/Tion,he would not balance or err in the choice, and determination of his Will . . But Iince our volun'tary ACtions carry ~at all the Happ10efs, and M1fery, that depend oa them,along with them 10 their .rrefent performance; but are the precedent Caufes of Good and Ev1l, wluch they draw after them, and bring upon us, when they themfelves ~re pa!fed, ~nd ceafe w be; tbat wbkh h~s tbe Preference, and makes us Will the do10g or om1tt1ng any AEbon 10 our Power is tbe greater Good, appeanng to refult ltom that choice in all its Confequences, as far as at prefent they are reprcfented to our view. • ~. 38. So that,. tbat wbicb determines tbe cboice of the Will, and obtains the preference, zs fld! Good, tbe 1!/ea:er Good: But it is alfo only Good that appea.rs ; that wluch camesw1th It the ExpeCtation of Addition w our Hal'\'IOefs, by the mcreafe of our Pleafures, either in Degrees, Sorts, or Durauon, or by the prevent10g, letTening,gr lhortning of pain. Thus the Temptauon of a pleafant Ta!le, bnngs a Surfe1t, a Difeafe, and, perhaps, Death too, on one, who looks no farther than thttt apparent Good than the prefent Pleafure; who fees not the remote and concealed Evil; and \he hopes of eaftng or preventing fome greater pain, fweetens another Mans Draught, aod makes that willingly be fwallowed, which in it felf "· naufeous and unpleafant. Both thefe Men were moved 10 what they rltd by the a ppeara~ce of Good , though the one found Eafe and Health, and the o~her a D1feafe and De!lruCtion : and therefore to him that looks , beyond th1s World, and IS fully perfuaded, that God the righteous Judge, will Chap. XXI. Power. will render to every Man according to his Deeds; To them who by patient continuance in well doing, feek for Glory, and Honour and Immortality, Eternal Life; but unto every Soul that doth Evil' Indignation and Wrath, Tribulation and Anguifh : To him, I fay, who h~tha profpetl of the different State of perfeCt Happinefs, or Mifery that attends all Men after this Life, depending on their Behaviour here, the meafurcs of Good and Evil, that govern his d10i~e, ~re mightily changed. For Iince nothmg of Plcafure and Pam 10 tlus L1fe, can bear any proportion to endlefs Happmefs, or exgmf1te M1fery of an 1mmortal Soul hereafter ACtions in his Power will have their preference, not according to the t,.,;ntient Pleafure, or Pain that accompanies, or follows them here; but as they ferve to fccure that perfeCt durable Happinefs hereafter. . ~· 36· He then that will account for theMifery,that Men often bring on thcmfclvcs, notw1th!landmg that they do al110 earne!l purfue Happinefs, and always prefer the greater apparent Good, mull confider, how Things ~ome to be reprrfented to our chmce,under deceitful appe.trances: and that 1s, ~J tbe Jud1,ment pronouncmg wrongly concerning them. To fee how far this reaches, and what are the Caufes of wrong Judgment, we mufi remember , that dungs are judged good or bad in a double Senfe. Firjl, TIJM whicb is properly good or ~ad, is not bing but barely P/eaf<re or Paut. Secondly'· Bu.t becaufe . not only prefent Pleafure, and Pain , but that alfowh1ch 1s apt by 1ts efficacy, or . confequences, to bring it upon us at a d1!lancr, cannot but move the Wdl, and determine the choice ?fa Cr:ature,that has forefight; therefore tbing~ alfo tbat drar11 after tbem 'f!ea(ure and Pam, are conjtdered as Good and E-ui!. 127 . §. 40. The wrong, J~dgment that mif/ead~ us, and makes the Will often fallen on the worfc f1de, lies in mifreporting upon the various Comparifons of thefe. The wrong Judgment l ·am here fpeaking of, is not what one Ma.n m~y think of the determination of another ; but what every . Man him felt mull: confefs to be wrong. For tince I lay it-for a certain ground, that avery intelligent Being really feeks Happinefs, and would enjoy all the pleafures he could, anti fuffer no pain; :tis impo/Tible any one fhould W1lhngly put lOU> Jus own draught any bitter Ingredient. or leave out any thing in his Power, that could add to its fweetnefs, but.on· !Y by a wrong judgment. I fi1all not here f}>eak l'f that mi!lake, (vhich lS the confcgucnce of invincible Error, which fcarce deferves the Name of wrong judgment; but of that wrong Judgment, which every Man himfclf mull: confcfs ro!>e fo. §. 4 1. I. Therefore, as to · prefent Plcafurc and Pai~ , the Mind as pas been faid, never mi!lakes that which is really good or,evil: that which 1s the greater Pleafure, or the greater l?ain, is really ju/1:, as it appears. But though prefent Pleafure and Pain, fi1ew their difference .and degrees fa plainly, as not to leave room for mi!lake: yet when we· .compare prefent f.itafure or Pain witb futul'e, we often make Jvrong Judgments ofthem,,ra .. kmg our mCll[urcs of them in different potitions of dill:ance. ObjeCts near our view, are apt to be thought greater than thofe of a larger fize, ~hat are more remote: nnJ fo it is .with Pleafures and Pains, the pre{ent IS apt 10 carry it, and thofe at a d1!lance have the difadvamage in 'the Comparifon. Thus moll: Men, like fpend-thrift Heirs, are apt to judge a little in Hand better than a great deal to come; and fa for fmall Matter~ in Poffi.·ffion1part with great ones in ({~verfion: but that ~his is a wrong Judgment every one mull allow, let h1s pleafure .confi/1: 1n whatever it will, |
