: All must be false that thwart this One great End; And all of God, that bless Mankind or mend. 310 NOTES. "Government is, in itself, better than another (as, that " mixed or limited Monarchy, for example, is not pre"ferable to absolute) but that no form of Government, " however excellent or preferable, in itself, can be fuf"ficient to make a People happy, unless it be admini" stered with integrity. On the contrary, the best fort " of Government, when the form of it is preserved, and "the administration corrupt, is most dangerous." II. Again, to suppose the Poet to mean, that all Religions are indifferent, is an equally wrong as well as uncharitable fufpicion. Mr. Pope, though his subject, in this Effay on Man, confineth him to Natural religion; yet he giveth frequent intimations of a more fublime Dispensation, and even of the neceffity of it; particularly in his second epistle ( 149, &c.) where he confefseth the weakness and infufficiency of human Reason. And likewife in his fourth epistle, where, speaking of the good Man, the favourite of Heaven, he fayeth, " For him alone, Hope leads from goal to goal, "And opens still, and opens on his foul: 'Till, lengthen'd on to Faith, and unconfin'd, " It pours the bliss that fills up all the Mind. But Natural Religion never lengthened Hope on to Faith; nor did any Religion, but the Christian ever conceive that Faith could fill the mind with happiness. Lastly, In this very epistle, and in this very place, speaking of the great Restorers of the religion of Nature, he intimates that they could only draw God's shadow, not his image : "Re-lum'd her ancient light, not kindled new, as reverencing that truth, which telleth us, this discovery was referved for the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, 2 Cor. iv. 4. Man, like the gen'rous vine, supported lives; The strength he gains is from th' embrace he gives. COMMENTARY. VER. 311. Man, like the gen'rous vine, &c.] Having thus largely confidered Man in his social capacity, the Poet, in order to fix a momentous truth in the mind of his reader, concludes the epiftle in recapitulating the two Principles which concur to the support of this part of his character, namely, SELF-LOVE and SOCIAL; and in shewing that they are only two different motions of the appetite to Good; by which the Author of Nature hath enabled Man to find his own happiness in the happiness NOTES. VER. 305. For Modes of Faith let graceless zealots fight;] These latter Ages have seen so many fcandalous contentions for modes of Faith, to the violation of Chriftian Charity, and dishonour of facred Scripture, that it is not at all strange they should become the object of fo benevolent and wife an Author's resentment. But that which he here seemed to have more particularly in his eye was the long and mischievous squabble between W-d and JACKSON, on a point confessedly above Reason, and amongst those adorable mysteries, which it is the honour of our Religion to find unfathomable. In this, by the weight of answers and replies, redoubled upon one another without mercy, they made so profound a progress, that the One proved, nothing hindered, in Nature, but that the Son might have been the Father, and the Other, that nothing hindered, in Grace, but that the Son may be a mere Creature. But if, instead of throwing fo many Greek Fathers at one another's heads, they had but chanced to reflect on the sense of one Greek word, AΠΕΙΡΙΑ, that it fignifies both INFINITY and IGNORANCE, this single equivocation might have saved them ten thousand, which they expended in carrying on the controversy. However thofe Mists that magnified the Scene, enlarged the Character of the On their own Axis as the Planets run, Yet make at once their circle round the Sun; COMMENTARY. of the Whole. This he illuftrates with a thought as fublime as that general harmony which he defcribes: "On their own Axis as the Planets run, "Yet make at once their circle round the Sun: So two consistent motions act the Soul; "And one regards Itself, and one the Whole. "Thus God and Nature link'd the general frame, "And bade Self-love and Social be the fame. For he hath the art of converting poetical ornament into philofophic reasoning; and of improving a fimile into an analogical argument; of which more in our next. NOTES. Combatants: and no body expecting common fenfe on a subject where we have no ideas, the defects of dulness disappeared, and its advantages (for, advantages it has) were all provided for. The worst is, such kind of Writers feldom know when to have done. For writing themselves up into the fame delufion with their Readers, they are apt to venture out into the more open paths of Literature, where their reputation, made out of that stuff, which Lucian calls Σκότου ὁλόχεοθ, presently falls from them, and their nakedness appears. And thus it fared with our two Worthies. The World which must have always fomething to amuse it, was now, and it was time, grown weary of its play-thing; and catched at a new object that promifed them more agreeable entertainment. Tindal, a kind of Baftard-Socrates, had brought our speculations from Heaven to Earth: and, under the pretence of advancing the Antiquity of Chriftianity, laboured to undermine its Original. This was a controversy that required another management. Clear sense, severe reasoning, a thorough know 1 So two confiftent motions act the Soul; And one regards Itself, and one the Whole. 315 Thus God and Nature link'd the gen'ral frame, And bade Self-love and Social be the fame. ture out. NOTES. ledge of prophane and sacred Antiquity, and an intimate acquaintance with human Nature, were the qualities proper for fuch as engaged in this Subject. A very unpromising adventure for these metaphyfical nurslings, bred up in the fhade of chimeras. Yet they would needs venWhat they got by it was only to be once well laughed at, and then forgotten. But one odd circumstance deferves to be remembered; tho' they wrote not, we may be sure, in concert, yet each attacked his Adversary at the same time; fastened upon him in the fame place; and mumbled him with just the same toothless rage. But the ill fuccess of this escape soon brought them to themselves. The One made a fruitless effort to revive the old game, in a discourse on The importance of the doctrine of the Trinity; and the Other has been ever fince, rambling in SPACE, and TIME. This short history, as infignificant as the subjects of it are, may not be altogether unuseful to pofterity. Divines may learn by these examples to avoid the mischiefs done to Religion and Literature thro' the affectation of being wife above what is written, and knowing beyond what can be understood. VER. 318. And bade Self-love and Social be the fame.] True Self-love is an appetite for that proper good, for the enjoyment of which, we were made as we are. Now that good is commenfurate with all other good, and a part and portion of Universal Good: it is therefore the fame with Social, which hath the same properties. ARGUMENT OF EPISTLE IV. Of the Nature and State of Man with respect to Happiness. I. FALSE Notions of Happiness, Philofophical and Popular, answered from * 19 to 77. II. It is the End of all Men, and attainable by all, ✰ 30. God intends Happiness to be equal; and to be fo, it must be focial, fince all particular Happiness depends on general, and fince he governs by general, not particular Laws, 37. As it is necessary for Order, and the peace and welfare of Society, that external goods should be unequal, Happiness is not made to confist in thefe, 51. But, notwithstanding that inequality, the balance of Happiness among Mankind is kept even by Providence, by the two Passions of Hope and Fear, 70. III. What the Happiness of Individuals is, as far as is confiflent with the conflitution of this world, and that the good Man has here the advantage, 77. The error of imputing to Virtue what are only the calamities of Nature, or of Fortune, 94. IV. The folly of expecting that God should alter his general Laws in favour of particulars, & 121. V. That we are not judges who are good; but that, whoever they are, they must be happieft, & 133, &c. VI. That external goods, are not the proper rewards, but often inconsistent with, or destructive of Virtue, $ 165. That even these can |