Chap. XXI. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 303 



cr deliberation) and without any poffibillty of error ; whereas the hu- 

 man intellect inquires and deliberates, looks before and behind, tries 

 to forefee confequences, and to difcover effedls in their caufcs : And, 

 as his intelledlual faculties are but weak, and very often difturbed by 

 pailion, in fuch fearches and inquiries he is very liable to error. 



But this internal neceffity, in the cafe of both God and man, is ve- 

 ry different from that external impulfe which makes body neceflarily 

 move in a certain direction, or even from that internal principle of 

 movement which moves body, but without knowledge, intelligence, 

 or confcioufnefs, of what it does. 



This dodrine of the neceffity of the tvill^ I know, is a do6lrlne of 

 hard digeftion with many divines and philofophers ; but I would afic 

 thofe philofophers and divines this fmiple queftion. Whether the 

 greater good, real or apparent, be not the cauie of the determi- 

 nation of the will ? Their anfwer, no doubt, will be. That it is a 

 caufe, but not a neceflary caufe. I aik:, again. What they mean by 

 a caufe not necelfary ? To which, 1 think, their anfwer muff be, 

 that a caufe not necelfary is that which produces the effe^ fometimes, 



but not always. But every thing muft be produced by fome caufe ; 



and, if the motive of the greater good is at any time not the caufe of 

 the determination of the will, I afk. What is the caufe ? To this que- 

 ftion, I believe, it is beyond the power of man to give an anfwer : So 

 that the argument comes to this, that the motive of the greater good 

 is the caufe of the determination of the ijuill^ but not always ; and, 

 when it is not the caufe, no other caule can be affigned. Now, if I 

 aflign a caufe which is admitted to be fuch, and if no other caufe can 

 be affigned, it muft be held to be the only caufe. If it be faid that 

 chance may be the caufe of the determination of the ivill^ I have 

 fliown, in the proceeding chapter, that what is the effed: of c/j..?jce is 

 produced by as neceflary caufcs as any thing elfe in Nature; and, that 



it 



