Cliap. XIV. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 219 



proceed to confider the feveral things which give pleafure to our 

 minds in this life. 



As all the pleafure, as well as the pain of mind, muft proceed 

 from thinking, the queftion to be confidered here is, What fubjedls 

 of our thoughts give us pleafure? And, from what has been faid, it is 

 evident that they muft have beauty in them ; and the more beauti- 

 ful they are the greater pleafure they will give the mind. Now, it 

 is evident that the works of God, in the produdion of this univerfe, 

 being the work of fupreme wifdom and goodnefs, muft be the moft 

 beautiful of all things exifting. We ihould, therefore, endeavour 

 to perceive, as far as our li;iiited faculties will permit, what the great 

 creator perceived after he had finifhed his work, that all was beauti- 

 ful^ for fo the Hebrew word is tranflated by the Septuagint. 



But, as this Beauty can only be perceived by men of great genius, 

 and genius much cultivated by the ftudy of philofophy, we muft de- 

 fcend to the works of the only intelligent being on this earth man 

 and confider what beauty is to be found in them. And wc 

 fhould begin at home, and refledt whether we have done any thin^ 

 that has wifdom and goodnefs in it ; and if we have, by refleding 

 upon fuch adions, we may be faid to enjoy, in fome degree, a plea- 

 fure which the Almighty enjoyed in contemplating his own works. 

 I will add further upon this fubjed, that every man, who performs 

 any virtuous adion, will not only enjoy the pleafure of it, when he 

 does it, but it will be a conftant fource of delight to him while he 

 lives ; as, on the contrary, if the adion be vitious, it will give him 

 pain, upon refledion, during his whole life. 



Next to our own good adions, thofe of our near relations, and 

 particularly of our parents, fhould give us the greateft pleafure; and 

 if we ourfelves are the fubjed of fuch adions, they ought to inipire 



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