142 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book III. 



without an alteration of thefe general laws, by which the univerfe 

 is governed, and muft be governed, if it be a fyilem. And 1 fay that 

 it was neceflary. And, in the firlt place, as man fell by an impro- 

 per ufe of his free will, that could not have been prevented, except 

 by depriving him of that free will, and making him no longer an in- 

 telligent animal, or, in other words, by annihilating him as an intelli- 

 gent animal: for u'/7/, ox frte will as it is commonly called, is eflen- 

 tial to intelligence ; and we cannot fuppofe an intelligent animal act- 

 ing othcrwile than as he wills^ whether he acSls right or wrong. And 

 this is the difference betwixt a man or any other intelligent animal, 

 and a brute who afts by what is called luJilnB^ which prompts 

 him to a£l in fuch or fuch a way, without his forming any opinion 

 of which he is incapable, not being an intelligent animal. Wliere- 

 as man, being an intelligent animal, forms an opinion that the thing 

 he is to do is good or proper to be done; and his determination' to 

 TxCi from that opinion, is what is called tso'ill. But, ido, I fay that 

 it was of neceflitv, that fome of a whole fpecies of animals, with 

 imperfedl intellects, fuch as the intellect of man was even in his 

 prior ftate, fliould fall into error, and in that way abule their intel- 

 led fo much as to lofe the ufe of it. — I fay fome of the whole fpe- 

 cies, which we may confider as very numerous, and not confined 

 to this planet of ours, but inhabiting other planets ; for fo confme 

 one whole fpecies of animals, fuch as man, to this fmall portion of the 

 univerfe, would be to let bounds to the works of God, fuch as we 

 ought not to fuppofe. I fay, therefore, that all men did not fall 

 any more than all the angels, but only fome of them as of the an- 

 gels. Now, I fay that was neceffary, according to the order of na- 

 ture; for that fome of many animals, of imperfect intelleds, fliould 

 fall into error, and even the greateft errors, may be laid to be necef- 

 fary. That fuch a thing may be, it is impoflible to deny. Now, 

 whatever vmy bc^ according to the general laws of the univerfe, mu/i 

 be: For there is nothing fo/.'///7^tv//- in the v^-orks of God, that is, 



vfhich 



