Chap. VIII. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 147 



nature of things, without ahering his own nature ; which, it is 

 admitted by all Theologifts, he cannot do. He cannot, there- 

 fore, make trulh falfihood^ nor two contrary propofitions to be both 

 true. As to his preventing the fall of man by an aift of om- 

 nipotence, that could only be by taking from him the ufe of 

 his free-ivill, which would in effecft have been annihilating him 

 as an intelle£lual creature *. Now, I think, I have fhown f , 

 that there is no fuch thing as annihilation of the works of God, 

 nor, indeed, of the works of men, however they may change 

 their form. And as to man's reftoration from his fallen ftate 

 and the recovery of his intelled: otherwife than by the intercourfe 

 of men in civil fociety, it would have been contrary to the nature 

 of things if thefe had been accomplifhed by the exertion of omnipo- 

 tence. The truth, therefore, is, that the wifdom and goodneis of 

 God, which, as I have fhown, are infeparably conneded, have fo 

 formed the fyftem of the univerfe, that every thing goes on in the mod 

 regular manner according to general laws: And yet the goodnefs of 

 God is every where manifefted in the fyftem j fo that what evil is in 

 it, arifes neceffarily from the nature of things, is not of long conti- 

 nuance, and is produftive of good. This is the cafe of the pains 

 that man fufters in this life, which are neceflary, and at the fame 

 time productive of the grcateft good, as they tend to his reftoratioa 

 to the ftate from which he has fallen. 



* See p. 141. t Chap. III. of this Book. 



T 2 CHAP. 



