all Subftance, Man can only trace him in the human Mind, and the external Objects that furround him, the only Matter that Mind has to work upon.

This is defign'd to obviate the Queftion of Why are thefe Things fo? And fupport Mr. Pope's great Argument, THAT WHATEVER IS, IS RIGHT. This, Mr. Warburton a Commentator on thefe Ethicks, fays has been mifunderftood; for (fays the Reverend Commentator) the dull Breath of Malice has attempted to defile its Purity, and by ftaining it with the black Imputation of FATALISM, to tarnish every Virtue it reflected-In the Name of PAUL, what ball deliver us from the Body of this Fate?-I answer, the Religion of JESUS. Thus far the learned Expofitor. It is known, that from the Beginning of Christianity, a great Body of the Profeffore of it have been Fatalifts, that as many Books have been wrote by. Chriftians on this Argument, as perhaps would take up a Man's Life-time to read; that St. Paul himself declares, whom he did foreknow, them he did predeftinate-and next Verfe, moreover, whom he did predeftinate, them he also called: And whom he called, them he also justified: And whom he justified, them he alfo glorified: And in the next Chapter yet more fully for the Children not being yet born, neither having done either Good or Evil, that the Purpose of God according to Election might ftand, not of Works, but of him that calleth; it was faid the Elder shall ferve the Yonnger, as it is written, Jacob have I lov'd but Efau have I hated. For he faith to Mofes, I will have Mercy on whom I will have Mercy, and I will have Compaffion on whom I will have Compaffion-For the Scripture faith to Pharaoh, for this Caufe have I raifed thee up-Therefore hatb he Mercy on whom he will have Mercy, and whom he will he hardneth. X 4

.

This

This is the Religion of Jefus through that great Apoftle; this is the Weapon with which we are to overcome the Body of this Fate: Though Mr. Pope himfelf neither made or infinuated any fuch Reference; Mr. Pope fays:

THE

What can we reason but from what we know ?

He does not feem here to beg any Affent from Faith, or expect that Grace muft be given to Nature to make his Philofophy understood and relifh'd, he has contracted 'tis true this Sentiment of St. Paul into a very narrow Compafs, and only says:

Whatever is, is right.

And that all Enquiry after Reasons why Things are form'd, difpos'd, and govern'd as they are, as it is vain, fo it is foolifh to attempt to know, what he declares to be out of the Extent of human Knowledge.

Mr. Dryden fpeaks much after the fame Manner of the Shortness of all human Views, and the little that it is poffible for us to know.

Some few, whofe Lamp fhone brighter, have been
From Caufe to Caufe, to Nature's fecret Head; [led
And found that one firft Principle must be:
But what, or who, that UNIVERSAL HE;
Whether fome Soul incompaffing this Ball
Unmade, unmov'd; yet making moving All;
Or various Atoms interfering dance

Leapt into Form (the noble Work of Chance ;)
Or this great All was from Eternity;
Not ev'n 'the Stagirite himfelf could fee;
And Epicurus guefs'd as well as he :
As blindly grop'd they for a future State;
As rafhly judg'd of Providence and Fate.

Thus

Thus, anxious Thoughts in endless Circles roul,
Without a Centre where to fix the Soul:
In this wild Maze their vain Endeavours end,
How can the Lefs the Greater comprehend?
Or finite Reafon reach Infinity?

For what cou'd fathom GOD were more than he.

If by this the two Poets mean, that what is hid from us, is hid from us at beft, and endeavour to perfwade us not to waste our Thought about Things out of our Reach, it is certainly an excellent Leffon, and condemns the ridiculous Pretenfions of all thofe who boaft of Difcoveries out of the Reach of the rational Faculties.

In reas'ning Pride (my Friend) our Error lies;
All quit their Sphere, and rufh into the Skies.
Pride ftill is aiming at the bleft Abodes,
Men would be Angels, Angels would be Gods.
Afpiring to be Gods, if Angels fell,

Afpiring to be Angels, Men rebel:

And who but wishes to invert the Laws
Of Order, fins against th' eternal Cause.

What would this Man? now upward will he foar,
And little less than Angel, would be more;
Now looking downward, juft as griev'd appears
To want the Strength of Bulls, the Fur of Bears.
Made for his Ufe all Creatures if he call,

Say what their Ufe, had he the Pow'rs of all?
The Blifs of Man (could Pride that Bleffing find)
Is, not to think, or act beyond Mankind;
No Pow'rs of Body, or of Soul to share,
But what his Nature, and his State can bear.
Why has not Man a microfcopick Sight?
For this plain Reason, Man is not a Mite :

Say,

Say, what th' Advantage of fo fine an Eye?
T' infpect a Mote, not comprehend the Sky?
Or Touch, fo tremblingly alive all o'er,
To fmart, and agonize at ev'ry Pore?
Or quick Effluvia darting thro' the Brain,
To fink oppreft with aromatick Pain?
If Nature thunder'd in his opening Ears,
And stunn'd him with the Mufick of the Spheres.
How would he wifh, that Heav'n had left him ftill
The whifp'ring Zephyr, and the purling Rill?

As in the foregoing Quotations, Mr. Pope difcourages Men from ftriving to know or act beyond Mankind, or defire other Powers than fuch as he is already bleft with, just so does Mr. Dryden :

Thus Man with his own Strength to Heaven would And would not be oblig❜d to God for more. [foar, And as to any Thing farther, which is exprefs'd by the Defire of Thinking and acting beyond Mankind, Mr. Pope fays:

Hope humbly then, .

And Mr. Dryden in almoft the fame Terms, for I dare fay his Thoughts were exactly the fame, fays: Look humbly upward, &c.

But Mr. Pope's Commentator understands, that the Design of the Efay on Man was to establish the Chriftian Faith in the World, aud not to treat of Philofophy merely as fuch; it has an Analogy with the Scriptures, and defeats all the Opinions of PhiJofophers, without any Manner of Distinction; for the zealous Expounder fays: 'Tis now no Time to ftand upon Ceremony, when THE WHOLE HEAD IS SICK, AND THE WHOLE HEART FAINT.

The

The general Scope of thefe Ethick Eflays is as Mr. Pope exprefly declares, to vindicate the Ways of God to Man, which to do he afferts, that whatever is, is right:

All are but Parts of one ftupendous Whole:
Whofe Body Nature is, and God the Soul.
That, chang'd thro' all, and yet in all the fame,
Great in the Earth as in the ethereal Frame,
Warms in the Sun, refreshes in the Breeze,
Glows in the Stars, and blossoms in the Trees,
-Lives thro' all Life, extends thro' all Extent,
-Spreads undivided, operates unfpent,
Breathes in our Soul, informs our mortal Part,
As full, as perfect, in a Hair, as Heart;
As full, as perfect, in vile Man that mourns,
As the rapt Seraphim, that fings and burns;
To him no high, no low, no great, no fmall;
He fills, he bounds, connects, and equals all,

Ceafe then, nor ORDER Imperfection name: Our proper Blifs depends on what we blame. Know thy own Point. This juft, this kind Degree Of Blindness, Weaknefs, Heav'n beftows on thee. Submit-in this, or any other Sphere,

27

Secure to be as bleft as thou canst bear.
Safe in the Hand of one difpofing Pow'r,
Or in the natal, or the mortal Hour:
All Nature is but Art, unknown to thee;
All Chance, Direction which thou canst not fee;
All Difcord, Harmony not understood;
All partial Evil, univerfal Good:

And fpight of Pride, in erring Reafon's Spight,
One Truth is clear; "Whatever is, is right.'

And tho' it does not appear so to us, the Reafon he

gives