be alfo directed in the Ufe of them, or have fome Method prefcribed to him, how he ought to purfue his End, and by what means his Perfection may be actually attained.

CHA P. IV.

What the Rule of Perfection to Man is?

1. He is to confult Truth in order to regulate his Judgment. II, III. And the moral Attributes of the most wife and perfect Agent, in order both to regulate his Action, IV. and to direct bi Intention.

THE firft Enquiry will be concerning the Rule of Perfection to Man, in refpect to his End, confidered as an intelligent Being; and under this Notion, as he finds, by an internal Consciousness, that Truth is the proper Object of his Understanding; and that he is capable, in a certain Degree, of discovering it, and taftes a fenfible Pleasure in the Discovery; the Confequence is, that he ought both to regulate and determine all his Judgments by fuch Discoveries; for, other. wife, he could have no End, no End tending to his Perfection, in making them.

2. But tho' Truth, abftractedly confidered, has fomething in it, which tends to the Perfection of human Mind; yet as Man is D

an

an intelligent Being formed for Action, and of an active Difpofition, it principally concerns him to understand fuch Truths, whereby his Action, as an intelligent Being, ought to be regulated.

III. Here then lies the main Difficulty, by what Rule Man ought to conduct himfelf as an intelligent Agent? For the Refolution of which the true Rule certainly is, that he should confult the Idea of the most perfect of all intelligent Agents, and dif cover, if he can, by contemplating the Perfections of his Nature, what they feverally are, and how they may be applied to ferve him, as Models for the Regulation of his own Conduct. For what is moft perfect, in its Kind, ought to be propofed as the Rule and Standard to all other Things

of

of the like Kind; and the more they participate of the Nature or Qualities of fuch an Original, or bear the near Refemblance to it, they are, in the same Degree, neceffarily more perfect.

Now if we confult the Idea of the moft perfect intelligent Being, we shall find included in that Idea, that he always acts as Reafon directs; and, that one of the prime Directions of Reafon is, that every Action ought to be conducted, by a certain Order, to certain wife and good Ends: For otherwise, contrary to the present Suppofition of an all-perfect Being, there might be manifeft Tokens of Imperfection, in these several Refpects. An Action, for Inftance, which is not regularly conducted, cannot fo foon attain its End, if it fhould

at length attain it, as an Action which tends directly, and without any deviation, or obftacle, to it. And for this Reason, the great Genius Mr. Malibranch has demonftrated, that God having once determined to create the material World, to put Matter in motion, and to conftitute certain Laws whereby it fhould move, did eftablish this as the primary Law of Motion, that every Particle of Matter fhould have a Tendency to move in a direct Line; for otherwife the fupreme Being, who does nothing in vain, and never employs his Power, where there is no Occafion, would yet make Ufe of a greater Degree of Power than was needful, and confequently of a fuperfluous Action; it being evident, that a less Force will carry any Body towards