A careful and strict enquiry into the modern prevailing notions of that freedom of…

Therefore Persons can't reasonably make this Improvement of the Doctrine of Necessity, that they will go into a voluntary Negligence of Means for their own Happiness. For the Principles they must go upon, in order to this, are inconsistent with their making any Improvement at all of the Doctrine: For to make some Improvement of it, is to be influenced by it, to come to some voluntary Conclusion, in Regard to their own Conduct, with some View or Aim: But this, as has been shown, is inconsistent with the Principles they pretend to act upon. In short, the Principles are such as cannot be acted upon at all, or in any Respect, consistently. And therefore in every Pretence of acting upon them, or making any Improvement at all of them, there is a Self-contradiction.

As to that Objection against the Doctrine which I have endeavoured to prove, that it makes Men no more than mere Machines; I would say, that notwithstanding this Doctrine, Man is entirely, perfectly and unspeakably different from a mere Machine, in that he has Reason and Understanding, and has a Faculty of Will, and so is capable of Volition and Choice; and in that, his Will is guided by the Dictates or Views of his Understanding; and in that his external Actions and Behaviour, and in many Respect also his Thoughts, and the Exercises of his Mind, are subject to his Will; so that he has Liberty to act according to his Choice, and do what he pleases; and by Means of these Things, is capable of moral Habits and moral Acts, such Inclinations and Actions as according to the common Sense of Mankind, are worthy of Praise, Esteem, Love and Reward; or on the contrary, of Disesteem, Detestation, Indignation and Punishment.

As to that Objection against the Doctrine which I have endeavoured to prove, that it makes Men no more than meer Machines; I would say, that notwithstanding this Doctrine, Man is entirely, perfectly and unspeakably different from a meer Machine, in that he has Reason and Understanding, and has a Faculty of Will, and so is capable of Volition and Choice; and in that, his Will is guided by the Dictates or Views of his Understanding; and in that his external Actions and Behaviour, and in many Respect also his Thoughts, and the Exercises of his Mind, are subject to his Will; so that he has Liberty to act according to his Choice, and do what he pleases; and by Means of these Things, is capable of moral Habits and moral Acts, such Inclinations and Actions as according to the common Sense of Mankind, are worthy of Praise, Esteem, Love and Reward; or on the contrary, of Disesteem, Detestation, Indignation and Punishment.