Page:A Philosophical Inquiry Concerning Human Liberty (3rd ed., 1735).djvu/60

 Christianity and great converter of others, St..

 III. Thirdly, Liberty is contended for by the patrons thereof as a great perfection. In order therefore to disprove all pretences for it, I will now show, that according to all the various descriptions given of it by Theologers and Philosophers, it would often be an imperfection, but never a perfection, as I have in the last article show’d it to be impossible and atheistical.

1. If liberty be defin’d, a power to pass different judgments at the same instant of time upon the same individual propositions that are not evident (we being, as it is own’d necessarily determin’d to pass but one judgment on evident propositions) it will follow, that men will be so far irrational, and by consequence imperfect agents, as they have that freedom of judgment. For, since they would be irrational agents, if they were capable of judging evident propositions not to be evident; they must be also deem’d irrational agents, if they are capable of judging the self-same probable or improbable propositions not to be probable or impro-