Page:A Philosophical Inquiry Concerning Human Liberty (3rd ed., 1735).djvu/87

 causes may exist, to form the wills of those who in virtue of them necessarily observe the laws; and also of use to cut them off as noxious members of society.

2. But secondly, so far is threatning and inflicting punishments from being useless, if men are necessary agents, that it would be useless to correct and deter (which are the principal effects design’d to be obtained by threatning and inflicting punishments) unless men were necessary agents, and were determin’d by pleasure and pain; because, if men were free or indifferent to pleasure and pain, pain could be no motive to cause men to observe the law.

3. Thirdly, men have every day examples before them of the usefulness of punishments upon some intelligent or sensible beings, which they all contend are necessary agents. They punish dogs, horses, and other animals every day with great success, and make them leave off their vicious habits, and form them thereby according to their wills. These are plain facts, and matters of constant experience, and even confirm’d by the evasions of the advocates of liberty, who