1000000031

M E T A P H Y S

e s.

world; whereby {everal aét-ions come to find crl:dit or

difgrace

amongft

them, according to thejudgment, max.ims,

or faChions of the place.

That th is is fo, appears hence : That though that

paIr~s

ror

vlrme

in one place, which is elfcwhere account–

cd vice, yeot

tvery

where

virlu~

and

proift,

vic~

and

h/tlJl/r.

go tOgethl:r :

l/ir/u:

is every where that which is

thought praife worthy

and noth ing elre

bUl

that which

has lhe allowance· of public ellee¡n , is called

virfue.

Thefe have fo clofe an allianee, Ihal mey are oflen eall–

eJ by the farne name.

is rrue, virtue

ilnd vice do, in a great

mea fu re,

e·

very where correfpond w¡th lhe

unchar¡geable rule

right aod

~vrong,

whieh the law5 of God have ellablifh·

ed; becaufe the obferv . tion of thefe laws vifibly feeure.

and advanees the general gaod of mankind, and the nc–

gleét of Ihem breeds mifehlef and eonfufion : And Ihere·

fore men, without renouncing all fenfe and reafan, and

lheir Qwn interefl,

eould

nOl

generally

minake

placing

their commendation and blame on

lhar

Cide

l hal

deferved

il nOL

Toey \Vho think eommendalion and difgrace not fu/li–

cienr motives [O eng2ge men to accommodate themrelves

to the opinions ilnd rules of thofe with whom they

con~

verre, feem little Ikilled in Ihe hillory ,of maokind ; Ihe

gr. alen pan whereof govern Ihemrd ..s chi. By by this

lu'W

•

,!ajhion.

The peoalties that altend the breaeh of G od's laws

are fe Ido", feriol1l1y refl eéted

00 ;

and thofe Ihat do re–

fiea on them

emen ain

thoughts of fu ture recoAciliation;

aDd for

rhe

punifhment due (rom lhe laws of [he com–

monweahh, men Oatter

themrdves

with the hopes of

impunity: But no man efcapes cenfure and

diO.ke,

who

ofFends

;¡,g~infl:

{aíhion ; nor is there cne of ten thourand

iliff .nd iofeofi ble enou2h,

bear t1p uoder Ihe eonilaDI

diOike and condemnation of his own club.

M orp/ily

rhen is nothing but a rdalian to thefe 12ws

or rules : And thefe rules beiñ

nothing but a collc=élion

of feveral fimple

id~al,

the

con formitj" thereto is but fo

ordering the aétion, ihat lhe Gmp!e

id~ül

bclonging to it

may correfpond to thofe which (he law requires. By

which we fee, ho\V moral beings

~nd

notions are found–

on, and termiRated in (he fimple

id~al

of fenfacio n

and reÁcaion. Por example ; let us confider the com–

plex

id(Q

figni6cd by (he word

7/lurd(r.

F idl, from re–

ncft ion,

have the

id(Q/

w illing,

c?nJidtrillg , p ur –

Pojillg, tlIatia,

&e. airo of

t[r" p:ruPli." ,

and

ftl.f–

m' tion.

S<:condly, from fer.f.Hion,

h.we

the

id~tll

titan ,

and of fome aétion whereby

\Ve

put an end to rhat

perception and motion in the

m~n:

which flmple

id~al

are comprchcnded io the \\lord

1/Iurd~r.

This colleR ion of fimp le

ideal

being found

agree or

dif"gree with the cfleem of lhe coun:ry

h;¡ve beco brcd

io, :toJ lO be held \VO' Ihy of pr.ife or blame, 1

ed il

the

aéticn

Virt U ' UI

tJid&!II.

have lhe

\ViII

of a

fu –

prrme invifible

L ,HV 0l2kcr

for my rule ; tht"n as

fu p–

pofe the aétion

e~mmanded

or forbiJ¿en by

G. d,

1 e. JI

ir. good ar enl,

jin

du/)':

a compare it wirh ¡be ci–

vIl I. w of m-y eountry, 1

e.JI

I"" ful

un/a,,'¡ut,

crimc Or00 critr.::.

M oral aRions m.y be eonfidered

1\\'0

\Voys

Firjl,

As tbey are in themfdves a colleRion of limpIe

id~al;

in which feofe, toey are po(jtive abrolute

id~al.

SccGl/dly,

g ood

had.

indiJfer~llt :

this

refpetl.

(h ey

are

r~/alÍf.·e,

it being thC'ir conformiry or dif·

agreeement \Virh fome

rule tbat makes

them fo.

oughl earefuJly tO dillinguifh bec\Veeo Ihe politi\'e

idea

oí

[he::

aétion,

and

lhe reference it

has

rule: Both

which.

are commonly comprehended under

one Dame, '

which

af–

ten occaúons confufion, and rnifleads the judgment.

Thus the

taking

from anolhcr

whar is bis,

without

his

eonfeot, is properly ealled

jleali1lg :

BUI thal

n.me

being

eommonly und«llood to figni fy alfo the moral pravily of

rhe aélion, men are apt to condemn whatever they bear

ealled

jlealing

as an iJl aétion

difagr~eing

with the rule

of right. And yel Ihe private takiog .way his fword

from

a·madman,

prevent his doing mifchief,\though

be prnpcrly deAominaledjlea/ing, as the oame of fueh a

",ix(d

n¡orl~J

yet when compared to the law of God,

is no (jn or traoCgreJIion, though tbe

namefl~aling

ordi...

narily carries fuch

intimation with ¡t.

O.! real and .!anlajlica/ ideaJ.

O U R

id!OI ,

reference to things from whence they

are taken, or which they ma)' be fuppofed to reprefent.

come under

a!lhraf old

diflinaion;

~nd

are,

firlt,

either

r~al

fal1tajlical;

fecoodJy,

adetlua/~,

inQd~lJual(;

Ihirdly,

/rue

.!a!.fe.

Real idcal ,

are fuch as haTe

foundation

nature,

fu ch;as

have

a conformity with the real being

aod

exifience

of th ings; or with their archetypes.

Pantaflical

are fuch as have no foundatlon in nature,

nor

any

conformity with that realiry of being to which

theyare referred as tO their

archelJpu.

examinlog

Ihe feveral fons of

ideal

we fhall lind, Ihat, 6rll our

jim–

pie id(al

20re

all

real ; not that they are

im~ges

or repre–

fentatioDs of what does exiO:, but as they are the.certain

efFe{ts of powers iD things withour

us,

ordained

our

M.tker to produce

us fuch [enfatioos : They are real

id~(//

iD us ,

\lo

hereby we difiinguilh lhe qualities thilt are

reaJly in thiogs themfe],'es.

T heir reality lies in Ihe ileady correfpondence Ihey

have wi[h lhe difii oét conllit utions of real beings. Eut

wherher they anC\Ver

thoCe conHitutions as

caulu

patl~rll/ .

it matters nor;

fuffices, that tbey are con–

Il. ntly produecd by thern.

r:<;11Ip/~;I

ideal

being arbit rary combinatioDs of

jimp/~

ideal

put together, and uni ted under one general

nam~,

in forming of which

the

miad

ufes

its liberty, \Ve mufl:

¡nquire which of thefe

are

real, and whicb imaginary

combinations.

Firjl,

M ixed modes and relations having nootn., reali–

than

what

\hey

hav~

in the minds of men, nothing e1fe

rC'quiled tOmake

them

real,

but

poffi b¡Jity of exilling

conformdble

tht:m. Thefe

id:-ol

being the:mfelves

ur.

~k)l)'peJ,

canno[ di ffer from their

O/'cnyt}'pt'J,

and fo

cannot be chimericii l

unlefs

any

one

will

jumble toge.

Iher in them ¡nconfi llent

id~(}I.

Tllofe indeed that have

names affigned them in any Janguage, muO have a eol'\.

formity

tbe ordinary fignification of Ihe name

th~t

given