1000000031

M O R A L

II 1 L O S O P H

cueed 101 eondilion of the ulmoll indigenee and diO ..f"

and that

is in our

pOWCT

sive

them immediatc rdicf.

To what co'ndua are we oblig<d 1 what dUly do.. nature

di(t.¡te: and n.quire in fu, h a cafe?

Attend,

and natl're

will ..11 with a voiee irrcGflibly audible and eomOlanding

(he

hum~n

hear-t.

that 11l'1mediate relief ought to be

given."

~gaih,

let a friend, a neighbour, or

eveD

Hranger.

h.ve

lodged. depolit in' our hand, ••nd .f,.r

fome time

reel.im

it; no (ooner do the(e ide.. of the

con!idenre 'repo(ed io uso .nd of properry not !ransferred

bUl dcpofited, oernr, than we immediately and ullavoid·

ably fed and r«ognize ,he obligatioo 10 rellore it. lo

both Jhcfe c¡fes, \Ve Rlould condemn ourfelves,

.éted

olh~rwire,

as havi"g done, or ómiued doing. what

we ought

nOI

;-ilS

having..aéted beneath the

dignity

OUT

nature,-contrar'y to

OUT

moll

¡nlimate feDfe

fiCht

and

wrong :-we Ihould aee,u(e our(elve, as guihy of iograti–

tude. injulliee, .nd i"hum.nit)'

;-.nd'

be cpnféioos of de,

(eníog

the cenCore, and therefore drcad the refenunent,

<lf all rational beiog,,-But in eomplying with ,he obli-

ation, \Oe feel joy aod f<lf,approbation.-3re eoofciou.

an joviolable harmony between our nature and duty,–

.od thiok ourfelve, e",ided lo the .pplau(e of every im–

parti.1 (peét.tor of our conduét

To de(cribe therefore wha! we eannol perhap' de6ne.

a {late of moral,obligatioo, is

thar {late in wuicha crea·

(ure, endued wilh fuch feofes, powers, and affeétions as

m.n. wt>Uld condemo himfelf. and think he deferved the

condemo"ion of .11 o,he", Ihould he refufe tO fulG I i, ;

but would approve him(elf••nd expeél tbe .pprobation

of all o,hen . upon eomplying wilh ir,"

And we eall him a moral 'genl. who i. in (ueh .Ilate.

or is fubjeél to moral obligation, Therefore as man',

llruélure and conneétion, often (ubjeél hin> to (uch • (I.,e

mor~1

obligatioo. we conelude th.t he i, a moral . –

gent. But as man may fometime.s all withOllt knowing

wh,u he does

as in cafes of frcnzy or difeílfe, or io maoy

natural runétiaos; or, knowin¡: what he does, be may aél:

wi.\hout choice or

afF~étion,

s il) cílfes of neceffily or

compuHion; thcre(ore, to denomiDate an aétion moral,

¡.t.

•

pproTe.bl

<. or blameable. il mull be dooe knowingly

and willingly, or from ./feélion and choice, A mo–

rally good .étion. then. i, 'o ful61 a moral obligat10n

knowingly and williogly;" and a morally b.d aétion.

or an ¡mmoral aélion, is

to viabte a moral obligation

kqowingly and willingly,"

not an aétioD, bU[ a feries of aétions connitute a

cltaraéter; as not an afft:étion, but al feries of aff'eétions

can(litltte a temrer; and as we denomiDate

~hings

by the

grof"

Jortiori.

or by the quali,ie. whieh chitAr pre–

vail in ,Ihe,!,: ..

.'herefo~e

we call ,,hat • mor.lly good

charader.

wh,ch a fenes of morally good .étions pre–

vail; aod Ihat • niorally good lemper. in whieh a ferie,

of morolly good a/feélion, have ,he .fceorlant." Abad

eharaller .nd b. d temper are ,he reverfe, BUI where

(he above mentionc:d arder or proponían of paffioDs is

mairtt.ined. there. (eries of morally good a/fe.'lion, and

gélions

wilJ

prcvail. Therefore,

m~intain

that or–

der 'nd proportion. i" to have • mor311y good

I~mper

and charaéler," BUI a .. morally good lemper and cha-

rall!r i.s m'oral rcltitude, integrity, virtue, or the cOm.

pi«ion of du,y,"

i, be . O'fd, .f,er all... How 'Ne come by the idea of

moral obligation or duty?" we

nl1ty

anfwer, that we come

by it in the f'me way .. by our other original and pri–

mary

perc~ptions.

We receive tht:m aU from nature, or

Ihe great Au,hor of nature, For Ibis idea of 'mor.1 ob–

ligalion is not a crea1ure of

lhe

mind, or

de~ndent

any previóus "él of volition; but arifes on certaio'ocea–

(jons, or when certain other ideas are prefented to

t~c

mind. as necefTarily, iDHan,ancoufly, and unavoidably.

as paio does upon

lOO

oear an approach to the 6re, or

ple.fure from ihe fruition of .ny good,

does noto for ,

io(lance. depend on our choice, whe,her we Ihall feel Ihe

obligatíon ro fuecour a dinre{fed parcnt, or

rellore a

deporot intrull<d to u, when it i, reealled, We coonoe

eall Ihi••

~ompound

idea

m.de

up of one or more fimple

ideas , We may indeed. nay. we mu(l.

b.ve

(ome ide..

¡n,«edent 'o il,

th.. of a parenl-in diflre(s-of

a chlld-.ble 10 relieve-of the relatioo of one to the

othtr.-of a 't!ull.-o{ right,

But oone of ,he(e

iJea, eonOi,u te the perceptlon of obligalion, Thde in–

deed. by a I.w of our nature, are the oee.Gon of (ug–

gelling. it; but ,hey 'are as tOI.lly difTerenl from il, ....

coloun are trom (ound"

By (enfe or reftedion we per–

etive the correlatives, our memory rccll1s the favours or

dc:pofil \Ve receivcd, lhe 1'uious circumllaDces of lhe cafe

are matter, of faa or expcricnce

but fome delicate in–

ward orgao or power, ·or call it wbat we pleafe, does,

by a

cert.in

iollantaneou, fympathy. anteeedeqt to

~be

eool deduélions of re.fon. and independeot of previou. io–

flrultion, art, or 1'OHliaD, perceive the moral barmoDY,

the livlOg irreGllible charm of mnral obligatioo. which

immediately inlerd!, Ihe ""orrefpondeot paflioo,. and

prompu us to ful61 ilf a\Vf.1 diélates.

We need nOI .pprehend .n1 danger from Ihe quick–

ncfs of its decdions ; nor be frighteDed, becaufe it looks

lik.e inllind,_llod

'laS

be..., ealled fo, Woold we 'pprove

one for deliberating long. or rea(oning tbe-mllter moch

lei(ure. whelher he Ihould relieve a dillrefled p.reo••

feed a Ilarving

~eighbour.

oro"llore the !rull

commilt~d

to him? Should we nOI fufpcé! ,he

'r~.foner

of knavery.

or of very \ve.k affeélion, to virtuel We employ rea–

fon in exaruining the

~ondition,

rdations, and other

c.ir

eumllan,,, of ,he , agen, or paueot. or of thofe w1!h

whom t ither of them

~re

conneacd, or, io orher words,

Ihe (late of ,he

e.fe;

and in complieated edfes, where

the circumllances are many,

may require no fmall at–

teotion 'o 60d Ihe true (late of the cafe: but IVheo the

rdations of lhe agen t or patient, and lhe

circum(

la.nc~

of the aétions, are obviau9, ar come out fuch after a f&lr

trial. we Ihould

(e~rce

approve him

\l'~o

dernun on ,be

obligation 10 ,ha! con<luél which the cafe (uggelh,

From what has been

faid

it is el'idenr. thAt it is 'not

Ihe pleafure or .gree.ble fenfatioo, IVhich :ieeomp"ny

Ihe exerci(e of the feveral a!feélions, nor thofe con(e–

quenl

the atlions, thu conUitute moral obligatian: or

exci,e in u! the

id<~

of il_ , Th.. plea(ure is pol!erior tO

,he idea

obliga' ion ; .nd frequently lVe are

obli~ed.

and acknowkJgc ourfc:lve. und¿r

obligation. '" lueh

a!feélion.