1000000031

MORAL

PHI L O S O P II Y.

nfrl!él:;ons and

aalcns

as are attended

Wilh

pain'; as in the

trials of virtue. where \Ve a..re obliged

facriflce private

public good, or a

prerc:nt

pIca

rUTe

a future ¡ntered..

"'Ve ilJ.'\"e plcafure in ftrving

:¡,ged parent, but

nri(her th: perCeptlOn nor profped: of chat

plcaruTe which

, ives us

the!

idea of obligation to (hat conduét.

7'f.t

FINAL

Cp"fo,

oJo,,<

Moral

Faculliu

o/ P ereeption

Qlld

Aff...

étion.

have now t.ken a

~eneral

profpea of man, and of

his moral powers and conncétions; and on

there

ercaed

a Ccheme of duty, or moral obligation. which Teems to

be confi rmed

expericnce, confonant to reafon, aod

approved by his 11I0fl inward and mofl faered renfe..

may be proper, in the

neXI

place,

f-O

take a more particular

~iew

of the fiD.I cauCes of thofe deliea,e fprings by whieh

he ii impdled 'o aaiOD, .nd of thofe clog. by w;,ieh he

i. reflrained fron. i,.--By ,his dctail

~'e

OllU be .ble

to judge of their

aptifude

to anfwer thc:ir cRd, in a crea·

ture endued with his

capacitie~J

fubjeét to his wantS, ex–

paCed to

hi~

dangers, and fufceptible of his enjoyments ;

Qnd (rom tbenee, we {hall be in condido"

pronounce

coñcerniog lhe Olld of his

whole

firuaure, irs

harmony

wilh hi. Hate, and eonfequen,ly .its fubferoieaey to aa–

fwn lhe great :\nd benevolent

¡nlentions

of iu author.

The fupreme being ha. feea ht to blend in the whole

of things a prodigious varíety ,of· di(cordant aDd contrary

principies, light and darknefs, pleafure and pain, good

and eviJ. There are muhifaríaus natures, higher and

Jower. and many intermediate cnes between lhe \Vide di–

Ihnt extremes:

T hefe

are difFerently [¡tuated, variouOy

adjufled, Ind fuhjeaed 'o eaeh o,her; and aU of thero

rubordiaa,e to the order and perfeaióa of Ihe whole.

We may fuppDfe m.n plaeed as in a centre amidfl(,hofe

innumerable orders of beings; by hi. outlllard frame

drawn to

lhe

material

fyfiero,

and

his inward connee–

led wi,h ,he inteJleaual or moral, aod of eourfe afFeaed

by the law. whieh go...

bOlh, or afFeaed ¡'y that good

a¡'d aU tha, iJl whieh "fult from ,hoCe I.w•. In

,hi.inr.ni

variety of rcLations wilh which he is (Drroundcd: and of

contiogencies to

\l/hid,

he is

líabl~,

he feels Orong aurae·

tions to (he goad, and violent repulfions or

averGo",

Ihe ilr. Bu, as good and iJl are of,en blended. and \Von·

derfully eomplieatcd one wi,h ,he o,her: as !hey fome·

times immcdiately produce and run up ioto each other,

and

Other times lie

great dil1ances,

yet, by

means of

intenocniog links. introduce one ano,her; and as theCe

efFea, are often brough' about in eonfequen" of hidden

reJado"" ar.d general

Jaw5,

of the energy of which he

¡,

3n ¡"competent

judge; it

is cafy for

him

niiClake

good for evil, and evil for sood ; and eonfequently he

may be frequen,ly a"raaed by fueh 'hings •• are dertrue·

tive, or repel fuch as are Calutary. Thus,

the tender

and complicated (rame of his body, he

fuhjcéted

gTeat variety

¡lis. to ficknefs, cold, heat, fatigue. and

innumenbJe

Ylants .

Yct his knowlcdge is fa

n;¡rrow

",ithal, and his reaCon fo we..k, that in many cafes he

canoot judge, in the way of invctlig:uion, or rca(nning,

of .he eonncaions of ,ha fc erfcas with ,heir refpca ive

caures. or of the various latent energies of narural

{hing~.

i. ,h.ercfore inrormed of ,hi. eonn<aion by Ihe

ex;·

peritnct: of certain ft:n(cs, or orgaos of perception, whi .:h,

VOL.

UI. N°.

So.

by :\ mechanical jn(lantaneous motion, fcel the good Olnd

the

¡JI,

receivin,g pleafilre (rom

Olle,

and pain from the

olher.

thele,

wÍthout any reafoning, he is

tau ght

atrr~a

or chufe what (('nas to his welfarc, and

rt;·

pel

:lod :uoid what ,ends to

his

ruin.

Thus,

by his fen·

fes of ,afie and fmeJl, or by ,he pleafure he reeeioes from

certain kinds of

roeu,

he is admonirhed which agree with

his con(titution,

and,

ao oppo(jte fenfe of pain, ue

¡nformed which

rons

dlfagrt:e, or are detlrutlive

itj

but is nOl by meaDS of Ihefe inllruaca io the ioward na·

lures and conOitutions of things.

Some of ,hofe fenÚ!s are armed ",i,h flrong degrees of

uneafinefs or pain, in order to urge him to fee" arter fuch

'objeas as are fui,ed to ,hem. Aud ,hefe refp.a his more

immediarc and prelJing wanls

as the fenfe of hunger,

,hirfl, eold, and ,he líkc ; whieh by ,heir painful impor–

tunities, cqmpeJ him tO pr ovide faad, drink, raimenr,

fhcJ:er. Thofe infliuas by whieh we are Ihus promptcd,

with fome kind of commotion or ...iolence, tq

auna

and

purfue good, or 'o "pel and avoid ilJ, we e.U .ppeli,e.

and pafIions.

our fenfes then \Ve are ihformed

whal is good ar

ill

to the private fy(}em, or the indivi·

dual; and by our private appetites and paflioDs

are

impeJled to one, and refirained from the other.

confequence of this machiner y,

Olnd

the great

train

of wants

tOwhich our nature

fubj~é'ts

US, \Ve are enga–

Ued in

c:o.ntinued feries of occupations, which often re·

quire mueh .pplieation of ,hough,. or gre.. bodily la–

bour, or both. Tpe necdfarics

lire, food, c1oaths,

(h'clter, and the like, mun be Piovided; conveniencies

muQ be aeqDired 'o render Jire flilJ

~lOre

eafy aad eom–

fortabJe.

arder to oblaio Ihefe, arts, indutlry,

ma–

nu{aBures, and trade are

ne.ceíf.uy

: and la Cecure lO

us lhe peacfab1e enjoymeol of their frui rs. civil govern·

meDt, poJicy, aod laws mua be contrived, and the vuious

bUhnefs of publie lire earried on. Thu$ while,man is

concerned and bufied

making proviCion, or obtaining

feeurily for himfclf, he is by degrees engaged in eonnee–

rioos

with

a family, friends, neighboars, a community,

commonweahh. Hence arife new wants, new

in–

tercOs. new cares) and new empJoymeots. The paffioos

of one man ¡nteTfere Wilh thofe of

~nother,

Interens

are oppofed. CompelÍtions ariCe; contrary cOurfes

are

taken. D ifOlppointn'lenlS happen) di(liñélions are made,

and parties formed . This op'ens a vafl feeríe of diflrae–

tion and embarrOlffment, and introduces amighty

train~

óf

good "nd i)J, both publie and priva... Yet amidQ aU ,his

eonfur.on

and hurry, plan. of aaioa muH be laid, eon–

'feq\lences forefeen or guarded againlt, inCOD1t'Cniencie!

prooidcd for; "nd frequcntly particular refolu,ion. muQ

be takeo, and fcheme¡ executed; without reaConing

delay.

Now,

wh"t provifion has the Authórofournaturemade

ror

this necefIitous condirion? How has he fiued lhe ac–

,or, m2n, for playing his

part.in

,his perplexed and bu–

'fy feene

Our fuprcme Parent, wa'ehful for ,he ",hole, has not

lefr himfdf wilhout a witneCs here neither, OIod hath

mode nothing imperfea, bu, aU things are uouble one a–

ga¡ntl aDOfher. He has nut Jeft mOln to be informed,

only hy the

co,,1

nOlieeo of re"fon: of ,he goad or i U,

the h. ppincfs or mifery of his felJow·ereatUres. He ha.