1000000031

MOllA L PHI L O S O P

3 t

O¡¡C~

direcrn the grl":tt lincs of our

dl!ty

traced

OUt

the rain·fi ami

~mghtcH ~had8:c!r,)

and contem¡>IJh:

with

admiration a mor: au.;ufl and m;u vcllou$ fcene of di –

vil1e wifdom and gooJnefs

l.\iJ

in lhe human brt!ol!t,

than \Ve flull

perh.ps

fioJ io lhe ",hole eomp.f. of

n4iIUre.

From this delail

appc;¡rs, thal

milO,

his original

frame. is maue fOl a temperate ,

comp"llion,ne,

bene\'o–

Jent, .aétive, anel pros rc!fiiv!

(btc:. • H.:

ílronly au rae·

ti,e of lhe good, . otl repulfive of lhe ills, whieh bef.1I

olhers as IVell •• himf<lr. H e fecls lhe hiAhdl Jlpprob. ·

tion and moral complacenc\! in

thort!

dfc:élions

aod in

thofe . élions ",hieh immedialely .od direélly "fpon lhe

good of mhero, .nd lhe highcU dif.pprob>lion aod .bhor·

renee of lhe eootr",Y. Befides lhcf<, he has

m.ny

p.r·

ticulu perceptions or inninéts of

approb:uion,

which

, hough

perh.ps

oOlof lhe fame kiod Wilh lhe olhef!, yel

are 3ccompanied with correrpondent

d~grees

afF~étionf

proportioncd to their refpcétive cendencies to the public

good. Therefore, by alliog agree.bly

lhefe prioeiples,

man a.?os agreeably lO his IIruélure, aod ful61s lhe' beoe·

vm:.t ¡ntentions of its Autho(.

Th< principal Dijlin(JionJ

DUIJ or Virlu<.

have

DQW

confidered (he conni tution <lnd connc:<..·

tioos of Otao; .od on ,h<fe ercéled a geoeral fyClem of

duty or moral oblig'Hion,

~onron;

\nt.ro

reafon, approved

by his moJI f.ered aod inlimale

f~ofe,

fuilable 'o hi.

mixed conditioo, and confirmed by the expc:rieDce

maokiod . ' Ve have alfo traeed lhe fioal eaufes of his

moral

f.eu

!tic. aod affetlioos lO lhofe ooble purpofes

,hey aof\Ver wilh regard bu,h to lhe privale aod lhe

~ublic

fyfl<m.

From this induétion it is evident, that there: is one: or·

d er or claf. of dUlies whieh mao owes

himfdf; aoo·

ther lO foeielY; and a tli; rd

God.

T he dUlies he owes to himfelf are founded ehiefiy on

th~

defc:nfivc: and ptivate paffions, which prompt him

purfue whatc:ver tends tO private good or happincfs, and

to avoid or ward off whatt\'l( tends

private

111

or mi·

fery. Amoog lhe various goods ",hieh all'¡p' aod folieil

and the various ¡lis which auack or

tb~a

en him,

" To be iOlelligeol and aeeurate .io fdenfiiíg o)'e, aod

n jeéliog .he olher, or io preferring lhe moJI exedleot

goods, aod avoídiog .he moJI lerrible ills, wheo lhe« is

a compelÍtion among eithcr

~nd

ro be di(creet io ufing

,he be{1 means

anain the gaods aod avoid lhe ¡lis. is

what

wé

e;dl prudence." This, in our inward frame,

eorrefpood.

f. gaeily, or a quiekoefs of feofe io our

outward .-

T o proponion aur dcfc. nfiye paffions to our

ddn"ers, wc call fortitude

¡to

which al\vays imp1ies .,

jufiOmixlure of c:"lm refenrment or animofity, and well

gove:rned caulion ." And this firmnefs

\)f

mind aofwers

to the Clreoglb aod AlUfcliog of Ihe body.-Aod " duly

to adjufi our private ptlffions to Oll r wants, or to the re–

fpeélive roomeol of lhe good IVe a!feél or purfue, \Ve e. 1I

temperance

j':

which does thercfore alw:lys imply " a

juíl ba):..nl·e ur comm:: nd of lhe p"1 lTions."

T he f:con" claJ, of tlul i,·s ar.f.·s rro", d.e public or

focial affrétions;

the juH hft'01ony or rrnpOfllon nf

\Vhieh lO lhe d.o¡;ers and IVan-s of Ol¡'Ors, . od

lhe fe".

veral rl latioliS

Vle

b~:1 r,

rommnl ly

gne,

by the name of

juHI::«:," 'rh,s Indude3

th~

wholc! uf ou rdu,y

l:Jeiety

its

Farcnt,

;u~d

Ihe

gcner~1

pchly

nalo rc; parucu:

l.trly

grll1luch:. f, iendllup. fincerity, nalurdl .a{fcéhon,

bCOI..,·o!t.:n¡:c, art.! lhe otllcr foei,,)

v¡rtUt:S .

l 'he virtues

com prthended undcr .'he former chfs, efpeci ..

dly

prudence

and

tOlutud~,

may

hke \vi (~

be tran!f,-"rrtd

lhis; aad

according

the vaflous circumCl:an.:es in which they are

placc.d, and lhe more con6ocd or ruare extenfive fph ere

in ",hleh they operate, míly be denominued

pr¡rat~,

oeeo.

nOlnical, or eivil prudenee, fonil ude,

6 , .

Th~fe

di.

reél ou r conduél wirh rc-¡;ard

the

w¡nU

and dangen ,

of Ihofe

11.!{ft:r

or grc:ater circles wi th whlch we are con–

octl, d.

Th<lhird clafs of dudes refpeéls lhe Deity, aod arife.

. Ifo from lhe publte aRetlioos, aod · lhe feveral gloriou.

rel.níons which he fu!lalns to us, as our crcator, bene–

faétar, law 2iver

juJge,

C-C'.

We ehof.

eoofi der lhis fOl of dOlies in lhe

I.ft pl.ee

becOluCe,

thou~h

prior in dignity and exctl!eocl, they

feem

be IílH in ordrr of time, as thinking it the man

fimple aod eafy mClhod

follow lhe grodual progref. of

nalure. as

i,t

u.kcs its rife (rom individual,_ and fpre3ds

.hrollgh lhe

foc.al

fyClem, aod flill .feeod. upw.,ds, lil!

at Icnglh it aretehes

its . lmighlY Parenl aod H ead,

aod fo lermioates io lhofe dudes whicb are higheft aod

be!1.

The dudes refu hingfrom thc:fe reldtions

are reverente,

griltitude, Jove, rdignation, dependcnce

obedience,

'tIIorlhip, praife ; which, according

the model of our

6nitc capacitits, mull maintain fome (ore of proportion co

lhe graodeur aod perfcélioo of lhe objen whom we veoe·

rate, Jove, and ohey. "This proponíon or harmooy.

i. expre!feu by lhe general oame of piety or devorioo ;"

which

¡,

a)ways fironger or weaktr, according to the

gre.ler or lefs appr<heoded el<eclleoey ofilS objell. Thi.

fubhme principie of virtuc:, is the cnlivcnin, foul whieh

anim:t1es the moral fyHcm, and Ihí4.t ccmcnt whieh binds

.od f,,(laios lhe olher Qucies whieh lRao owes

hím(el( or

focielY.

rr h-:s then is the general temper ílnd cantlitulion,?f Tir·

tue,

and thefe are [Ke rriocipal liocs Clr cti"iCion, o! &.uy.

To lhofe good difpofilion., which ",fpeél lhe f<ver.l .ob.

jeéts of our dUly, and

10 ,,11

<lélio"s whieh no",

fro~1

fllch

difpofi tio0'3, lhe mind gi\'cs in fané1ion or tefhmony.

And chis f:ln(lion or

jud~ment

cooccrning the moral

q~a~.

lily, or Ihe goodocfs of allioos or d.fpofilions,

mor~¡'Cl. ·

eall conf.:ience. \Vh('n it

jwdg~s

o( aD Olétion that

IS lO

be pr:rformed,

is c:\lIed an

an(eced~nt

confc!ence ; ;¡nd

",heo

pA{I~S

fcnccncc:

0 0

an at!tion which is performed.

il is ealled a fubfequeol eonJeieoee. T he lendene)' of aD

~ltioPl

to produce hdppinl:fs , or its

extern,¡l'conformi(~

law, is termc:d its mat'el"iJ Igoodnefs; bllt rhe good

d,f~o'"

fit ions from which tln dltion procec:us, or in conformay

in every re,(p('t!t, confli luH'S

formal goodnefs.

When rhe I'mnd is

i~no'·.tnt

ur lln('c.'rt nin abuul

lhe:

m~·

mcm uf an :ltlil'n. or

ItS

tenJtncy tO pri"íltc or pul>l!c

,Good; or ""hen there art f\:\'aal ci rcumU.tmcs in the

~íl!e.

(ome of which l>dn'!, dl)ub,ful, rendt:r the m'nd c.lublous

conc('rning the ll1or:. lity of lhe a{tion: this is

edJle~1

duubtful or fc!upulous eonfeiencc: if

miflakes

conce~n-

lnc