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MORAL -p H 1 L O S O P H Y.
ing thele, il i. ealleJ aQ erroneous confeience, If lht
elTor or ignorance is io,oluntary or invin~ibJeJ the atlion
proceeding (rom that error, or Irom that ignonncc, il
rcckoned innoccnt. or nOl imputable. Ir the error pr
ignorane",is fupine or .ffeéleJ, i, <, the effeél of negli–
eence, or of aff<ébtion and wilful ini\dTenenee, tbe con·
duél: fiowit-g fro", fu eh error, or fuch ignorance, i9 cri·
mio,,¡ and imputable. Not to folJow erre"s cODrcience,
tbough enoneeus and pl·rormed. is criminal. as it is the
guide 6f tife; and tO eounteratl 'il, Ihew. a d.¡¡raved,and
'e fpirit : Yet, 10 follow 3n éTroneo", conrcience
ia likewife crimio"l, ir that error which mi{]ed the con·
{CicDcc-wai the effeét of inauentioD.1 or of any crimiDal
paflion,
Ir it' be a/ked, " How an ..roneous confeienee /hall
be roaified, finee it is fuppofed' to be the only guide' 01
life, aod judge of morals! " we anfwer, In the very fam~
way lha! we would reélify reafon, 'if al any time it fuould
jadge wrong, as it often does, viz. Hy giving il proper
'and fuffieient materials for judging right, 'i , <, by inqui.
ring into tbe whole !late of the cafe:; the relations, con·
neélions, IDd reveral obliguiori!5 of the aBor; the: caDCe:–
quence$. and other cir:cu'melances of the aaioD; or lhe
furplufage of private or publie good 'whieh refulto, or i.
likely 10 refult, ¡rom the aélioo or from tl¡e omiffion of
Íl. Ir thofe <:ireumnaoees are and fully flated, the–
eonfcieoee will be jufl and impartial io iis decifion, For,
hy a, n~eelI'ary la~ of our nature, 11 approve., aod i. wdl
lffetled to lhe moral (orm; aod if il feems lo approve of
"ice: or immorality, .it is alway. under the notioD or malk
of fome virlue. So tbal. flriélly. f~eakiog, it i. nonoo'
feienee whieb eru; for itl fenlenel is alway. eonformable
to lb. view of the e.r. which lies before it ; aoa is jufl,
upoo lhe fuppofilioo lhat the eafe is truly fueb as il is r~·
prcfeQred to ir. AII the fauh i. la be imputed 10 toe l'
gent, who Degleéb to be better ¡nformed, 'or who, thro'
weaknefs or wiekednef., 'haflen. to paf. feoleoce from ao
imperfeél evldeoc<,
Of Man', Dul) lo J-!tMHLF, Of/~< Nalur,o,GooD,
and Ih< eHIEF GOOD.
.EVERy crcature, by' the: conllitutioD o( his nature, i.
delermioed to love himfelf, ro purfue whltever lend. to
hi. preferulion lnd happinefs. and 10 lvoid wharever
tend. to hi. hurl lnd mifery, Being endued with fenf.
and perceptioD, he mufl necelfarily receive plea(ure from
fome objeéls, aod pain from othera, Thofe objeéls whieh
give pleafure are ealled goqd, and thofe 'w~ich ¡ive pain
cvil. To the formu he (eel. that attraétion or motion
we eall uefire, or love : To the latter that impulfe we
call averGon"or hatred, To objeél. w,hieh fuggeft neit~er
pleafure nor pain, and are apprehended of no ufe tO pro·
cure one, Or wud off th~ otner, we (eel néi lher defire
nor averfion; and fueh objeéh are ealled indifferent.
Thofe objeél. whieh do not of themfclve. produce plea.
{ure or paio, but are the mea'os of procuring either, wc.
",11 ufeful or noxiou., 1'owarJs them we are affeéted in
a (ubordinate manoer, or with an indircél: and refleéti,'e,
ralher than a direét and jmmediate afftélion. AII rhe o·
rigioa) and parlituhr afTeélions of our nature, lead us
OUt lO, and uhimarely «(1 in, the {,rfl kind of ohjeél.,
VOL. IIl, N°, 80, 2
viz, thofe whieh give immediare ple.rure, and "hich we
lherdore eall good, direétly fo, "The affeétion
of felf,love alone is · aboul fueh objdls a.
are only eonfeq~entially good, or merely ufeCul tO our–
felves,
BUl befides lhof. forts of objeét. whieh we cal! good.
merely anu folely as they gil e plearure, or are means of
procuring it, there is an higher and 0091er fpecies o,
good, towards which we feel that peculiar movemcn.l we
eall approbatioo or moral eomplaeency, and whieh we
,herefore denominate moral good. 8uch are our affec–
¡!on., an~ l~e e.~fegu7n~ aét!ons.'o the",. The pereep–
lIon of. thu IS qUite ddlmélln kmd (rom the pereeprioR
of lRe other [pecies; and theugh il may be conneéled
with pleafure or by tite beoevolehl eonflirution
of nature, yet it conflitutes a good. ¡ndependenr of (har:
pleafure and thar: advantage, and far fuperior, not in de–
gree ooly, bUl io dignity, ro bQ(h. The orher, ·vi.z. the
natural good, coofilh in obtainin~ thoCe pleafures which
are 10 lhe peculiar fenfes and p.ffions fufeeptible
of tbem, and is as various, as are thofe reofe', and paf–
fions, Tbi•• viz, the mor~1 good," lies in.lhe right COn.
duét of the feveral fenfes and paffion., or lheir jufl' pro .
POrtiOD and accommodation to tbeir re(peélive objeét.
and reJations; and this is of a more umple and iDvari ...ble
kind,
By our feveral, feofe~ w~ ~re capa a greal variet,
of pleafing fenfallons, Thefe eonflnute diflinél end. or
objeél. ultimately purfuable fdr lheir owo fake .. To thefe
cad., or ultLmate objeét., eorrefpond peculiar .ppetile.
or offeétions, wbieh prompt the miod lo purfue them.
Wbeo lhere cods are attained, lhere it relts and look. no
forther, Whal.ver lhere"'re is purfuable, not on its
OWD accóu~Jt, bUl as fubfcrvient or necelfary to the at–
tainmenl of fometbing elfe thal i. intriofically ..Iuable or
for ¡ts OWD Cake, we calJ a meaD, and Dot aD cod. So
that cnds, and Dot means, confiitut!. the material. or the:
very .trenee of our happinef., Confequeotly, happinei.
cannot be one Gmple uoiform- ihing iD creatures coníli.
tuted, as we "re, with (ueh vario~s fenfes of pleafgre, or
'fueh different e~pacilies of enjoymen\, N ow, lhe fame
principie ~r law of our Dature which determines us to
purfue aoy onc end or ' fpecies of good, prompts us ' tO
porfue every other eod or fpeeies of good of whieh we are
fufecplible, or lo whieh our M.ker has ádapted an origi–
nal propenfoou, BUl amidfl the great multiplieity of·end.
or goods, which {orm the various iogrecüent. o( our
l1appinefs, we perceive an evideot gradatíon or fubordi–
Dation, fuited to thu ~radation of renres. powers, and
pa(f¡ons, which prcvaíls in our mixed and l'arious con.
Hitution, and to thar aCcending ferie, of connel.'l:¡onl
which open upon u. in the diflúent llages of Our progref.:
five, (late,
o Thus the goods of the body. or of Ihe eKrernal fenf..,
f<em 10 hold the lowefl rank in this gradation or feale of
goods. Thefe we have in common with (he brutes: and
though many men are brutifu enough to purfue the goods
of the body with a more than bnnu:d fury ; yet \l/hen lt
ar,y time they come in competition with goods of aa
higher order, the unanimous verdiél of mankind, by ~i.
viog the lal! the preferenee, eoOocmns the 6rfl to the
t 4 B =~~