312 / 868
M O R A L PHI L O S' O P H
y,
(ven to [he
cornrucr.dltion
of [he vulgar. Though \Vecan–
,not approve'tllJt
conduét which proccC'ds cntirc:Jy
{rom
this
principIe, and llar from good afFcétion or lave of lhe con–
du[t ¡t(elf;
yl!t
3S
it
is
Orten
a guard
lnd
additiooal mo–
tivc: to virtue in
creilturC'~
ímpcrfc8"
15
\Ve:
are,
&00
orten
diClraéted
by
ifltcrfc:ring
panions,
ir might be dangerous
to~
{upprers ir alrogerhc:r,
how~vej"
wire
it
;n"y be to rearain
it
within doJc bouods, aad hoy.'c:ver
laudable
tO
ure-it
00-
Iy
as a fe-.ffvlding
te
OUT
virtuc:, which may be t;:lkc:n down
when [har glorious 11 ruélu rc: is Gnilhed,
bUI
hardJ
y
till then .
To purfue (..me for ¡deJf,
i,
innocent
~
to regétrd
'it
ooly
as
l"
auxi liary
l O
virtue, is noble; fa
fétk
ir chidJy as
an ('ngine of pub lic u(Lfulncrs, is Ilill more noble. For
lhou&h lhe opinion :.nd breatn of men are Hilnfient and
fad:ng Ihings; often obtained without merit, aad
10ft
with·
out
cdufc:
yct as our
b~lGnefs
is with meo, and
3S Qur
espae;ty of fervjng tnem is generally inerl!afcd in propor·
tion
to
lheir eflecnl of
U'i;
tnerefore CouDd and well eCta–
blifhed moral applJufe mayo and \ViII be, modeilly, nOl
ollentatiouOy, (ought after by {he gooJ ,
001
iodeed as
&
foli"ry re6ned Cort of lusury, bUl as.a publie and prop«
jnflrUnlenl tO fene and
i
bIeCs mankind . Al lhe f.. me time
lhey \VIl! learo to
d~rpiCe
lhit reputatioD which
is
founded
on
I
¡enk. fonuDe, ..
and ..
ny other circumnanees or aceom–
pli(h-m~l(s
tlUI
are foreign
10
real merit, or to u(eful fer–
vices Gone tO olhcrs; and think that praiCe of linle avail
which is purchaCl:J withol,lt d..:Cert, and
bellowe~
WilhoUI
judgmenl,
FOrlune, po ....er, and civil authority, or whatever is cal·
Jed ¡nflueDce: and weight amon&maDkiod, are goods of the
feeond di\',ifioa; lbal i., ..Iu,ble 'nd purfuable anly as
they are uCeful, ar as meaDS to
a
fanher cad,
viz.
lbe pro·
eurin¡ or prefcrving the immediate objeéh
of
cnjoymcnt
ar happineCs
to
ourfelves ar otbers. Thereforc, tO love
fuch goods 00 their o\vo accouor, and
fa
purCuc theQl as
eacls, nOl Ihe mean. of enjeymeal, mull be higkly prepo–
flerous and abfurd. There can be no meafwre, no limit
10
fuch pu rrui t, all mun be whim, caprice, extraY'agance.
Accordingly,
fuch~ppetiles,
unlike all the na,tural ones,
are inereafeJ by p_}fdlioD, and whelled
by
enjoyment,
-They are always precariou. , and oever without fcars be–
caufe lbe objetls Jie withoul one's fdf; Iheyare feldC\m
without forrow and vexuion, becauCe no a'Cceffion of
we~lh
or pOlVer can falisfy lhem , BUI if Ihofe good.
are conlidered 0011 as the materíals or means of private
or publie happinef.; lhen Ihe f¡me obligatioll. whieh billd
u,
to purf\le the lalter, bind us likewireto purfue the former.
)Ve may, and no doubl we
oug~l ,
10
Céek fu eh a meafure of
wealth as is necdfuytofuppJyall ourreal \YanlS, 10raiCe us
.boye {erTile d:peDdence, and provide us
witb
fucn con·
veniencies as are {uited to our raok .nd condition in Jife.
To be regardler. of lhi. meaCure of weahh, is
10
e"pofe
ourfeJves
lO
a1l
the temptation, of poverty and corruption;
lO forfeil our nalural independeacy
~nd
freedom ; lO de·
grade, .od confequeatly lO reoder lhe rank we hold, and
,the charaller we Cunain in {ociety, ureJeCs, if oot'coo–
rtmptible. When thefe impona'!t ends are fecured, we
ought DOt to murmur or repine that we poffefs no more;
yet we are nor fcc1uded
by
aoy
obli~ation,
moral or di–
...ioe, from Ceekint more,
in
order to give us chat happieO:
;ud mon God,hke of all
po~ven,
lhe
l'0w<r
of uoing
good, A fupioe indalenee in lhis rerpea is bOlh 3bfurd
aod criminll;
abrllrd~
as
it
rehs us of 3n inc:)"hau.fh.d
fund of the mofl refined and dural:ile enjoynlents
i
ó!nd
criminal. as
it
renders us
Co
far uCele{s to lhe {OCiC:ly to
wl.ich we belong. "That purCui t
of
weallll which
cee1
beyond rhe Corroer end,
t/;Z .
che obraíDing rhe neceffarics,
or fuc!l convenieoees of
Jife,
as io
the
ellimi\tio'n of rea·
fon, oot of vaniry or paffion, are: Cuited
lO
our rank and
condicion, and yet is oot direéled
tO
the lauer.
't.'iz .
the
doing good, js what
we
caH avariee." AIl(!" lha, pur·
fuit of pow'er, which, after {ecuring one's {("If,
i.
( .
at~
(aioiog the proper independence and libeny of
a
ration",l
focial creature, is Dot direétcd
fO
lhe good of"'others,
is
what we caH ambilion, or
th~
lun of power. " To
what
ex tcnt the tlriét mea.Cun::s of vinue \'tall aUow ws 10 pur–
fue either wealth, or power, and civil authority, is nOI
perhap. pollible preeifely lO delermine, ' Thal mull be
left to prudence, and the peculiar charaéler, condition,
and oeher circumnances of eaeh mano Qoly thus {ar
a
Jimit may be Cet, that lhe purfuit of eí.thcr mua encroach
upon no otber dWlty or obligation which we owe
to-
our–
felves:. to {ociety, or 10 its PareDt and Head. The f;uue
rcafoaing is
tO
be ..pplied
tO
po\Ver as tO wealth.
le is
only
valu~ble
as an iDllrument of our OWD Cecurity, and
of the free enjoyment of thoCe original goods
it
may,.and
ohen <loes, adminiClcr to
\JS ;
and as an engi De of more
exten(ive h¡ppiDe{s to our frieads, our coumry.
ami
mankin;L
Now the bell, and
inde~d
Ihe only w'y lO oblain a
folid and laClin:! fame. is an uniform inflexible courfe of
,,¡rtue, the employing one's ability and wealth in (up–
piying the:... wants, and uGng one's power in promotÍng or
fec}lring the happiaefs, the rights and
Ci~ertie9
of man–
kind, joined lO
00
.ni,erfal alfabililY and politcnefs of
manners .
And furely ome will Dor miftake the mauer
much, who thinks the fdnle courIe conducive to the
I.C"
quiring greater acce!I1oD9 both of wealth lod power : e–
fpecially if he add.
10
lhofe quali6eation. a vigorous in–
dunry.
a
coonant aueotion to the charaélers
a.ndwant¡
o{ men, tO the eonjlJnétures of times, ... and cootinually
varying geniuli of .!FAira; and a fiedd1 intrc(Jid honefir,
th.u
will neither yitld to the
allurem~nts,
no1-
be over·
awc:d with the terrors of that corrupt aod cGrrupting Ceene
io which we live.
'Ve
have (omt:times hcard, iodeed, of
other ways and mcans,
3S
frOlud, d¡ffiOlul.llioD", fervility,
'Dd
pronitution,
aod
{he like ignoble arts.
by
which the
men of the world
(a.
thcy are callc:d,
nlrewd
politiciaDJ,
aod meo of addreC9
!)
amaf. wcalth,
ílnd
procure power:
but as we "'aot rather to form a mOln of T¡rtue, aDhonen,
contented , happy man, we lea\'e tO the aleo of the
world rheir
owo
ways,
Ind
permit tIJenl uneovied, and
unimitatea by
US,
to rcap the {ruÍ'1: of their doings.
The ne>;l fpecies o( objetls in lhe fcale ·of good, are
lh'egood. of lhe inlelleét; as k Do",ledge. memo.
y,
judge.
ment,
tant,
Ca~aci cy.
docility, 2nd whatever etfewe eall
intellctlual virtues . Let us cocGdu
tbem
a Hule, aDd
the ·mean·,
as
wdl
as
obligJl.tions to imprDvc them.
A s man
¡.
a fJtional creatu re, capable of knowing the
diíFtrences of l)'¡in¡;s and
a~ion5;-U
he not only (ces and
reds
",hal
is
preCent , but
rememb~r,
\Yh.u
is
pan.
a.d
oftcGforc{ecs
what
¡,
future¡-;a he adnrilce.,
(rain
fmJ.JlbeciDnicgo: