1000000031

MORAL

PHI L O S O P H Y.

cares and labours to train them up to

decener,

virtuc,

and

lhe

various arts of

Jire.

NauHc has, thercfore, pro·

"ided them with {he:: man

affeétionatc: and anxious

tutors,

to aid their weaknefs, to fupply their \Vants, and to ae–

complilh them in

thore:

necelfary

arU

;- even {hcje own

parents,

whom fhe has devolreu ,his ruigh'y char,e,

rcndered agreeable by the IDOn alJuring and powerful of

aH ties,

parcnnl

atTl.'élion.

BUl

unlefs both concur in

lhis

grateful

tan.:,

aad

concinue

their

joint

taboues, till

they have reared up and planted out ¡heir young colony,

mu(l hecome a prey to every rurle invader, and the

purpofe of nature

the original unioo of the hum:\n paie

be defe.ted. Therefore our flrulture .. weJl a. condi·

tiOD

is an evide'ot ¡ndicuioo, that tbe human fe-xcs *are

ddlioed

foi

a more intimare,

foc

a moral and lafling u–

nion. 1t 'ppears likewife, th.t the principal end of mar–

riage is

~ot

propagate aod nurfe up an oífspring, but

educate aDd form ",ind, for tbe gre.t du,ies and ex–

lenfive denio.tions of life.

Society mun

bé

fupplied

fron! this origiDal nurfery wí,h ufeful mcmbers, and its

fairdi ornameats and fuppons.

The

miod ¡s.apt to

diflipatcd in its views, and

alb

of friendfhip and humanity; unlef. the former be direét–

ed lO' a particular objeét, ana the htter employed in a

particular province. Whcn meo once indulge tO this

diOipatioD, there is DO flopping their career; they grow

infenGble

moral amaétions, .nd, .by obnruéting or im–

pairing the decent aod

regula~

exercife of the ·tender

and generQus,feelings of Ihe huinan he'r!, tl.ley in time

become uDqualified for, or averfe to, the formiDg

mo–

ral unino of fouls, which is the cement of focielY, and

the folirce of the puren domenic joys. Whereas a ra–

tional undepraved love,

and its

fair companion mar–

riage, callea-

maD's ..iewl, guide his heart to íts pro–

per objeét, and hy confiniog hi. afFeCtion

that ohjeét

do rcally enlarge

its

¡nfluence and ufe. Bdides, it is

bu,

tOO evidenl from the eonduét of mankind, that the

common tits ·of humanity are tOOfecblc to engage and

interen the paffion. of Ihe generali,y in the afF.irs of fo–

ciety.

'rhe

conneétions of

neigh~o'.lrhood,

acquaintance,

aod

general intereourfe, are tOO wide

fieJd of a8-ionJor

m.ny

; .nd ¡hofe of a public or community are fo for

more, and ·io which they eilhe'r care not or know not

how tO exert themfelves . Therefore nature, cver wiTe

and beDev91ent, by implan,ing tha, nrong (ympathy which

reign, between the individuals of each fex, anJ

urging

tb~tn

form

particular moral conoeétion, the (prioR

many

domdlic endearm:nts,

has

meafured out to each

pair

particular

fph~u

of aétioo, proportioned to thcir

"iews, and adapted tO their refpellive capacities. Be–

lides,

intereHing

them deepJy

in lhe conceros of their

own lítlle cirde, fhe has conneéted them more dofely

with fociety, which is compofed of particular famili e"

and bouod them down

their good behaviour in tltaí

panicular communi,y to which they belong. T his

mo,

conneétion is marriage

and this fphere 'of aétion is a

f. mily.

Of the conjugal .J1iance !he foJlowing are the na–

lurol Jaws . l . Mu!u

r,Gelity to ,he marriage-loed.

J)in"Ydlty dc!fe:.tts lne very end

marr~age;

ddTolves

the oíl!.ural cemc:nt of

the

ctl;uion;

wca!u,:ns

the

moral

tie. the chicf firength of which líes in the reciproca·

tion of affetl.ion ; and, hy makiog the oJTspring uncer·

~ain,

dimini(hes the

care

and attachmcm necdrary to

theie education .

2 .

cOnrpir1tion of counrels and endeavours

pro·

mote the comOlon ioterdt of the famiJy,

aod

tOeducate

their common offspring. In arder tO obferve [hefe laws,

it is nece(fary lO cultivate, both before and during the

married nate, the nriéten derency ond challity of m, p–

neTO, and a j un fenfe of what becomes their refpeétive

charaaers~

3. The union mun be inviolable ·.nd for life. Th.

nature of friendlhip, and particlllarly of Ihi. fpeeie, of

it, the educatio" of their ofFspring, and the order of

fociety, and of fucceílions which would otherwife be ex–

tremely perplexed, do aJl fcem to re'!,uire il. To pre–

ferve this uoion

and render the matrimonial {late more

harOlonious and comfortable, a mutual enee", and ten·

derners

a mutual deference and forbearance,

comOlU–

nicHio~

of advice, and allinance and authority, are ah·

folutely neceffary.

eithe, party keép wi!hin lbeir pro–

per departments, tbere oeed be no difputes abou( power

or fuperiority, and there will be none. They have

oppoúte

no reparate interens; and therefore there

ColO

be no jun ground ror oppofition of conduét.

From this detail, and the prefent llate of things,

in which there is pretty ·near

parity óf nUDlbers of

hoth fexes

evideot, that polygamy is· an unnatu·

ral. nate: and though it fhould be granted to be more

fruhful of children, which however it is not found tO

be; yet it

by no means fa lit for rearíDg miads;

whieh Ceems to be as mueh, if not more, the ímentíon

of Dature, than the propagation of hodles.

Of Parmlal Drlly.

T HI!. conneélion of parents with"' their children is a

natu ral confequence of the matrimonial coonell ion, and

,be duties which they owe them r.fuh as n.turally froOl

that conneétioo. The f..ble na'e of children, fubjeét tO

many

waftts

and dangers. requires their incellaot care

:md aUentioD; their jgnorant and uneuhivaled minds de·

mand their continua1 infiruétion and culture.

Had hu·

man creatures come ioto the world Wilh the full Clrength

men, and lile weaknefs of rearan and yehemence of

pallions which prevai l in children, ,hey would have heen

tOO llrong or tOO llubborn 'to have: Juhmitted to the go–

vernmeot and

tn(il

uétion of lhei r parents,

BUl,

as lhey

werc defigned for a progreílion in knowledge and virtue,

it wa, proper th.a, the growth of ,heir bodics fhould kcep

pace with that of their minds, .len !he purpofes of tha,

progreffion fllOuld ha..

be~n

defeated. Among olher ad–

mirable purpofes which this gradual ex panfion of tbei r

outward

well as inward ílruélure fenes, tbis is o"oe,

th at it affor,d. ample fcope to the exorcife of many

!<JI–

d« anu generou. ' afFeétion., which fill up ,he domeílic

lift: with a beautiful varic:ty of dudes and cnjoymcDts;

and are of courfe a noble difcipline for the hean,. and an

hardy kind of education for the more honourahle and im–

ponant duties of publíc life.

The

abo\·c

mentioneJ

w.l.. ak

and ignorant fint e of chU–

dren, fctms plainly to inveH Iheir parents witlt fudI all–

¡holity