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MORAL P 1-1 1 L O S O P II y,
,y. to re(ume that ddcgatcd power, andctllJ theirtruOces
to ao a:count; t O rdiU the ururpation, and <:xtirpatc lhe
tyranny ; tO reflore their rulli~d nuj c:ny anJ profiiwted
authoriry; tO furpt:nd, "lter, or abroga te thore Jaws,
and p'lInifh thei r un(,úthful anJ corru pt offi~crs. Nor ¡s
Ít ,he dllty only of ,he un.iud body, bu, <'lay m! 'nber
oflt ought, according to his rerpe~iivc rank, powc:r, and
weight in tbe community . toconcur in advancing and Cupo
poning thofe glorious dcfigns.
DUIJ l o GOD.
Or all the rcJations which lhe human mind (u(la¡os,
that which (ubfifis between lhe Crentor and hls crcatures,
the Supreme L awgiver and his fubjtéls, is lhe higbefi and
the ben. This relation arifes (fom lhe natUre -of a crea–
ture in general. and lhe conHitUlion of the human mind
in particular ; the C!oblefi powers and affa;¡ioo:s of which
poin, 10 an Iind, and would be imperfeéland
abonive without fu ch a direélion. How Jame then muR
lhat fyelem ofmora.!s be, which Jeaves a De;:ity ·outofthe
ion! How dlfconfolate, and how ddlitute of ilS
firmell fu PPOrt !
It does DOt appear, from any true hifiory or experience
of ,he miad'. progref., lhat any man, by any formal de·
dultionof his difcur(ive powers, ever reafoned himfelf in to
the belief a God. Whecher fueh .. belief is only fome
Dittoral an.icipation of fool; or i~ derived from f.nher to
fon, aod from one man [Q anorher, io the way of 1radi~
tioD; or is fuggefied to us in eonfcquenceofan immutable
law of our nalu re, on b. holding ,he augul~ "fpOl't and
beautirul arder of the univerfe ; we will not preteod to
determine. What Ceems mon agreeabJe tO experience ¡s,
that a (eofe of ¡ts beauty .1Od graodeur, alld the admi–
rable fitnefs of one thing to another in its v..Qó\pparatus,
leads ,h~ mind Deeelfarily and unavoidably to a pereeplion
of defign, or of a defigning eaufe, ,he origin of all, by a
p rogrefs as fimpk and na,ural as ,hat by whieh • beau·
tiful píélure or a fine building fuggells 'o us lhe idea of
an exccllent artill. F ór it feems to hold univer'fally
true, that where-ever wc' diCeern a tenueney or co–
op: ration of things towards a certain end, or producíog
a coromoo dfeét ; there, by a nectfrary Jaw of affociatioo,
we apprehend a defigning energy or caufe: Se(
M ETAP H Y SIC s . As we conceive ,his Bcing or Firll Callfe
before all, above all, and gre.ter than all, \Ve n. 'urally,
...nd without reafoning, afcribé 'o him every kind of per–
fe(,C}ion, wifdom, power, and goodnefs \\ ithout bounds,
cxilling ,hrough alllim., and pervading all fpace. We
apply ro him thofe glorious epilhelo of our Creator,
p referver, Bencf. élor, the Supreme L ord and Law.giver
of the ",hole fociety of ratio""1 intelligcnt creotures.–
Not only the imperfeélions and w.nts of Our beinB aad
condition, bu, fome of the noblell inllinéls and affec–
rions of Our minds, conneet liS with this crear and
univerfdl nature. The mind, io iu progrefS (..0 01 ob·
jell tO objell, from one charaéler and profpell of beauty
to another, finds fome blemiOl or der.ciency in , and
foon exhaufl. or grow. weary and dilfatisfied with ilS
fubjcél : it ftes no charaller of excellency among men,
equal to Ihat pitch of ellecm which it is capable of ex–
crcing i no obj..a willliD tbe compafs of human Ihinlls ad-
equate to the lh ength of its afFl..:élion. N or can it /lop
any wher<! io tl:is h,lf-cxpan(jye progreCs, or find repore
afrer its higl\-.:1\. fl lghts, tdl it arrivcs al a Being of uo·
b~unJed gr<.ttnefs and worth, on whom it mal' employ
its fu bltm..:fi powers withOUl exhauniog the ru bjetl, and
give fcope to ,he mmoll force and fullnefs of its love
without fatiety or difgu!l::- So that lhe nalure of this Be–
ing correfponds to [he: nature of m.n; nor Cjl.D his imel–
ligent and moróll powers obraio their emi re end, but
on the fuppoJit ion of fueh a Being. and whhout a real
fymp.uhy and com01unic.ltion with him. Tbe nat¡ve
propenfity of lhe mind (O re;:vercnee whatever is great
and wonderful in. nature, finds • proper objeél of ho–
mage in him who (préad OUt the heavens and the earth,
and \Vho fullains and gaveros the whole of lhings. The
admiration of beauty, the lovc: ..of oFder, and the com–
placeney we feel in goodneCs, mull rife to ,he highefl
pilch, anp anaia the full vigou r and jay of their opera,
tions, wheo they uoile iD Hlln who is the fum aod fource
of.1I perf<élion
It is evident, from the Oightell furvey of morals, ,h.t
how puntlual focver one may be in peiformiog the dutie,
which refult from our re1ations to mankind; yet la be
quite deficient in performing (hofe which arife from out
r<la,ion to the Almighty, mull argue a Ilrange per.vertioa
of reafon or depnvilY of beart. 1f i:nperfell degre•• of
wonh auraél: our venerca lon, and ir the \Vant of it \Vould
imply an infenfihility. or, whicn is worfc, an averfioD tO
merit ; what lamenefs oE affeétion, and ¡mmorality of cha–
raéteF, mufi it be, to be uoaffeéled with, and much more
to be ill-affeéled to, a Being of fuperlative worth ! To love
(o, iety. or particular members of it, and yet to bu'e 00
fenCe of our conoeaion with iu Head. DO aff'eaiOD to our
C081mon Pareo, aod Benefatlor; to be conecroed about
the approbation or cenfure-of our feIJow. creatures, aod
yet lo feel nOlhing o( ,his kind tOl....rds Him who fees aad
weighs our aélions with uoerring wifdom 2nd juOice, and
can fully reward or puoifh ,hem; ~lrays equal madnef.
and ,y of mind . lt i. plain, tberefore, bcyond all
doubt, ,hat foale regard! are due lo lhe gre.t Fa,ber of
all, in 'whom every lovdy an,d adorable quali,y comblaes
tO ¡nfpire veneration Oled Jlomage. .
A. it has been obferved already, ,ha' our affeél,on.
depend on our opinions of ,heir obj<éls, and ge~erally
keep Wilh ,hern, it mull be of ,he híghell.mpor–
unce, and fctms tO be among lhe IirU duties we Qwe lO
,he Author of our beino, .. 'o form the lean i01pe~feét.
Cinee we cannot form perfelt conceptions of his chataller
and admioiltr.uion ." For fuch conceptions,
imbibed. will render oor religion rational. and our diC·
pofitions refined. If our opinions are diminutive and
dilloried, our rel igron will be fuperllilious, and ?ur ,~m­
per abjeél. The foundadon, ,hcn, of all Irue " lS a
rational faitJi. And of a rational failh thefe rcem 'o be
,he ehief anicles : To believe... th.t an in6nite all perfeét
Mind exillo, whp has no oppofitc nor aay fep~ interel!
from ,hal of his creatures :-,h"' he fupertnrend••nd
governs all creatures and Ihings :-,hat his goodn:fs .x–
,ends to all hi. crealures, in diffaenl degrees Indeed,
aceordiog to their refp eétive natures, but váthout any
partiality or CDvy :-tbal he dec. cv:ry 'hiDg for !he ben,
or