1000000031

MORAL

PHI L O S O P H Y.

or in a fubferviency to lhe pl'r(c:élion and

hafpinl'h

the whole ¡-puticul;u ly, thu he

dirc~'l:s

ano

1:0 \" '1

Ihe

atT..irs of men.- infpc\.'l:s their

aébons .-cliHingudh.:s

che

good (rom lhe bad ,-Joves and befrit:nds

(he

formel,–

d,fple¡(ed

\~ith

and pities the lath.r

tI,is world.–

aod \ViII. according

l a

their rcfpe8ive deferu, fe\\'ard lhe

one, and punifh che

oth~r

in lhe next :-thar, in tine, he

is al.vays carrying

a fch eme of

vinue

aod happinefs

through

<lO

unltmitcd duration,-and is evc:r guiding the

univerfe

thro~gh

its

fucccflivc:

fhges

and periods, to

hrgh

er degrces of perfeltion and

fclici'ty."

1"his is ) rue

theifm . lhe elorious

f..

heme of divine ("ith; a fcheme

cxhibited in all the works of God; and exeeuted through

his whole

íiIIdminiClration,

This fai,h, well,founded and deeply felr, is nearly

cOAnefled widi a Hue

morál· t ~tle,

a.nd

hath a po\verful

effi..:acy en the temrer and manners of the d1eifL He

who admires goodncfs iD others, anel deJigbts inJhe prac·

tice of ¡t, muH b.! conecious of a reigning order within,

a reélitude and candor of heart whleh dirpofes hin¡ ro

cotenain fa1'ourable apprehenfions of meo, and, from an

impartíal lurvey of things, tO prefumc th'at good order

and good 'meaning prevail in the univerCe,' and

good

rneaning and good arder, then aD ordel'ing and jrltcnd–

ing

~Iindt

\Vho is no cnemy, no tyraot

hi$ crcatures,

bUI a fricr.d, a benef...étor, an indulgem fovereign ,-On

.he o:her haDd, • bad man, haviDg Dothing goodly or

generous

contemplate within, no right ¡ntentions, nor

hODefly of hoa", furpcéls eyery perron and every 'hing;

and beholding na'ure through the gloom of a f<l60t and

guilty mind , is either averft: to the belief of a reigning

order; or, if he canDot fupprcfs the uDeoDquerable allti–

cipations of a governing mind, he is prone

larnilh the

beauty of nature, 2nd to impute malevolenee, or blind–

Defs and impotence at leafl, to [he Sovereign Ruler. H e

turos the univcrfe ioto, a forlorn and horrid \Valle; and

transfer5 his own eharaéler to the Deity, by aCcribing tO

him thal uocommunicative {!.randeur, th"'t ",rbitrary or re–

Hn¡;.eful fpiri. which he

.fFdls

or admires in himfelf.

fuch a.temper of mind na'turally Icads tO atheilin. or

fuperflition fuH as

Dad

therefore,

far as that

temper depends on Ihe unliappy

creat~re

in whom it pre–

vails, the propenfity to athc:iCm or fuperltitioo confequent

,bereto mu(l be immoral. Farrher, if il be ' true lhat

the bdicf or fenfe of a Dl!ity is natural tO Ihe mind, and

the e.,idence of hi!l cxi Uence: rc8eéted from his works fo

full 'a, 'o flrjke even the mofl

r~perr.eial

obre" 'et witb

conviélioo; then the: Cupplanting or cOflupting that fenfe,

Or lhe ....·ant of due: auention to thal evidence, and,

eonfequence of both, a (upine ignorance or afF"éled un·

belíef or a Deity, muU argue a had temper, or an immora}

turn of mind , ID the caCe of invincible ignorance, or a

Tery bad education, rhough norhing can be concludeci

dircttly zg:l.inll the chartléler, yet whenever

¡JI

pafTions

and halJits pelvcrt the j udgrnem, aod by pcn-crtlng lhe

judgmcnt terminate io atheiCm, theo the cafe beeomes·

pJain!y erimin;¡1.

But let ca(uiO,. determine Ihis as they will, a true

fait h in thc divine charatler and adminillration is gent:,

ully

,he coofe'laeoee of a virtuou. flate of miod, The

",ao who is truly and' hahit,ually flooo, f<el, the love of

CJr oer, of beauty, Olnd gPvJoe:-fs, in the Orongell <.Iegrte;

.nd dlt:refore canoot be Inft:nfible to thoCe emanations of

them which appear io

all

the work, of GoJ, nor help

lovlng their Supreme Source í!.nd

l\'lodcl.

H e etlonl){ but

think, that H e who has poured f"eh lleauty and goodner.

over all his work!l, mufi H inlfdf dc!ight in bcauey aod

goodnef" and what H e delights in ",u{) be both amiable

and

happy_ SODle iodeed

(h~re :u~.

and

is pity there

Ihould be any fueh, who, through the unhap?y inlluence

of a wroog education, have entertained

dMk

and un–

fri endly thoughts of

D dty anci his adrniniO: ration.

though otherwiCe of a

virtuo~s

tcmper theOlldves, How.

ever, it muO be acknowledged, rhat fuch feñ-timems have,

for ,he mofl part, abad efrell 00 the « mper ; aÍtd

when they have Dot, it is becaufe the uooepraved af–

fdlioos oT an ,hanen heart are more powcrful

their

peration, than the fpecul:uive opinions of

iB-formed

head,

But where-ever right

conc~cptions

of the D eity and his

providence prevai1. wheo he 1S 'conlidered' as the ¡nex–

hau{)ed f9uree of ligh, and 10« and joy, as aéling in

the joiot charatler of a fathc:r and governor, imparting

endlef~

,-ariety of eapacities to his crealures, and fupply–

iog thcm with every thing necelTary to lheir full"

~omple

tion and

ha~pine{

... , wha[ veneratioo and gn.titude

mua.

{uch conceptrons lhoraughly believed excite in ,he mind

H ow natu,,1 .nd delightful muíl i, be 'o one whore heart

is open to the'percepi"ion of trllth, and of every thio2

fair, grea,t, and

wonderf~1

in oature:, tO' eontcmplate and

aaore H im, who is the Firfl F air, the Firft Great, and Fidl:

Wonderful; ín whom wifdom, power and goodnef, dwell

vitally,

elT~ntially,

originalIy, and

"él

io pel'feél coneert!

W hat grandeur is here to

fiJl

the mon enlarged capaciry.

wbat beauty to t ogage lhe mon ardent lave, what a mafs

of wopders

iD ..

f~ch

exuberanee of perfeél:on, to aHonilh

and deligh, the human mind 'brough an únfailiñg'dura–

tion l·

If ,he Deity is eonfidered as

o~r

fupreme guardian aod

bcnefí!.élar, as, 1he fathe; of mereies, who

JOVtS

his crea–

tDí'es with innnite tc:ndC:rDefs. and in a particular manner

all good meo, nay, who dclights

goodne[s even io ilS

maO: 'imperfc:él degrecs; what rer.gnalioD, what depend–

ence, what generous confidence, what hope in Cod ¡.tDd

hls all-wrfc providenee, mufl arife in the (0111 that is polTef–

fed of rueh ami.tble view, of him! AJI thore exercires of

pitry, and abOl'e ¡¡lI a luperlative

eflc~m

.. and love, are

direélcd tO God as to theií- natural, their ultimate, and

indeed' their only ad<qlme ohjel1: and though the im–

menfe ooligations we have reccll/ed from hiOl mayex–

cite in us more livcly feelings of divine goodnefs tllan a

general ano abfl ra{ted contemplati(\n of it ; yet the alfee·

lions of gratituoc tlnd love are thcmfelves of tht' generou!I

d j(jllteretled kind. not tbe rt:fuh of rdf ¡nIereH, or views.

of rcward .

perfttl charaéler, in which

\Vi:

always (up–

poCe: infinitc goodnc(s, guided by unerring \\ i(doOl, and

fupported by almigh'y power, i, the proper obj<él of per–

fcél lovc; and though that eharaélcr fun"in. tO us the

relJtioo of a bene(aélor, yet.lhe mino, dc:cply flruck with.

!ha, pcrfeEtion, i. 'lui,e lofl amida fueh a bld%e of beau-

'y,