1000000031

MORAL

PHI L O S O P H

lum

m'y

be exalted by Ihe inlelleélual and a lafle for

Ibe bea4ty of the fine arts, .nd both may be made fub·

{crvieoc

convey and river'fen timenu

highly

moral and

public.fpi¡ited. Thi. inward furvey mull extend to the

firength and weaknefft::9

(Jf

aoe's n¿ture. ooc's ccndition,

conn:~ions.

habitudes,

fortllne,

(ludies, acquaiotance.

and che

olher

circumllances of ane's life; (rom which e·

very m.o will form the juflefl eflimale of his own difpo.

fitionc; and charaéter, and the

ben

rules for corretling:

and impro'fing them. And, in arder to do this with

more advantage, Jet thofe times c;r critical

fearons

"alched when Ihe mind i. befl di(pofet1 loward. a

change, and Je' Ihem be improved by vigorou. refo·

lucions, promifes, or whatever

elre

will engage the rnind

to per{evere in v¡rtuc. Let

che cooduél,

in fine, be of·

teo reviewed, aod tbe

caures

ilS

corrupdon or itnprovc–

meol be carefully obferved.

will

gr~atly

conduce 10 refine tha moral lafle .nd

ftrcogtheD the v¡noou! temper. to accuflom lhe mind to

tbe frc:quent exercife of moral Centiments and determin¡–

tion., by reading hiflory, poetry, parlicul.r1y of Ihe pic.

lurefque .nd dramalic ki.d, Ihe ltudy of Ihe fine arts;

by converGng wilh Ihe mofl eminen, for good.fenfe and

virtuc; bUI, above all, by frequenl .nd repealed .éls of

humanilY, cOOlp.llioo,

frienuO.ip

, politeoefs, and hofpilali.

ty• .

i. exercife give. heallh and flrengih, He Ih.1

reafons mofl frequently, becomes the wifefl, and mofl eo·

joy. ,he pleafures of wifdom. He who is mofl often af·

feéled by objeéls of comp,flion in poetry, hiflory, or real

life,"'¡\1 have his foul moflopen 'o pilyand in delighlful

..paio. and dUli.s. So he .Jfo who praéli(., mol! diligeo,ly

the oilice. of kindoef. aod charil)',

will

by il cultivate

tha' di(poGtion, frO'm wheoce

,1\'

his prelenGon. 10 per·.

{onal meril mull arife, bis prefent aod his future b.ppi–

oefs.

An ufeful and hooourable employmen, in life will ad.

miniílera thoufaRd opportuniries

this kind.é,and gready

fireng.hen -a fenfe of virtue and good a/feélion., which

mufl be nourilhed by right tr.iniog, as w.U as our under.

fiandings. For fuch an employmen', by enlargiog one',

experieoce, giving 3n

habit

attcotion and

caution, Gr

obliging one, (rom neceffity or iotereft, to keep a guard

over Ihe paflions••nd fludy ,he oUlward dec'encies aod

<tppearancies of vinue,

wiJ1

degrees

prod~ce

good ha..

hit, .od al lenglh iofinu..e .he love of viTlue anu hondly

{or its own fake.

a great inducement to the exC'rcife

benevolence,

to view human

nature

in a

f~vourdbJe

Jight, to obferve

the

chara(ters

and

circumf1:ances

Al<inkind

the (airetl

!ides, 10' pu' Ihe befl conílruélions un ,heir aélioos Ihey

w.1I bear, aod

coofider Ihem as Ihe reful, of partial and

miCla1cen, ratber Ihan ill afFc:étions, or. at

wortl:,

as the

excelfes of a pardonable felf-Iovc, feldom or neve, Ihe

e/feéls of pure m.lice.

Abovc.

aH.

the nature and confcquences of ·virtue and

·.,ice, their

confequcnces

being the

I.lW

our nature

and

",iJl ofbeaven; Ihe Jighl io which Ihey 'ppear 10 our fu.

preme! Parent ::Ind Law River, and.the reception they \ViII

mtct with (rolO him ; muH be o(len

a((endeo

The ex

ercifes o( piety,

as ador;¡tiCJIl aoel prai(e of the D iv ine

Exct:l~

leney, invocationof aOld depcr,c.!ence on his aiJ, confl!ffion,

Ihankfgiving, .nd refignalion, are habilually 10 be iodulged,

.nd frequeotly performed, nOI ooly as medicinal, but hi&h.

improving to Ihe

tempero

To cooelude: TI wiJl be of admirable eflicacy loward.

eradi\!<lting bad habitl, and implantin¡ goad ones,

fre~

queotly lo contemplate human Jife a. the g,eal Dur(elY

of our ruture and ¡mmortal ex:.ictecce,

that

lh.te

probatíon

which

are

educated for adivine

Jife;

to rcmember that

our

virtuel or vices

will

immortal

ourfelvcs, aad inftuence our future as

well

as our

pre~

feo, happinef., and Iherefore ,h.. every di(p.filion and '

lélion is lo be regarded .as pointing .beyood .he prefen'

immonal

duntion.

habitual attention to

thit

wide and important connettion will

give a vafl

campaft

and

dignity

our fentimenu aod

aaions,

noble

fupe~

riority

Ihe pleafures

~.d

p.ios of life, and a generous

alllbitioD to

make

our.

virtue as

immortal

our

beiog.

Moli~a

t-o

Virlu. :from,,'rjolfal

Happin.Ji

haYe already conGdered oor oblig'lions 'o

,he

pra(tice of

"inue

arifing from Ihe confiitution of our

naturo,

which we

are

led

approve a certaio order

aod CEconomy of

aft'eaions,

and a

certain

courfe of

aClion

correfpondem to ¡t.-But

befid~.

this

there are, feveral

.motives .which

ílre!lgthen

and (ecure virtue, though not

·Ihemfd... of • moral kind. Thefe are, in leAdemcy

to perfonal happioefs, and Ihe contrary tendeooy of vice.

.. Perfooal happinefs arifes, either (rom Ihe (late of

man's own mind, or from Ihe fl..e and difpofilion ofe,,–

ternal cauCes 'towards him.

lhaJl firfl examioe Ihe .. tendency of virtue 'o

happinefs wilh refpeét

to the

fiate

of a mao's

OWR mind."

- This is a peint

the

utmo(l:

confequence

in morals;

becaufe,

unJefs

we can convince our(e!ves, or

lhew

Ihe", Ihal,

doiog our duty, or folfiJliog our moral

obligation3, we

confult

the grcatefl

fatisfaaio~

~ur O~B

mind, or our highefl inlerefl on Ihe whole, ., w.1I

ra.fe

{lroog aod of,en unfurmouotable prejudices .gatnfl Ihe

pr.élice of virtue, efpecially whenever Ihere arifes aoy

appearaDce of oppo(jtion between our duty

and

our

tisfaél:ion or

imeren.

creatures

defirous of

happl–

nef. anu averfe lo mifery as \Ve are, and of,en fo oddly

{jtu:ueu amidll:

contending pallions and iDterefis,

1S De..

cef[try

that virtue appear

flOt

only an hoooura?Je,. but a.

pleaGng ,nQ benebcenl formo And io order 10

Jufl.fy

our

choic~

ourrelves

as well as.

before

others. we

muR

ourfdves feel, .od be able

avow in Ihe face of Ihe whole

world, Ihal her way' are ",ay. of pleaf. nloefs, and her

parhs Ihe paths of

pe.ce.

This will lhew, beyond a\l

cOQtradiétion, that we not only approvr, but

CJn glve

{uflicienl reafon fur wh.1 we do.

L .. aman io a cool hour, l"heo he i. difeng3ged frot1l

buGne(s, ."d undillurb.d by paflioo, as fuch cool hou,..

will fometime. h'ppen,

r.,

down, .nd leriouOy refleél wtth

him(elf wh.. I[¿te or lemper of miod he would chufe tO

feel and indulge, io oruer lo be eafy and 10 enJOY h.ntrdf.

WOldd he chure, for that purpure, to be in a

co~nant

diflip..ioo aod hurry of thoughl; lo be diflurbed

Ihe

exercife of his rCilfo n ;

have various, and

oftc.::~

ID.ler–

f~ring

phantOills of good playing

beforc:

his

irui!g~natl~n,

folicitiog and d,araéliog bim

lu. ns, no'" foollllng

h~mh

Ult