1000000031

1\1 O R A L P II I L O S O P 11

requircs

th:\t

rnc Ih:llk

rredy.

:1nd :'la nobly. N ú\\', what and

ddlin ~ion

of body

anu

m:nd, wid, which

\ve

:\re

n.')t

c~n conduc~

lT':orc

frt:cJ om of

thC'unhr

and dit r,i ry of \'cry wcll

l.cqu.lin(ed, thcy

are

not oL,'ious 10

ordir.:uy

f\"C't ion, th:m

10 l'oncci,'c ",orthily

of l;,.)(i,

revefl.. ncc

unc.!crUJr.d:ncs ,

and

arc rdJom focollvincing,

cvt:n to

lhof:

:lnJ adore his unri\'alkd cxcc!l cnry . to imit;¡,tc ar.d [rito

of higher rcach, as

nOl

to lea\'e fome J oubts bl,.hinJ them.

[cr,be

lhat

cxccllcncy iot o

OUT 0\\,.'0

naturc.

rem~mhcr

'rhereforc,

pcrh:\ps, ir

nOl

rafe

to reH

l he

prcor

OOJf

rclatian

hirn, Qnd thil[ we are {he

imclgc

and re- fuch :ln

IInpoft¡ult articl..! on

v.hat

rnJoy mly

call the

prefenta!iv<s of his elory .o Ihe rdl of Ihe cleallon? Such fu bd••ies .of fchool

lelroio~.

Thofe p,oofs wh,'eh ore

reelings and exereilcs nlUf! .0<1 \Vdl m. ke us fcorn .1 1 brollght from .n.logy, from Ihe moral eonllilution . nd

a",ct:ons thal are bafe,

unhílndlomc,

or unwarthyour Hate j phenomena of lhe

hlJm~n

mind. the!

Inoral

attribute5

and

lhe rebHion

wc (tand in to G od will irradiate lhe of G od,

alld

lhe preCeDt

conTfe

of things, and which are

minJ with the Jight or wirdom, anO ennoble

it will!

Ihe th:r'c[ore calle'd lhe

moral

argumenrs. are the plainefl,

Itbcrty .nd domioion of virtu,.

.0J gener.lly the ",of! f"isfying. ';Ye

0..11

fe!ea ooly ooe

The

in~lIenee

and eflicaey of religi on m,y be eonfi¿ered or IWO from Ihe rcf!.

ín :lo,other

Ji~I1t .

Wc al! know that {he prcfencc ofa

fl'i~nd.

In tra.;ing the

Díl lure

and deO:ination of any being. we

ne'ghbour, or .ny oumber of fpea ,rors. bUI efp",ally form Ihe furef! judgment from his powers of .aion,

'D'{

•• aUJuf! .ffembly of them, ufes to be

coofiderable cheek the fcope .od limits of thefe, com pared wirh his llate, or

upon Ihe codua of ooe \Vho i, oot lof! to all fenfe of ho· wilh Ihar neld io \Vhich Iheyare exereifed . .

this being

OJur

and

(llame,

anJ contributcs

la renrajn many ¡rregu-

palres through dlfFereo t !lates or fields of a{tion, and

L.ar

rallíes o( p:.Hion.

In (he

rame m¡:l.noer

may im3&ioe, find:¡ [ucceHion of powers adapted

the diff..-:rent period!

thal d,e awc of lome Superior Miod, \Vho i. fuppof,d pri . of hi3 proc'efs,

\Ye

eonclude th.. he was deflined for

to our recret condu(t, and aTOled

Wilh

full power tO

thofe fllcccflive fbtes, and reckon his nature progreflive.

rcward or punifh ¡t, will impore a rcOraint on us in [uch Ir, bd ides the immediatc

[et

of powcrs which lit him for

altians as (aH nat under the cootraul or animadrerlion

sétion in his prefent Hate, we obferve another (et which

others. I f Yle go Itill I:igher, .nd fllppore out' inmofl

'ppe> rs ruperOuous if he was tO be confi ned to it, aod

thaugh :s and

dalkdl:

de(jgns, as wd) as aur mo(l (ecret which poi nt tO anoiher or highcr ane,

\Ve

naturally con·

aaions,

lie open to Ihe nOlice of Ihe .supreme aod cluJo, Iha! h. i, not defigoed tOremain io his rrefen< Itale,

Univerf. 1 Mind, who is both Ihe fpe/ra lor .nd jl1dge of but

advance to that for which thofe fapernu merary

human aétions; it is cvidcnt, lhat the bel ief af Jo augurt powcrs are aciaptcd, Thus we argue, thal the iofea,

a prefe oee, aod fu eh awful iofpeaion, mufl earry a re- \Vhieh has \Vings formiog or formed, and all the

app.ra

–

nraint and weigh t \Vilh it proportioned to lhe Hrength tus proper far Bight, is not defl:i ned always

creep on

of th¡:l.t belief, and be an additional motive to the prac

the ground, or tO contiDue: in the: torpid [tate of adhering

tice of many dUlies which would nOI have beeo performed

a wal!, but is defigned in its feafon

toke its fligh t

witholltit .

in airo W ithoUl this fanh er defiínation, the admirable

n1:lybe obrt:rved fanher, lhat

tOJive uoder an ha·

m~chanirm

of wings, and the other appuatus, would be

~itua l

feofe of the D ei lY and his great admioillratioo, is urelefs and abfurd . The fame kind of reafooiog may be

to be converfant U'ilh wifdom, order, and beauly, in the 3rplicd to man, while he lives only a fort of vegeta tive

highefl fuhjcéls, .ná

receive lhe delighlful refleélions life in Ihe \Vomb. He is furnifhed ereo Ihere wilh •

and benign fcdillgs which

th( f~

excite, while they irrfl

beautiful apparatus of orgaO!, eyes , e:ars, and Other de:·

diate opon him froOl every

:c~ne

oiHure .40d próvidence."

licate

feo res, which rcceive nourilhmt ot indeed, but are

H ow improvi ng

mua

fuch views be to the ",ind, io di· in a m3nner fólJed up, and ha"e no proper exerci(e or

bting and e'(ahing it ¡:

I.bo

,oe thofe puny intercHs and com· ufe io their preftn t con!i nement. L ei us

fupp~f~

L',:"e

petitions which agitatc and enfiame: lhe bulk of m;¡nkind iotdligtnt (peétator,

who

never

had

any

coone~loo

wttn

agaiofl: each other!-

man, nor the leafl: acquaintance withnuruiln

affJlrs,

ta (ce

lhis odd phenomenon',

crcature (arroed after ruc.h aman·

1I1. 1;v< lo y irl'lt rOIlJ

Ih,

/l/morla/il) .[

Ih,

SOI/ I,

&c.

nCI, and plaeed in a "tualion apparently un,ulta e tO

T H

other

motive Olentionrd

was rhe

iOlmOrt:.lity

of Ihe

foul, with (ulure

rewards anu

punifhmc:nls.

The

meta·

ph yfical proofs ,of the foul's immort. lilY, are eommonly

drawn-from

its

G01ple, uocompouoelcd,

ano

indivifiblc

natu re; (rom whence it

cooclndcd, th'H

C:1onOI be cor·

rupted or eXlingll:fhed hy " d,ffoluliqn or ddlruaioo of

pans :-frol\1 ils having a bcginning of Il11Hion within ¡t–

retr;

whe:occ it is ioferred, th, t it

c.~nnot

dirconrinnc aod

10fe: ilS m.nior.:-from lhe ddfl leot propen ies of

malter

and minu; the

Ou~gith'Jcfs

and ioatlivity of one, tlod lhe

immcofc ltlivity

the

oth~r ;

iu prodigious fligh t of

thought end im:'gioHion; its p{nctration, nlenl0ry, fore–

fiCht, :md anticip.uions of íllt uri ty ; from \\ hl nce it

conc1ucir",

thar a

ociog

divinc

nature cannOl be

eXl inr,uifhed. BtIt as Ih, fe metaph) fie:,1 proofs depend

on intric,Hc

rcar(J.,jll~! con~crnino

{he nature,

0l'ertics,

(ueh various maehine, y; ",uf! he not he flrangely puzzled

about the u[e of his complic:ucd (lrué'l:u re,

anu

:e¡;koo

fu eh a profllfioo of art antl

admira~le

w.orkn'.'oOllp lol!

on the fubjeét ; or rC;lfon, by way of antlClp3110n, thi\t a

creaturc. endued with {uch ..arialls ,

yet uncxrTtcd

c~ra·

("ities.

\VdS

deClin!d for

more enlargco fphcre of

a...

'11 ..

.'O,

io whieh thofe IHent ca paci,ie, fh JII ha"e full pla)'? The

.,.aft "ariet}'.

and yt:t beautirul fy01me:tr)'

:\no

pT\lpllrUOI1S,

of lhe feveral

p.ITtS

and orr,ans

w~th

hieh

Ihe

cre:ltu¡e

is cndued, :lno lhetr :1pt cohd ion

w~t!1,

anJ

de~cnd~ nce

on,

Ihe

cur ious

recept~dc

Iheir

!lre

anJ

r,oun~01cnt ,

would forbid his eooclllding Ihe whole

be Ihe b,rth of

chal ce, 01' Ihe hnnglinr, effort

::lO

unlkilful

HllH,

lettH woulJ

make

111m

d(mu r a

\Yhil~ :H

:\.\r01

(l n·

tc.!nce. HUI

if,

\\llIle he i9 in th is

n ,He

l1nc~rtalllt.y,

we: fll ppOrC him

(ce the

b.lb.

:, afu:r a few

Ii.:car:'~\l l

u gsl~i,