1000000031

1\1 O R A L

P 1-1 1

O S O P H Y·.

.are in the \VOfll ..

Nay. thoC..: who

;I n ..Cpiring ge::niu:>

.ha~e

.deled all the . ¡"Ilances of art, Icifu re, andthe molf

JilJc¡¡a.! C!duc?tion,

Whilt

níHro\V proCreé1:s can evcn

th~y

take of this u'1bounded fcene uf things (rom lhat littlc e·

minence on which

thc.y

llanu?

A.nd

how cílgerlydo lhey

Udl

graCp at ne'V diCcoveries, without any fatisfaétion or

limit

thC!ir ambition ?

But fh culd it be C ...id, that roan 'is made ror aétioñ, and

not for fp:cllbtion, or flu itleCs fearches a(ter kno\VJedne '

\\le aJk, F or what kind of aétion? Is it only for

bod¡J ~

exercircs; or fo r moral, polítical.

a~d

religtOllS

onc~ ?

Ofal l thefe he is «pable : ye"

lry

the un:tvoiJable

oí

'eu",

Jtances of his

10 1,

he i5 tied clown

the former; and h..¡s

hardly any lei(ure

think of the lalter

or, if líe has,'

wan ls the proper inflrumcnts of exeTt;ng them .

'Thé

Jove of virtue, of one's Cricaos 3f1d cpuntry. lhe generous

fym p:lthy with mankind, anu heroJc zeal (lf doing gooo,

which are all fo 'Ilatur'aI to gren tmd good m:nds, and

fome tr.lees of which are fou nd in {he

JOl.Vdt, ~ are

Celdom

united wi th pr opon ioned Ole"os or opporJUnities of exer –

cifiog them

fo that th e moral fpring , the ,noble energits

a.d impulfes of Ihe mind, c'o hardly find proper fcope ,

even in the mo/l ·fortunrne condition; hut are much dc–

prefl"ed in fome.•nd álmofl en tirely rell rained 10 the ge–

neraEty,

the numerOllS cloos of ao

indi"ent~

{icklv

or embilra(fed life. V-lere

fu~h

mighty

p~\Vers. [u~h

G odlike alfeélions pl.nted in

'O"

hum. " brean, to be fold·

ed up in the n:1frO\'/ womb of our prefenr exifl::eoce, never

to be produced imo a more perfeél life, nor tO ex patiate

in tbe ample career of immort:tlity?

flrllg~l¿sJ thto\Vi~g

off his fetters, brcaking

loare

from

his little dark prifon, and emerging ioto open day; then

un(olcling h¡'¡ redure

ano

dorman[ powcrs ,

brcathin~

;¡ ir, g:!zing at

'li sht,

a<i mitting colours,

rOllllds,

aDct

al1

the faír \'ariety of

n;¡(llre;

immediately his doub¡s clear

u,p, the propriety ancl excdlcncy of (he

workmannlip '

d,~\Vn

UrO:l

him \\ ith full lu(lrC', and the

whote

myllery

of lhe

¡i rer

p!! riod

i:>

ur.ra1'elfed

lhe opcning o( this

m:w [cene. Theugh in this fecond

pt:1

iQd

[he

creature

Eves chidly a J:iml of

a nim~1

Jife,

1:.

r~nre

and ap–

perit e; j'e!

l;y

variou3

triars: and

cbfcn":lIions he gaios

expt'r:ence, and

lJy

Ihe gradual

evolution

of the powcrs

of im,lginatil)n he

~ipens.

apace for 3n higher hfe, for

exel cifing the arts of d::f: gn and imitation, and oE. thoCe

in which llrengl h or dexterity ar( more req\lifite than

O!.c~ltcnp,rS

01"

reach of jc'lgment. In thr: fucceeding d tíonal

or intellrftual per!od.

h iS

und~rl1andíng.

which formerly

ept in a lower

mounls into an higher fph ere, canva{fLs lhe

natures. jlldges of Ihe relations of thin-gs, forms fchemes,

deduces conft!quer:ces from what is pan. and from

pre~ent

\Vdl as pan cúlJeéls fu tu e events. B y Ihis ClleeelJion of

Ames, and ofcorrt!Cpo,:dc!nt culture, he grows up at Jenglll

iOlo a moral) Cocial, and a politjcal crcature . T his is lile !a(t

period.

which \Ve perccive him to arrive in thill his mor·

taJ ,c:Heer.

l.ch

period is introdoélory to the next Cue,

c~edir.z

one ; each tife is a field' of exetciCe and improl'e,

ment for lhe next higher one, the Jife of the (retos for

.hat of the infant, the li fe of t)1e infant for .that .of the

child, an·d all the lo",er for the highell and bell.-Bu.

is ulis lhe Jafl period of nat are's progreffion? l s this the

utmofl extent of her plot, where Ole winds

IIp

the drama,

and dífmi{f(s the aétor into eternal oblivion ! Or does he

appear tO

invefied with Cupcrnumerary powers,

whicl1

ha.,e not full exere'iCe and

fco.pe

, even in the Jafl Ccene}

and reach nO[ that maturity or perfe8ion of which they

are capable.; and th

refore poiot tO (ame higher (cene,

where he' is tO

(u (~ain

anothcr and more important eha·–

raéter than he has yet fullained? If any fu eh there are,

may we not conelude by an.logy, or id the fame way

of anticiparíon.. as before, that he

denined for thu

afterput, and is to be produced upon a more

au~ull:

2nd folemn

ff.ge,

where his fublimer pOIVers fhall have

proportioned aaion, and,irs nature au aio

its

c:ompleti09

L et it be confidered, at {he (ame time, that no por–

reffion. no enjoyment within the round of mortal thiogs,

15 commenfurate to the defires, or ad,equate' to the capa–

citi~s

of the mind . The mofl envied condition has irs

abatements ; the happieH eonj unéture of fortune' leavés

many

wifb.es

behind; and after the highell f.tatifi cario:1s,

the mind is caTried fo rward in pur(uit of oew ones without

end. Add to .11, the fond defire of immortality, the

recree dread .of non-exi/lence, and the high unremitting

pulfe of thefonl beating for perfeétion, joined to the im–

probability or the impoffibililY of attaining ir here; afld

'-then judge whether this e1aborate 1I ru{ture, this ,magnjfj-

cient apparatu9' of inward powers !.nd orgam, does nor

plainly poinl out an hereafter, and intimare eternity to

man ? D oes nature gi ve Ihe fJonifh ing tbuches

.tO

lhe

lelTer and ignobler ¡n{boces of her O,ilJ. and rél.ife every

other creature to rhe maturity

~nd

perfeétion of his being ;

and fhall fhe ·Ieave her principal workmanfhip uofinifh ed ?

D oe5 Ole carry the vegE'tative and animal life 'in mao

to thei r full vigour, and highell deflinatÍon; and fhall fhe

-fuffer -his intelle8:ual, his monJ, his diviDe Jife to Cade

away, and be for ever ex tingui(hed ?

Wo~ld

Cuch abor–

tioos iD the moral world be coogruous te;; that pe"rfeétion

of wifdom and goodnefs' ,vhieh uphold. and adoros tbe

natllral ?

I f \Ve attena to that euriofity, or prodigious thirll: of

ko~wJedge.

which i5 oatura! to the Il)ind in

e"fery

period

-of its progrefs; and conGder with.lothe eDdlefs rounJ of

bufineCs and care, and the various hardlhips

whieh the

bulk of mankino are chained clown; it is evident, thar in

this preCent nate, ir is impolJible ro expeét the gratil"ca–

tion of

a ppetite at once fo i"Catiable and

noble.

Our f.nfes, the ordioary orgaDs by which knowlcdge is

Jet iota the mind, are always imperfeél:, and often falla–

cious ; the advanlages of affilling. or cOl'reaing Ihem,

"are poll"efl".d

few ; the ·difficul ties of findi ng out truth

amid/l the various and eontracliétory opinions, imereas·,

and paffions qf mankind, ' are many ; and the wanrs of lhe

creature, and of thoCe with whom he is conneéted, nu–

merous and urgent;

rhat it may b:::: raid of

moa

men,

that their intelleétual organs are as mueh {hut u'p and fe·

cluded (rom proper nourífhment and exercife in lhat litde

cirele ro ,..hich they are eonfined, as . he bodily Or¡¡2ns

VO L .

Iil. N°. 8·1.

We mull therefore conclude, from ,his detail, ,h.. ,he

prerent fiate. e\len a1: its

De(~,

is oDly the womb oC mao's

being. in

,which~

the noblcll principies of his nature are

in a manner fettered or fecluded from a correCpondent

fphcre of aétion; and ther--efore sieHined for

fUlure aoci

unbounded Ilate, where they fhall emancipate tcemfeIYes,

4 H

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