1000000031

MOHAL

II 1 L O S O P H Y.

.nd exert the fulnel; ofll,eir flro"glh . Thcmoa aeeom·

pllfhed moftiil, in ,his low :md

dal

k appartmcnt uf na–

ture, is

uDly

(he rudimcnts ofwhat he

fu.lJl

be, wlu'n he

(lkcshis ctht:ri,,) UII\hl, and

plusan

inll11ortality.

\Vlth·

om a reference to that

!t.lIe,

man

wCl'e '"

mere abordon, a

rude unfinifhed embryo,

íl

monflt r in nacure.

Hut this

bcing one! {uyoo[cd, he flill maintains his rank. of

lhe

mana-píece

al'

(he

Cf.!ltioQ

his

l.uent

powers are all

f~i(clbJe

t')

tbe humon)' and progrcflion

of " alU

re: ; h:s

noble ft lpir:uions, anJ lhe pains of his d¡(rolution, are hi,

tiFOfU

tO'",'ards a

(~cond

binh, lhe

pangs of

his

cleliv~ly

ioto

hght, liberly,

and

pedeélion;

:lOO

death hi,

dir·

t.harge fro:n g.lol, his

[erar"ion

from his fellow-prífcners,

and introdullion ioto the afI'cOIbly of {hore heroie rpirits

who are gone before him, and of lheir grcat

ctern,d

rent. The ftuers of his monal eDil belng laorened! and

his prifon.wllls broke down, he will be blre .nd open on

every

fidc tO lhe

Jlt.rniffilln

truth aod vircue, and

their

falr

attcndant happine(s;

cvcry

vital 2nd

intelldlu~1

{pring will evolve i¡re;!r, with a d:\'ine d.tlicity,

the

free

air of heaven. He \\ ¡II nOI lhen pecp al Ihe uninrfe

~j(S

glorious Author

through

a dark.

gr.ue

or a gro{s

mediurn, Dor rcceive Ihe rcfleaions of his glory through

Ihe

ar.il

openings of fenr.hle orgaos ; but will be.1I eye,

aH ear, all

etherial long di\·ioe

feeling.-Let

one pan,

however, ofthe an.dogy be

att~nded

to;

That, as in

the

won,b we receive our original conflitution, form, and Ihe

e(fcntial fiamina of our

bei ng.

which we carry along with

inlo the ligh t. ,nd which greatly a{[{é\ Ihe fuececding

pcricds of our

life;

(o our temper and condition in

lile

fUlure li(e \Vill depend on ,h: eondué\ wc have obferTed,

3nd

tae

charaéter

ha,rc

formed

the

prcrcnt

Jife.

' Ve

are here in miniature \,.hat we

Otall

be al fulllc:nglh

hereafler. The fira rude O«leh, oroul·lio.. of realon

and

\·irtuc:, muCl he dra""n

prefent. tO be aft.:nvards

enbrged 10 ,he Oatllre and beauly of aogels.

'This,

duly aHended to, mufi

prove

noc

onl ya guard

bUI

an <ldmirable incemivr!

virlue. For he who failh–

fulJy and 2rdently (,·lIows lhe lighl of kno\Ylcdge, and

p,¡nlsafter lJigher iOlpro f'cOIcnts in \'irtuc.

\ViII

be wonder–

fully animal<CI .nd in0101ed in lha, pu, fui" by. full COn.

v:étion that Ihe (cene does

nOI

clofe

with IIfe ;-that

his

Oruggks

2rir.ng

fro01 lhe weaknefs o( nature, and Ihe

fl,r

ngth of h¡¡bit, wilJ be

turned

imo ttiumphs

;-th:u

h.. eareer in ,he l,,(1, of wifJom and goodnefs \ViII be

b~l h

fwi,rtcr

ai'ld

rmoother ¡-anJ thofe

genero\ls

ardors

wllh,

whJ('h he

glows towards

henen.

the perrc:étion

and

1n1111o!t~l~ty

of l'irtue, \ViII fi,nd their

aJequatc:

objc:(t

.. ncl

~x;!rc.I(e

(ph::-re

proporuonÍlbly

eolargcd,

incor.

rupuble.

Hnm('rlld,

the: other hand, what an

incxprer–

fible

d~rnp

Illufi

1,-:

to lhe go!)d man, tO

dread

the

10-

t..tl c'<.tinlttcn of IhOlt lil!ht and vircue, wilhout which life

L"y

imrnortal ity i,fd f. \Vere nOI

worth

a fingle

wiOt

? '

!\hny

wrirers

drdw

t1lcir

proors

of lhe immvrtality

lb:

Coul, aod of a fU1ure Hate: of rewards aod punilhmcDlS,

froOl Ihe unupul diflritnltion of thefe here.

Cannot be

v:(J'cmblerllh,1t

\l, ic~l!d ~lt:n

ofter.

tleape

,the Out\V"rd pu–

r..fh,llCIH

due

,I¡tlr

crum's, and

not fed lhe

inwílrd

;:1

Ihat mctlfllre

'tht'i r

dlnlerit ft"(m,

reqllire,

pJrtly

" ')01

lhe

c~lIol1rncfs

induccd ul"JO their n.Hure

lhe

h.blt, "f ..:er, :.r.J

p",ly

frolll

lh~

di"il,« ion

'Jf

their

minds abro:ld

plea(ure or

bu(iac;s; ano

(ornuime¡

goud

ntt:n

\Jot re;lp 311 the natural and

gcniJ :ne

fruits

of tht:ir virtue, [hrouch the m,¡ny un(or(ecD or uo;¡void–

able calanlitles in which lhey

;.ar~

in'/olvcd. This. no doubr,

upoo lhe fuppo(ition of .n .Il·wife and good Proyidence,

\Vere an argumenr, and a llrung one too, ror a

future

fl at<, in wllleh lhofe inequ.lities Ihall be eorreé\ed. SUI

uolefs we fl1?pofe • prepoflen, gooJ oíder in Ihe prefent

reene of things.

we we ..kcn

the

prouf

uf che diviDe lodmi·

niltratloll, and ,he prcfumptton

better order in

a.ny

fu,ure period of il.

Vinuc

has prefeot re:wards, ;lnd vice prerent

puoiOlmcntS',

anncxed to It; fuch rewards

anJ punifhmeo lS

make

v¡(tuc, in

moa

c:lfes that I,appen , (ar more eligible than

viee : but. in

lhe

iohnne

' .Hltty

of hum;ln conuogeocies,

il may fometimes f. 1I OU I, lhat ,he inflexible pra.:tiee of

vinuc Ih.1l

d 'pri~e

.. ro'n of conr.der.ble advdnugu to

himf.lf

, his fa01,ly, o, friends, whieh he mighl

g.io

• well·limod piece o( rocuery,

fuppof~

by betraying his

trun, vOllog

aJ:ainft

his confcicnce, (elling his country.

or any other erime where lhe (ccurity agaiofi difcovery

/hall heighten lhe l<mpl"lion. Or, il mªy h' ppen, Iha< a

lIriét a.dhertnce

his honour, to

hls

rehgion,

the

cauCe

of !.berty and virlue; /h.1I expofe him, or his f.mily, to

the lofs o( every Ihiog, o.y 10 poveny, O.very, de'lh il·

(e1f,

lorments far

intolerable.:.

Now,

whi\t

{hall (ecure a man's vlnue in circu01(}¡nces of {",eh trial?

What Olall eo(ore Ihe

obliga~ions

of eonfcieneo againa the

.1luremeolS of fo many in tereO" the dre.d of fo many and

terrible

e\'ils, and the: almon unrurmountable averfion of

human nature

exceffive¡pain ? Thc conRlét

che greater

when thecircumlhoce, of the crime

ar~

ruch as e¡¡fily adolit

variet

of alleviations from

oeceHi~y.

natural

¡¡

ffeét ion,

love

ooe's

family,

or rrieods,

perhaps

in indigence :

Thcfe \ViII giv< il

<veo

lhe .ir of vinue. Add to al1 ,

th" Ihe crime may be thought to ha.. (ew bad eonfcqu¿n.

c<s .-may be eafily conee,led,-or imagined poffible 10

be retrieved in a good meafure by f. ture gooJ eondu.'! .

is ob.ious lO whieh

r.de

moO men will leAn in fueh a

cafe,

and how rnuch

n~ed

(here

is of a

balance

in [he: op–

por.l! feale, fr011l ,he eonGdera,ion of .· God, 0(' pro,.i.

pencc,

aDd

of an i01mortal !late of retribution,

keep

lhe mind firm and uneorrupt in Ihof< or like innaoce, of

r.np

,ular tri.1 or Jiflref•.

BUl Wilhoul

fuppor.ng

fueh reeul i" ina.nces, a feofe

a Guverninc

l\ltnd,

and a

p~rfu¡j(ion

th,lf

virme

¡,

not

only btfriendeu by him here, bUl ",ill be croll'ned by him

hereafter

with

rcw.n!s rllit;¡,bJe

its

nature, vall

in lhem–

(dves, aod immonal in 1heir durado::J, mu(l be not onl y

a migh ty fupport

and

inc~ntive

the

pra(tice of , irtue

bllt a Hrong b"rricr againfl vice. The though t5 of

almighty

udge,

and of an impartial

future

reckoning.

~are:

orlen alarming, in.xprelfihly fo, even 10 lhe flou,dl u{l.'n–

ders. O" lhe olher hand, how fupponing mua il be lO

the gool!

01:10,

to think

th,n h(

:tls unda (he f:ye of his

Friend. as well as Judge! H ow improving, lOeonr.der lhe

prefc:nt

Hate

as clJnnelt:ed wilh a

ruture

one, "nd c\'ely

rdatioD iD which he flands

:'5' a

(chool or di¡;ipline fo r

his

;¡ffeélioos,

enry

tr¡,d

as the cxerci(e of (ume

\'il lUC,

and

the villuous dCl'JS \\ hich rcfult from

bo~h

il!trodu~tOty

highcr

f":~DO

,,~\¡on

and

cnjl)ym:·:1t!

f illdllr.

h?'"

tI anll'ortlR~