116 



THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. 



and his faithfulness, might be changed into male 

 volence, injustice, and falsehood. If the requi 

 sitions of the moral law depended solely on the 

 Divine Sovereignty, then there is no inherent 

 excellence in virtue ; and theft, falsehood, mur 

 der, idolatry, profanity, cruelty, wars, devasta 

 tions, and the malevolence of infernal demons, 

 might become equally amiable and excellent as 

 truth, justice, benevolence, and the songs and 

 adorations of angels ; provided the Deity willed 

 the change to take place. But this is impossi 

 ble ; and it is evident, I trust, from the preced 

 ing illustrations, that, were moral laws, directly 

 opposite to those contained in the scriptural 

 code, to be prescribed to men, or to any other 

 class of moral agents, not only would misery 

 reign uncontrolled through the universe, but, in 

 a short time, the operation of such laws would 

 annihilate the whole intelligent creation. 



It is evident, then, that the moral law is not 

 founded on the will of God, but on the relations 

 of intelligent beings, and on its own intrinsic 

 excellence ; or, in other words, on its tendency 

 to produce happiness throughout the intelligent 

 system. This idea nearly coincides with that 

 of some of our modern moralists, who maintain 

 &quot; that virtue is founded on utility,&quot; if, by utility, 

 is meant a tendency to promote happiness. But 

 it by no means follows, from this position, as 

 some moralists have concluded, that utility is the 

 guide, or the rule by which we are to be direct 

 ed in our moral conduct. This may be consi 

 dered as the rule which directs the conduct of the 

 Divine Being, whose eye takes in the whole 

 system of creation, whose knowledge extends 

 from eternity past, to eternity to come, and who 

 perceives, at one glance, the remotest conse 

 quences of every action. But it cannot be a rule 

 for subordinate intelligences, and especially for 

 man, who stands near the lowest degree of the 

 scale of intellectual existence. From the limit 

 ed range of view to which he is confined, he 

 cannot trace the remote consequences of any 

 particular action, the bearings it may have on 

 unnumbered individuals, and the relation in 

 which it may stand to the concerns of the eter 

 nal world. An action which, to our limited 

 view, may appear either beneficial or indiffer 

 ent, may involve a principle which, if traced to 

 its remotest consequences, would lead to the de 

 struction of the moral universe. It might ap 

 pear, at first view, on the whole, beneficial to 

 society, that an old unfeeling miser should be 

 gently suffocated, and his treasures applied for 

 the purpose of rearing asylums for the aged 

 poor, and seminaries of instruction for the young. 

 But the principle which would sanction such an 

 action, if generally acted upon, would lead to 

 universal plunder, robbery, and bloodshed. To 

 tell a lie to a child, in order to induce it to take 

 a nauseous medicine which is essential to its 

 recovery from disease, may appear, in such a 



case, to have a benevolent tendency; but w 

 have already shown, that were such a principle 

 universally admitted, it would introduce anarchy 

 and misery through the universe, and would ul 

 timately annihilate the intelligent creation. 

 Man, in his present state, can be directed only 

 by positive laws preceding from the Almighty, 

 whose comprehensive mind alone can trace all 

 their consequences to the remotest corners of the 

 universe, and through all the ages of eternity. 

 These laws are contained in the Scriptures a 

 comprehensive summary of which has been the 

 subject of the preceding illustrations. And we 

 know, in point of fact, that in every country 

 where these laws are either unknown, or not 

 recognised, there is no fixed standard of morals : 

 and vice, in its various ramifications, almost 

 universally prevails. 



From what has been now stated we may infer 

 that a full and unreserved obedience to the Di 

 vine laiu is a most reasonable requisition. Men 

 are too frequently disposed to view the commands 

 of God as the dictates of an arbitrary Sovereign. 

 There is a secret thought that occasionally 

 lodges in the heart of every human being, that 

 the law of God is too extensive and rigorous in 

 its demands, accompanied with a secret wish, 

 that the severity of its requisitions could be a 

 little modified or relaxed. Every man is sub 

 ject to some &quot; besetting sin,&quot; and he is apt to 

 say within himself&quot; If I were allowed but a 

 little license with regard to one precept of the 

 law, I would endeavour to do what I could to 

 comply with the requisitions of the rest.&quot; But, 

 it would be inconsistent both with the benevolence 

 of the Deity, and with the happiness of his moral 

 creation, either to modify or to relax any one re 

 quirement of his law; for it is & perfect law, from 

 which nothing can be taken without impairing 

 its excellence and utility. Were he to do so, 

 it would be in effect, to shut up the path to hap 

 piness, and to open the flood-gates of misery 

 upon the universe. Although it is impossible for 

 man in his present degraded condition, to yield a 

 perfect obedience to this law, yet nothing short 

 of perfect obedience ought to be his aim. For 

 in as far as we fall short of it, in so far do we 

 fall short of happiness; and consequently, till that 

 period arrives when our obedience shall reach 

 the summit of perfection, our happiness must re 

 main incomplete, and a certain portion of misery 

 must be expected to mingle itself with all our en 

 joyments. 



II. There is so intimate a connexion between 

 all the parts of the Divine law , that the habitual 

 violation of any one precept necessarily include* 

 the violation of the greater part, if not the whole 

 of the other precepts. This is evident from the 

 general tenor of the preceding illustrations. It 

 has been shown that a breach of the first com 

 mandment includes pride, falsehood, blasphemy, 

 ingratitude, and hatred of moral excellence , aod 



