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MORAL PHILOSOPHY. 



^ Moral duct is to be guided, the best of his life would be past 

 "Jfl** before he had learned how to live. Revelation unfolds 

 L ~^ the rule at once without explaining the principles on 

 which it is founded, farther than by assuring us that it 

 is the will of God, who always consults our happiness. 

 To analyse these rules, however, which have been be- 

 neficently revealed for the regulation of our conduct, 

 and to discover their coincidence with the most obvious 

 principles presented to the senses and reason of man, 

 is a luxury reserved for those whose talents and educa- 

 tion enable them to trace the chain of proximate causes, 

 till they can connect it with the supreme lawgiver. 

 The will of It might reasonably be supposed that the will of 

 God and God, and the order of nature, would tend mutually to 

 ofnature H' ustrate al1( l explain each other. This must neces- 

 always Sarily happen, provided that which is communicated as 

 sgree. tne w '" of God be indeed from heaven ; for the same 

 God who arranged the order of nature, cannot, consis- 

 tently with any notions which we entertain of his per- 

 fections, give a revelation which contradicts it. 



" Nunquam aliud natura, aliud sapiemia dixit." 



This argument has been carried by Hume to an un- 

 warrantable and unphilosophical extreme in the case of 

 miracles, which are a suspension, or contravention, of the 

 ordinary laws ofnature. Were miracles contrary not on- 

 ly to the established laws of nature, but to the known 

 power and perfections of God, it would be impossible 

 to believe them. But when we see that they are not 

 inconsistent with divine power, since he who gave mat- 

 ter its properties can as easily alter them ; when we see 

 that they are obviously useful in promoting some bene- 

 ficent end, which could not be accomplished without 

 them ; and when, in addition to all this, we have a po- 

 sitive proof in the existing state of nature, that a mi- 

 racle must have been performed before things were as 

 they are ; (for if the calling of light out of darkness, 

 of order out of confusion, of substance out of nonentity, 

 be not a miracle, we do not know what is or if any 

 one should insist that there never was any creation, but 

 that all things have always existed as we see them, 

 that man holds a creed more marvellous than any mi- 

 racle ;) taking all these considerations together, there 

 can be no objection to miracles in the nature of things, 

 and their credibility, in every instance, must depend 

 on the evidence by which they are attested. 



The will of God, where it is known, must always be 

 the rule of conduct. Let it but be fairly established that 

 a precept has proceeded from heaven, and it would be 

 needless to argue where it Would be impious to resist. 

 But there are a great many cases to which this deter- 

 minate rule cannot be directly applied. Even the re- 

 vealed law of God does not afford a direct rule for the 

 moral conduct of man, in many instances where it is 

 of essential consequence that he should decide with 

 prudence. He is, therefore, under the necessity of em- 

 ploying his reasoning faculties in order to connect the 

 case which puzzles him, with some general principle, or 

 to trace its alliance with some recognised law. 

 Highly At first view, it might appear desirable, that no 



useful that doubt should ever exist on a moral question ; and that 

 we should be instantly enabled to decide with certainty 

 employ our * n ever y case ' wnere we are called to appear as 

 reasoning mora ' "gents. But this is not the way in which the 

 powers in author of our nature trains us to knowledge and to 

 order to virtue. Our intellectual faculties are sharpened by the 

 reach moral necessity imposed upon us of unravelling the studied 

 conclusions involutions of nature. Some connecting principle is 

 always presented to us as a clue to direct our steps, or 



some analagous fact occurs as an illustration : and be- Moral 

 fore we reach the object which we have in view, we I'hiloiophjr. 

 are generally raised above it; having travelled through > ~""~<'~" p ' 

 a labyrinth of knowledge, whose hidden treasures we 

 have been compelled to explore. By this means we 

 perceive that the truth which, in the outset, we pro- 

 posed as the ultimate object of our researches, is only a 

 link in the chain of causes which connect matter with 

 its creator. Something similar occurs in moral inves- 

 tigations. A doubtful point is cleared up by tracing 

 its connection with others more fully established, or 

 with acknowledged axioms in the constitution of our 

 nature ; and we are thus led to the temple of truth 

 through a path beautifully diversified, which affords 

 pleasure and instruction at every step, and beguiles the 

 tediousness of the way by the many interesting objects 

 which are successively presented to our view. 



Thus, the same law which, in physics, leads us to The meant 

 general principles from individual facts, might, by a of moral 

 careful process of moral generalization, conduct to re- im P rove - 

 sults no less certain, could we disentangle our reason ment 

 from our passions, and subject our feelings to our judg- 

 ment. Ample materials are furnished to assist us in 

 these researches: and as moral truths are infinitely 

 more important than any physical results, the beneficent 

 author of our being has afforded more numerous helps to 

 conduct us to conclusions so essential to our happiness. 

 Instinct, reason, judgment, conscience, point to the 

 same goal ; and though they are all sometimes so bewil- 

 dered as to miss the right road, yet they possess in 

 themselves a principle of rectification, which both 

 points out their error, and incites to fresh attempts to 

 discover truth, happiness, and duty. 



Besides the intimations which spring up within our 

 own breasts, and which are confirmed by the general 

 habitudes of human nature, we may learn lessons of 

 morality from the instincts of the lower animals ; and 

 the constancy, fidelity, gratitude, and parental afl'cction 

 which, in many instances, they display in such an emi- 

 nent degree, cannot fail to strengthen our moral per- 

 ceptions. Many beautiful illustrations in the sacred 

 Scriptures are founded on this idea ; and we are fre- 

 quently exhorted to draw moral and religious instruc- 

 tions from the instincts and habits of the lower animals. 

 " Go to the anl Ihou sluggard, consider her ways and be 

 wise ;" we are here directed to an excellent example of 

 industry and foresight. " Consider the fowls of the air, 

 for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into 

 barns, yet your heavenly father Jeedetk them, arc not ye 

 much better than they ?" These plain facts afford an ex- 

 cellent argument for trust in Divine providence. 



Nor is this all, our moral feelings are, to a certain 

 extent, regulated by the physical constitution of our 

 bodies, arid by the circumstances in which we are 

 placed ; and whenever we fall into extremes, either of 

 deficiency or of excess, we find monitors within and 

 around us, to stimulate our languid affections, or to re- 

 press our headlong desires. 



Although all these intimations of duty which are so 

 profusely scattered around, would in themselves be in- 

 sufficient to afford a universally applicable rule of duty ; 

 (because our prejudices disqualify us from drawing 

 sound and accurate conclusions ;) yet they are power- 

 ful auxiliaries in moral reasoning, and afford essential 

 aid even where conviction is produced by other means. 

 A moral precept, confirmed by miracles, may, neverthe. 

 less, be contrary to our limited views, or depraved af- 

 fections : in that case, we are compelled, rather than in- 

 clined, to submit. But let it be shown that the precept 



