PHILOSOPHY, MORAL. 



estimate of the future consequences of 

 particular actions, so as, in all the variety 

 of circumstances which occur, to deter- 

 mine justly which action would contribute 

 most to augment happiness and lessen 

 misery. Instead, therefore, of this very 

 general rule, we must substitute others 

 less extensive, and subordinate to it, ad- 

 mitting of a more commodious applica- 

 tion. Whatever rules are laid down for 

 this purpose, it is obvious, that their co- 

 incidence must add strength to each ; and 

 that when they differ, or are apparently 

 opposite to each other, this difference or 

 opposition must moderate or restrain their 

 application. On the whole, however, the 

 general result will prove the best direction 

 for promoting the happiness, and lessen- 

 ing the misery, of others. 



73. Hartley lays down the following ten 

 subordinate rules: " 1. That we obey the 

 scripture precepts, in the natural, obvious 

 meaning of them. 2. That we should 

 pay great regard to the dictates of our 

 own moral sense, and to those of others. 

 3. That in deliberate actions we should 

 weigh the probable consequence on each 

 side. 4. That we are not to be guided 

 implicitly by the mere impulse of com- 

 passion and good-will : yet that great re- 

 gard should be paid to them in our con- 

 duct. 5. That we should place otirselves 

 in the situation of the persons concerned. 

 6. That persons in the near relations of 

 life, benefactors, dependants and enemies, 

 seem to have in most cases, a prior claim 

 to strangers. 7. That benevolent and re- 

 Jigious persons have, all other things 

 being equal, a prior claim to the rest of 

 mankind. 8. That we should contribute, 

 as far as lies in our power, to the moral 

 and religious improvement of others. 9. 

 That we ought to pay the strictest regard 

 to truth, both in our affirmations and in 

 our promises. 10. That we ought to 

 obey the civil magistrate and the Jaws of 

 the community." These rules we think 

 truly unexceptionable ; and we shall fol- 

 low the order of Hartley, enlarging on 

 some of them as we proceed. It appears, 

 however, to be desirable, that we first 

 enter a little into the consideration of the 

 necessity of our acting upon general rules 

 of conduct. 



74. To show that general rules of con- 

 duct are necessary in the present state of 

 human nature, it is simply requisite to 

 answer the question, what would be the 

 state of things without them ? We should 

 then be under the necessity of calculating 

 in every case that comes" before us, on 

 what side the good or evil attending cer- 



tain actions preponderates. In fact, our 

 lives would be a series of thought, in- 

 stead of what they were designed to be, 

 a series of action. A total stop would be 

 put to the business of life, and insteud of 

 regularity and consistency in a person's 

 conduct, we must expect to find nothing 

 but a series of actions, constantly proceed- 

 ing from no steady principle, and marked 

 with all the features of inconsistency. 

 But further, we are led to the same con- 

 clusion, when we consider our ignorance 

 of futurity, and the little time and leisure 

 possessed by the generality of men for 

 the investigation of the consequences of 

 their actions. We not unfrequently are 

 unable precisely to trace even those con- 

 sequences which are immediate and ap- 

 parent, still less those which arise silently 

 and gradually in the lapse of time. The 

 consequences of our actions may last, 

 when the agents have long ceased to ex- 

 ist as children of mortality. Our actions 

 may influence others ; our deviations may 

 produce more extensive deviations, of 

 which we have no knowledge. Perhaps 

 there is scarcely an important action in 

 our lives, the consequences of which are 

 confined to ourselves, or even to our own 

 sphere of observation. Besides, if we 

 were unable to lay down general rules 

 for conduct, and were obliged to decide 

 upon each action as it occurred, it is 

 scarcely possible that we should avoid 

 the influence of heated feeling; and sel- 

 dom should we possess that abstraction 

 of mind, which would enable us to leave 

 the present out of consideration, and 

 view with calmness and impartiality the 

 tendency of our actions. Innumerable 

 are the cases in which interest or passion 

 paint in vivid colours the course to which 

 they prompt, and throw into the back 

 ground, and render almost imperceptible, 

 the dangers which should induce us 

 steadily and perseveringly to avoid it : 

 hence, we may lay it down as indispensi- 

 bly necessary, that there should be gene- 

 ral rules for conduct, and consequently a 

 deviation from a general rule must of it- 

 self be an evil. 



75. Yet there are cases in which the 

 general rule seems to fail of application ; 

 in which the immediate consequences are 

 such as benevolence, equally with self-in- 

 terest, seems to reject. In such cases 

 our inquiry should be, what would be 

 the consequence if the conduct became 

 general, which, in my individual case, 

 seems to be so favorable to happiness, 

 social or private. And if we have reason 

 to believe that it would be injurious, our 



