PHILOSOPHY, MORAL. 



life of Fenelon, and should require strong 

 proof that the parental affections existed 

 in him in their due force ; yet we should 

 doubly condemn the son, who in such a 

 case left his father to perish. Godwin's 

 principles, if carried to their fair extent, 

 would destroy society ; but we do not 

 consider his errors as more than the er- 

 rors of judgment. We suppose that the 

 ardour of general benevolence misled him, 

 and that in his wish to make its dictates 

 paramount in the human breast, he forgot, 

 or rather did not observe, that he was 

 aiming to counteract the most essential 

 laws of the human frame. It is one of 

 those numerous instances in which an 

 acquaintance with the human mind is 

 necessary ; had Godwin attended to its 

 laws, it is reasonable to hope that he 

 never would have given a theory to the 

 world, which, even a slight acquaintance 

 with its practicability and effects, should 

 have consigned to oblivion. 



89. Seventhly, benevolent and religious 

 persons have, all other tilings being 

 equal, a prior claim to the rest of man- 

 kind. Natural benevolence itself teaches 

 this, as well as the moral sense. Two 

 reasons strongly inforce this; in the first 

 place we thus do what we can towards 

 the promotion of goodness, we add some- 

 thing to the strength of the motives 

 which exist, even in the present life, for 

 steady adherence to the practice of virtue. 

 If it be our aim to remove misery without 

 discrimination, we in some degree break 

 down the barriers of virtue ; we cannot 

 remove all ; therefore let our efforts be 

 directed so that they shall tell as com- 

 pletely as possible, and it is obvious that 

 this will be most the case, where what 

 we do discourages vice in all its shapes. 

 If indolence be secure of relief from that 

 pressure which it places upon itself, in- 

 dolence will be increased; if the appear- 

 ance of misery be the only passport to 

 our instance, vice will be continually 

 receiving encouragement. But it is not 

 merely with a view to the relief of actual 

 misery that discrimination is important ; 

 it is equally important with respect to 

 the extension of the means of doing good. 

 \Ve may confidently expect all the op- 

 portunities and powers we can commit to 

 others will be most serviceable in the 

 hands of those whose habits are formed 

 upon the model of benevolent piety. 

 In all cases, however, especially while 

 our benevolence is incipient, we are in 

 some measure to be guided by its mere 

 impulse. It is one important consequence 

 of doing good to others, that we do good 



to ourselves, we cultivate our benevo- 

 lence, and with it cultivate our happi- 

 ness. But that benevolence will be found 

 to rest upon the surest footing, which is 

 made to prompt to exertions which shall 

 not interfere with the most extensive in- 

 terests of man. 



90. Eighthly, since the concerns of re- 

 ligion and a future state are of infinitely 

 more importance than those which re- 

 late to this world, it should be our most 

 earnest object to contribute, as far as in 

 us lies, to the moral and religious im- 

 provement of our fellow-creatures. In 

 various ways we have this power; and 

 this is a field in which all can, more or 

 less, employ their talents. Here no effort 

 can be altogether thrown away; at least 

 no effort will be prejudicial; and if to 

 others they will be useless, their effects 

 return to our own bosoms. 



91. Ninthly, we ought to pay the strict- 

 est regard to truth both in our affirma- 

 tions and promises. There are very few 

 instances where veracity of both kinds is 

 not evidently conducive to the public 

 good, and falsehood in every degree per- 

 nicious. It follows, therefore, that, in 

 cases where appearances are otherwise, 

 the general regard to truth, which is of 

 so much consequence to the world, ought 

 to make us adhere inviolably to it ; and 

 that it is a most dangerous practice to 

 falsify, as is often done, from false deli- 

 cacy, or even from those motives which 

 border upon virtue. The harm which 

 these things do, by creating a mutual 

 diffidence, and tendency to deceive, is 

 incalculable; and perhapsin no instance to 

 be counterbalanced by the present good 

 effects assigned as the reason for their 

 practice. 



92. Tenthly, obedience to the civil 

 magistrate, and to the laws of the com- 

 munity, is a subordinate general rule of 

 the greatest importance. It is evidently 

 for the public good that every member 

 of a state should submit to the governing 

 power, whatever that be. Peace, order, 

 and harmony result from this in the gene- 

 ral ; confusion and mischief of all kinds 

 from the contrary. So that, though it 

 may, and must be supposed, that diso- 

 bedience in certain particular cases will, 

 as far as the single act and its immediate 

 consequences are considered, contribute 

 more to the public good than obedience, 

 yet as it is a dangerous example to 

 others, and will probably lead the per- 

 son himself into other instances of diso- 

 bedience afterwards, disobedience be- 

 comes in every case, upon the whole, of 



