286 Of the only effectual Mode of Bk. iv. 



promote his happiness, to defer marrying, till by 

 industry and economy he is in a capacity to sup- 

 port the children that he may reasonably expect 

 from his marriage ; and as he cannot in the mean 

 time gratify his passions without violating an ex- 

 press command of God, and running a great risk 

 of injuring himself, or some of his fellow-creatures, 

 considerations of his own interest and happiness 

 will dictate to him the strong obligation to a moral 

 conduct while he remains unmarried. 



However powerful may be the impulses of pas- 

 sion, they are generally in some degree modified 

 by reason. And it does not seejn entirely visionary 

 to suppose that, if the true and permanent cause 

 of poverty were clearly explained and forcibly 

 brought home to each man's bosom, it would have 

 some, and perhaps not an inconsiderable influence 

 on his conduct ; at least the experiment has never 

 yet been fairly tried. Almost every thing, that 

 has been hitherto done for the poor, has tended, 

 as if with solicitous care, to throw a veil of ob- 

 scurity over this subject, and to hide from them 

 the true cause of their poverty. When the wages 

 of labour are hardly sufficient to maintain two 

 children, a man marries, and has five or six ; he 

 of course finds himself miserably distressed. He 

 accuses the insufficiency of the price of labour to 

 maintain a family. He accuses his parish for 

 their tardy and sparing fulfilment of their obliga- 

 tion to assist him. He accuses the avarice of the 

 rich, who suffer him to want what they can so well 

 spare. He accuses the partial and unjust institu- 



