PHILOSOPHY, MORAL. 
tion will restrain all actions wliich are ex- negligence and callosity, and to act withotit 
cessive, irregular, or hurtful; will support any virtuous principle. And, on the other 
and encourage us in all such as are of a con- hand, if they regard him with slavish fear, 
trary nature ; and will infuse such peace they fill their minds with endless scruples 
and tranquillity of mind as will enable us to and anxieties about the lawfulness of trivial 
see clearly, and act uniformly. Theperfec- actions.— Thus it regulates, improves, and 
tion therefore of every part of our natures perfects all the other parts of our nature ; 
must depend upon the perfection in which hut further, it affords a pleasure superior in 
the love of God, and a constant sense of his kind, and in degree, to all th? rest of wliich 
presence, have obtained possession of the our nature are capable. 
98. First, the love and contemplation of 
96. With respect to the support and re- God in some measure renders us partakers 
gulation afforded by piety to benevolence, of the divine nature, and consequently of 
it may be observed, that the love of our fel- the perfection and happiness of it. Our 
low men can never be free from personality wills may thus be united to his will, and 
and selfishness, until we are able to view all therefore rendered free from disappoint- 
things in the relation which they bear to ment ; we shall by degrees see every thing 
God. If the relation to ourselves be made as God sees it, that is, see every thing which 
the point of view, our prospects must be he has made to be good. Though this can 
narrow, and the appearance of what we do only be the case in part in the present world, 
see, distorted. Whpn we consider the scenes yet it is well known that there have been 
of vanity, folly, and misery, which present those who have so far reached this perfec- 
themselves to our vie>v from this point; tion of our nature, as to acquiesce, and 
when we are disappointed in the happiness even to rejoice in the events of life, how- 
of our friends, or feel the resentment of our ever apparently afflicting; to be freed from 
enemies, our benevolence will begin to Ian- fear and solicitude ; and to receive their 
guish, and our hearts to fail us ; we shall daily bread with constant thankfulness, 
complain of the corruption and wickedness And though the number of these happy per- 
of that world which we have hitherto sons has been comparatively small, and the 
loved, with a benevolence merely human, path be not frequented and beaten, yet if 
and shew by our complaints that we are * the desire be sufficiently earnest, it is in 
strongly tinctured with the same corruption the power of all to arrive at the same 
and wickedness. This is generally the case state. 
with young and unexperienced persons in 99. Secondly, the love of God may be 
the beginning of a virtuous course, and be- considered as the central affection to which 
fore they'have made advances in piety. — The all the others point. When men have en- 
disappointments which human benevolence tered sufficiently into the ways of piety, the 
meets with, are sometimes apt to incline us ideas of the Supreme Being recur more and 
to call the divine goodness in question. But more in the whole course and tenor of their 
he who is possessed of a full assurance of lives, and, by uniting with all their sensa- 
this, who loves God with his whole powers, tions and intellectual feelings, overpower all 
as an inexhaustible fountain of love and be- the pains, and augment and connect with 
nevolence to his creatures, at all times and themselves all the pleasures. Every thing 
under all circumstances, as much when he beautiful and glorious brings in the ideas of 
chastises as when he rewards, will learn God, mixes with them, and coalesces with 
thereby to love enemies as well as friends, them ; for all things are from God, he is the 
the sinful and miserable as well as the holy only cause and reality, and the existence of 
and happy ; to rejoice and give thanks for every thing else is only the effect and proof 
every thing he sees and feels, however irre- of his existence and excellence. Let the 
concilable to his present suggestions ; and mind be once duly imbued with this truth, 
to labour as an instrument under God, with and its practical applications, and every 
real courage and consistency, for the proms- thing will afford exercise for the devout 
tion of virtue and happiness. att'ections. Add to their unlimited ex- 
97. In like manner the conscience or tent, their purity, and perfection, and it 
moral sense requires a perpetual direction cannot but be acknowledged that they 
and support from the love of God to keep must be far superior to the rest both in kind 
it steady apd pure. When God is made and in degree. 
only a subordinate end, or is shut out from 100. Thirdly, the objects of other plea- 
the mind, men are very apt to relapse into sures are frequently removed. No time, 
