■■ t,[i 
no place, no cimimstance of life can deprive 
ns of this. Otir hearts may be directed to- 
wards God in the greatest external confu- 
sion, as well as in the deepest silence and re- 
tirement. All the duties of life, when di- 
rected to God, become pleasures, and by the 
same means every the smallest action be- 
comes the discharge of the proper duty of 
time and place. Thus time is turned to its 
best advantage : thus every situation of life 
may be converted into present comfort and 
future felicity. 
101. Fourthly, when the love of God is 
tlnis made to arise from every object, and 
to exert itself in every action, it becomes of 
a permanent nature, and will not pass into 
deadness or disgust, as those other pleasures 
(do from repeated gratification. 
102. We should be glad if our limits 
would allow of our laying before our readers 
a view of those means which are pointed 
out by Hartley, for the culture of the theo- 
pathetic affections, of faith, fear, gratitude, 
Jiope, trust, resignation, and love : we must, 
however, content ourselves with referring to 
his 72d proposition on tliis point, and to his 
important rules in the 73d proposition, con- 
cerning the manner of expressing them in 
prayer, and other religious exercises; con- 
cluding this head with the following obser- 
vations from the latter. There cannot be, 
a more fatal delusion, than to suppose that 
religion is nothing but a divine philosophy 
in the soul; and that the foregoing theopa- 
thetic affections may exist and flourish 
there, though they be not cultivated by de- 
yout exercises and expressions. Experi- 
ence, and many plain obvious reasons, shevy 
the falsehood and mischievous tendency of 
this notion ; and it follows from the theory 
pf association, that no internal dispositions 
can remain long in the mind, unless they be 
properly nourished by proper associations^ 
that is, by some external acts. This there- 
fore, amopg others, may be considered as a 
^trong argument for frequent prayer, 
vn. ESTIMATE OF THE PLEASURES OF THE 
MORAL SENSE, 
(Philosophy, mental, § 92—99.) 
103. It has already been stated, that the 
poral sense ought to have great influence 
even in the most explicit and deliberate 
actions ; hence the culture of its pleasures, 
and the correcting of its dictates, should 
be made a primary object of pursuit. 
Further, the moral sense, on urgent occa- 
sions, ought to have the sole influence; 
and this for several reasons.— First, because 
it oflfersTtself at the various occasions of life, 
witli consistency, and generally with cer- 
tainty. It warns us beforehand, and calls 
us to account afterward ; it condemns or 
approves ; it rewards by the pleasures of 
self-approbation, or punishes by the pains of 
self-condemnation. — Secondly, the moral 
sense is principally generated by piety, be- 
nevolence, and rational self-interest. . All 
these are explicit guides in deliberate actions ; 
and since they are excluded, on sudden oc- 
casions, through the want of time to weigh 
and determine, it is highly reasonable to ad- 
mit the moral sense formed from them, and 
whose dictates are immediate, as their sub- 
stitute. — Thirdly, tlie greatness, the impor- 
tance, and the calm nature, of the pleasures 
of the moral sense, with the horrors and the 
constant recurrence of the sense of guilt, 
are additional arguments to shew that these 
pleasures and pains were intended as the 
guides of life. 
104. The perfection of the moral sense 
consists in the four following particulars ; 
that it extend to all the actions of moment 
which occur in the intercourses of real life, 
and be a ready monitor on all such occa- 
sions : that its pleasures and pains should be 
so vivid as to furnish a very strong excite- 
ment to shun the path of vice, and to walk 
steadily in the way of religion; that it 
should not descend to trifling or minute 
particulars ; for, though scrupulosity is pro- 
bably a necessary step in the progress of 
mind to moral excellency, yet, if it con- 
tinue and become the prevailing habit of 
the mind, it will check benevolence, and 
turn the love ot God into a superstitious 
fear: lastly, it is necessary that the plea- 
sures and pains of the moral sense should 
be perfectly conformable to the dictates of 
piety and benevolence, of which it may be 
considered as the substitute. 
105. In order to obtain the most perfect 
state of The conscience, it is necessary for 
us to be much employed in the practical 
study ef the sacred writings, and of the 
good of all denominations; in observing 
the living examples of goodness, and in the 
perusal of Christian biography ; in self-exa- 
mination, and in the culture of the sym- 
pathetic and theopathetic affections ; and in 
aiming to follow with faithfidness the dic- 
tates of piety, benevolence, and the moral 
sense, such as they are at present. . 
106. The moral sense may b^, and often 
is, misled by education ; the dictates of 
this feeling, therefore, are not a perfect 
