780 MORAL P H 1 
the virtuous fentiment, and cannot be confidered as the 
cauj'e of it. The cultivation of this complacency is of great 
importance, fince it promotes the moral fentiment: but, to 
confider it as independent of the latter, and as a fpecies 
of happinefs which may be held out to rational beings as 
an allurement to virtue, is degrading to Morality, and 
can at belt produce actions conformable to the Moral 
Law, but never l'uch as are truly Moral. 
III. Of the Supremacy of Pure Practical Reafon in its 
Connexion with Speculative Reafon. 
The Critic has feparated the fpeculative ufe of pure 
reafon from its practical ufe. It is however but one and the 
fame Reafon , whether it fur nifties principles of Knowledge or 
of the determination of the Will. Now, if Reafon in its prac¬ 
tical ufe forms a necelfary and fynthetical connexion of 
conceptions, which, though certain a priori, is neverthe- 
lefs inconceivable in itfelf, but can (till be comprehended 
by a recourfe to certain prefuppofitions which fpeculative 
reafon could not arrive at j the queftion is, whether thel'e 
pofitions may be adopted by Reafon fpeculatively ; and, 
confequently, whether Practical Reafon has the fupremacy 
over Speculative Reafon; or whether Speculative Reafon 
mull: reject thefe pofitions becaufe they have not arifen 
within its precinbts ; and whether thus the fupremacy 
belongs to Speculative Reafon over Practical Reafon. 
This queftion may be fatisfadtorily anfwered; nay, the 
anfwer may be found in the diftindt reprefentation of the 
queftion itfelf. It is however, as we have juft mentioned, 
one and the fame Pure Reafon, which is here confidered 
in a two-fold ufe. As Speculative Reafon, it was com¬ 
pelled to decline all the boafted knowledge of the intelli¬ 
gible, fince knowledge required fomething more than the 
mere forms of thought. As Practical Reafon, it efta- 
blifhes certain Synthetical Connexions, of which it is im¬ 
mediately and necefl'arily confcious a priori, but whofe 
poflibility it cannot conceive in the fame way as it does 
that of the fynthetical connexion by which experience is 
produced. This fynthefis, however, is equally certain 
and equally a fadl of Reafon. Experience is often op- 
pofed to this fynthefis of Reafon, whofe coherence in¬ 
deed follows very different laws from thofe which regu¬ 
late the connexions of experience, and which in fingle 
cafes are always accidental. But, in order that Reafon 
may eftablifli itfelf in its poflefiions, it has no other way 
but to take refuge in an intelligible world, fince it can¬ 
not otherwife give confiftency to its fynthetical practical 
pofitions. 
This is not to be confounded with Thcnfophical dreams, 
and the prefumptions of iuperftition. Thefe, Speculative 
Reafon never can admit into its territory, fince, to war¬ 
rant their reception, reafon muftbe prompted to it by it¬ 
felf. Thefe fuperftitious afiertions, however, are unrea- 
fonable demands upon Speculative Reafon, founded upon 
an accidental connexion of conceptions, and upon uncer¬ 
tain fubjeiftive qualities, fuch as a firm belief in the af- 
fertions of fome perfon, or a particular difpofition of the 
imagination, and a propeniity for the miraculous. 
Pure Practical Reafon has confequently the fupremacy 
over Speculative Reafon, and this order cannot be in¬ 
verted, which it would be were Speculative Reafon to 
clofe its limits, and receive nothing into its territory but 
what had grown on its own foil. It is then one and the 
fame reafon, which, in order to fatisfy itfelf with refpedl 
to a necefiary connexion, which neverthelefs often op- 
pofes experience, fteps into the intelligible world, without 
pretending however by this means to gain any knowledge 
of that which tranlcends all experience. 
IV. The Immortality of the Soul; a Pofulute of Pure 
Practical Reafon. 
Pure Practical Reafon demands a thorough agreement 
in fentiment with the Moral Law. It demands alfo, that 
he who is worthy of happinefs fhould participate in it. 
Thus it comprifes a necelfary connexion of virtue with a 
proportionate (hare of happinefs. 
LOSOPHY. 
The perfedt accord of the fentiment with the moral law 
is called Holinefs: but this cannot be completely attained 
by a finite being in any period of his duration. Finite 
beings, affedted by inclinations, may indeed approximate 
their moral condudt to that idea, but can never complete¬ 
ly reach it. The rule according to which happinefs is 
difpenfed in this life, is founded upon the laws of Nature, 
and has no reference to the worthinefs of the individual. 
If then HolineJ's and the highejl good are attainable, it 
can only be by a Duration of Rational Beings extending 
beyond this life, which is denominated the Immortality 
of the Soul. This preluppofition is therefore a necef- 
ftiry poftulate of Pure Pradtical Reafon, to which, in its 
fpeculative ufe indeed, Reafon cannot arrive, but which 
it mull adopt in order to comprehend that fynthefis of 
Virtue and Happinefs, which it reprefents as pradtically 
necefiary. 
That which the Moral Law demands, namely, Holinefs 
of Sentiment, can only be reprelented as attainable in an 
infinite time, fince we can but approach to it by degrees, 
and never completely attain it. Now, as the pofiibility 
of obedience to the Moral Law led to the Poftulate of 
Liberty ; l'o this law, by demanding perfedt holinefs of 
rational and yet finite beings, leads alio to the prefuppo- 
fition of their exiftence beyond this life. 
V. The Exiftence of God; a Poftulate of Pure Prattical 
Reafon. 
The fynthetical connexion of Virtue with a propor¬ 
tionate Happinefs, leads to the prefuppolition of an exig¬ 
ence of rational beings beyond the fphere of the phenomena ; 
in Ihort, to the poftulate of the Immortality of the Soul. 
But this fynthefis requires alfo the prefuppolition of a 
Cause adequate to it: that is, the poftulate of the 
Existence of God. 
Pure Pradtical Reafon confiders the moral fentiment, 
which completely accords with the moral law as a worthi¬ 
nefs of being happy; and thus connebts Virtue and 
Happiness d priori. With this connexion experience 
does not correlpond. And, fuppofe even that it produced 
no cafe of exception, and that the moral fentiment were 
molt accurately proportioned to happinels in this life; 
yet this agreement would be merely accidental. A moral 
mode of thinking is an eftedt of the caufality of a free 
being, and depends upon an entirely-different law from 
that of nature, according to which happinefs is difpenfed 
in this life. Confequently its connexion with a propor¬ 
tionate happinefs can only be admitted upon the prel'up- 
poiition of a higheft intelligence, who, being the author 
of Nature as well as of Reafon, will hereafter bellow hap¬ 
pinefs upon men according to their good condubt. 
It is therefore necefiary to adopt the polition of the 
exiftence of God. But it is evident that this necefiity is 
merely fubjeclive, becaufe it never can be objectively necef- 
fary, that is, a Duty, to confider any thing as true. It is 
merely a J'ubjedive necefiity to render conceivable the fyn¬ 
thetical connexion of the elements of the Highest Good. 
This connexion is merely pradtical. The Moral Law 
fays that, the higheft good is to be produced in Nature ; 
that is, to be the eftedt of the intelligible caufality of the 
Will (as a Type of the Moral Law). But this connexion 
would be theoretical, if it could be known that there is 
no poflible exception to this fynthefis. This indeed Rea¬ 
fon feeks, as well as to alce.rtain the conceivablenefs of 
this fynthefis. The exiftence of God and the immortality 
•of the Soul are conditions under which the connexion of 
th.e elements of the higheft good may alfo be conceived 
theoretically, and the apparent exceptions from it which 
occur in common life, may be confidered as no exceptions. 
We muft, however, guard ourfelves againft the error of 
confidering this adoption of the exiftence of God as an adop¬ 
tion of a ground of Moral obligation. The ground of 
moral obligation cannot be adopted. It is contained in 
the Moral Law, which is immediately given in our con- 
feioufnefs : it muft not be fought elfewhere. We adopt 
the exiftence of God and the immortality of the foul, 
merely 
