this power, added to what they already possess, would so overbalance all that would be left of regal prerogative, that little would remain of monarchy in the constitution, but the name and expense; nor would these probably remain long*. Whilst we describe, however, the advantages of standing armies, we must not conceal the danger. These properties of their constitution, the soldiery being separated in a great degree from the rest of the community, their being closely linked amongst themselves by habits of society and subordination, and the dependency of the whole chain upon the will and favour of the prince, however essential they may be to the purposes for which armies are kept up, give them an aspect in no wise favourable to public liberty. The danger however is diminished by maintaining, on all occasions, as much alliance of interest, and as much intercourse of sentiment, between the military part of the nation and the other orders of the people, as are consistent with the union and discipline of an army. For which purpose, officers of the army, upon whose disposition towards the commonwealth a great deal may depend, should be taken from the principal families of the country, and at the same time also be encouraged to establish in it families of their own, as well as be admitted to seats in the senate, to hereditary distinctions, and to all the civil honours and privileges that are compatible with their profession: which circumstances of connexion and situation will give them such a share in the general rights of the people, and so engage their inclinations on the side of public liberty, as to afford a reasonable security that they cannot be brought, by any promises of personal aggrandizement, to assist in the execution of measures which might enslave their posterity, their kindred, and their country. Charles the First evidently felt this, by his reply to the parliamentary negotiators, who asked him to give up to them the management of the militia for a season- Not for an hour," replied the monarch; "you ask of me what I would not grant to my wife, or children."-ED. END OF THE MORAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY. OBSERVATIONS UPON THE CHARACTER AND EXAMPLES OF CHRIST, AND THE MORALITY OF THE GOSPEL. 66 REFLECTIONS ON THE LIFE ORIGINALLY ANNEXED AS A SUMMARY AND APPENDIX ΤΟ ON THE CHARACTER AND EXAMPLE OF CHRIST. In the first place, Christ was absolutely innocent: we do not find a single vice to which he was addicted, either from the accounts of his own followers, or as charged upon him by his enemies we hear nothing like what is told of Mahomet, of his wives and concubines ; nothing of his falling, like Socrates and Plato, into the fashionable vices of his country.— In the next place, his whole life, that part of it at least which we are acquainted with, was employed in doing good, in substantial acts of kindness and compassion to all those who fell in his way, i. e. in solid virtue. In his youth, he set an example of subjection and obedience to his parents. (Luke ii. 51.)-By his presence of mind and judicious replies, whenever ensnaring questions were proposed to him, he testified the coolness and soundness of his understanding. (Matt. xxi. 24., xxii. 16., xxx. 37.)-By avoiding all danger when he could do it consistently with his duty, and resolutely encountering the greatest, when his hour was come, i. e. when his own office or the destination of Providence made it necessary, he proved the sedateness of his courage in opposition to that which is produced by passion and enthusiasm. (Matt. xii. 14, 15. xiv. 12, 13. John iv. 1-3. compared with Matt. xv. 17-19). By his patience and forbearance, when he had the means of revenge in his power, he taught us the proper treatment of our enemies. (Luke ix. 54., Matt. xxvi. 53. compared with Luke xxiii. 34.)—By his withdrawing himself from the populace and repelling their attempts to make him a king, he showed us the sense we ought to entertain of popular clamour and applause. (John vi. 15.)-By his laying hold of every opportunity to instruct his followers, and taking so much pains to inculcate his precepts, he left us a pattern of industry and zeal in our profession.-By the liberty he took with the Pharisees and Sadducees, the lawyers and scribes, in exposing their hypocrisy, their errors and corruptions, he taught us fortitude in the discharge of our duty. (Matt. xxiii. Luke xi. 54.)—He spared neither the faults of his friends, nor the vices of his enemies. By his indifference and unconcern about his own accommodation and appearance, the interest of his family and fortune, he condemned all worldly-mindedness. (Matt. viii. 20., xii. 46–50., John iv. 34.) -He was perfectly sober and rational in his devotions, as witness the Lord's prayer com pared with any of the compositions of modern enthusiasts. His admirable discourses before his death are specimens of inimitable tenderness and affection towards his followers. (John xiv.—xvii.) His quiet submission to death, though even the prospect of it was terrible to him, exhibits a complete pattern of resignation and acquiescence in the divine will. (John xxii. 41-44.) And to crown all, his example was practicable, and suited to the condition of human life. He did not, like Rousseau, call upon mankind to return back into a state of nature, or calculate his precepts for such a state. He did not, with the monk and the hermit, run into caves and cloisters, or suppose men could make themselves more acceptable to God by keeping out of the way of one another. He did not, with some of the most eminent of the Stoics, command his followers to throw their wealth into the sea; nor with the Eastern fakirs, to inflict upon themselves any tedious, gloomy penances, or extravagant mortifications.—He did not, what is the sure companion of enthusiasm, affect singularity in his behaviour; he dressed, he ate, he conversed like other people; he accepted their invitations, was a guest at their feasts, frequented their synagogues, and went up to Jerusalem at their great festival. He supposed his disciples to follow some professions, to be soldiers, tax-gatherers, fishermen ; to marry wives, pay taxes, submit to magistrates;-to carry on their usual business; and when they could be spared from his service, to return again to their respective callings *.Upon the whole, if the account which is given of Christ in Scripture be a just one ;-if there was really such a person, how could he be an impostor ?—If there was no such person, how came the illiterate Evangelists to hit off such a character, and that without any visible design of drawing any character at all? ON THE MORALITY OF THE GOSPEL. THE morality of the gospel [is] not beyond what might be discovered by reason; nor possibly could be; because all morality being founded in relations and consequences, which we are acquainted with, and experience, must depend upon reasons intelligible to our apprehensions, and discoverable by us. Nor perhaps, except in a few instances, was it beyond what might have been collected from the scattered precepts of different philosophers. Indeed to have put together all the wise and good precepts of all the different philosophers, to have separated and laid aside all the error, immorality and superstition that was mixed with them, would have proved a very difficult work. But that a single person, without any assistance from those philosophers, or any human learning whatsoever, in direct opposition also to the established practices and maxims of his own country, should form a system, so unblameable on the one hand, and so perfect on the other, is extraordinary, beyond example and belief; and yet must be believed by those who hold Christ to have been either an impostor or enthusiast. The following are some principal articles of his system. 1. The forgiveness of injuries and enemies;—absolutely original. "Ye have heard that it hath been said thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy; but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matt. v. 43-45.) "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye The like did his forerunner John the Baptist. When the publicans and soldiers, people of the two most obnoxious professions in that age and country, asked John what they were to do, John does not require them to quit their occupations, but to beware of the vices and perform the duties of them; which also is to be understood as the Baptist's own explanation of that pervosa us aßion auagria to which he called his countrymen. forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you." (Matt. vi. 14, 15.) "Then came Peter unto him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven: therefore (i. e. in this respect) is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king which would take account of his servants; and when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him which owed him ten thousand talents; but, forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made the servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed him a hundred pence; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what thou owest and his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all; and he would not, but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me; shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him: so likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." (Matt. xviii. 21-35.) "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your Father also, which is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses." (Mark xi. 25.) 66 "Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again, and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest, for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." (Luke vi. 35.) "And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke xxiii. 34.) II. The universality of benevolence without distinction of country or religion. 66 They went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; and they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of." (Luke ix. 52, 53.) "The Jewish lawyer, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering, said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead: and by chance there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side; and likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side: but a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him; and on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee: Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour to him that fell among the thieves? and he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.' (Luke x. 29-37.) " III. The inferiority and subordination of the ceremonial to the moral Law. "Leave thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." (Matt. v. 24.) "If ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless." (Matt. xii. 7.) "And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered: and they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it and lift it out? how much then is a man better than a sheep? wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days." (Matt. xii. 10-12.) See also Mark iii. 1—5. "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man: those things which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart, and they defile the man; for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man; but to eat with unwashen hands, defileth not a man." (Matt. xv. 11, 18—20.) "Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith (fidelity): these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the others undone." "Ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee! cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." (Matt. xxiii. 23—26). "And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth, for there is one God, and there is none other but he, and to love him with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." (Mark xii. 32—34.) IV. The condemning of spiritual pride and ostentation. "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them; otherwise ye shall have no reward of your Father which is in heaven: therefore when thou dost thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men: verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, that thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are, for they love to pray, standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men ; verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Moreover when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance; for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast; verily I say unto you, They have their reward: but thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." (Matt. vi. 1—6, 16—18.) "All their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi." (Matt. xxiii. 5-7.) "And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican; I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, This man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one that exalteth himself, shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted." (Luke xviii. 9—14.) V. Restraining the licentiousness of divorces. "The Pharisees came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye |